Thursday 11 September 2008

Rita's back, again


So we’ve got a decent list now of cheaper places to eat – but let’s not throw away the baby with the bath water.

The cheap places are all very well and good for those times when you simply can’t be bothered cooking up a storm, but we shouldn’t rely exclusively on these eateries when we have many more restaurants and cafés that put a hell of a lot more effort, time, expertise and money into providing us with the best the region can offer.

So – use the names on the Cheap listing by all means, but don’t rely exclusively on them for your culinary delights and satisfaction.
Posted on by Rita
21 comments

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Absolutely!
Had a great meal last night at Smolt. Sampled a pizza or two and some of their fabulous bread. Main course for me was a scotch fillet with some interesting sauces ... from memory an osso bucco sauce under and a redwine butter on top which all merged in together for some fabulous flavours!

It did jump over the $10 mark a few steps.

P

Anonymous said...

But I've only got $10, Rita.

Miles McClagan said...

I don't even think I've got 10 bucks (scraps from the bin will be reviewed by me at this rate...)

Anonymous said...

I can't afford to leave scraps. Scraps are a luxury, miles.

Rita said...

Miles only has under $10 left 'cos he spent it all on his big night out for his 30th, eh Miles?

Anonymous said...

The comment about only having $10 is a very real one for many food lovers. For such people, quality eating out remains a special occasion thing and they make their choices carefully - often using blogs such as this as a guide. I commented some time ago that in the middle price range, I am often disappointed, sometimes preferring my own cooking of good quality produce! I tend to go for upper end for the special occasion thing and cheap and cheerful for everyday dining out.
With that in mind, thanks for this list. As well as some new ones, it contains some favourites such as Flathead, Kawasemi and Paesano's.

Anonymous said...

Have to 'fess up. Went to Dumpling World today after absence of about 3 weeks and must admit to disappointment that my favourite dumplings were a bit salty, tough and cold for the first time. Up until now this place would have scraped into my $10 list. It seems to be a fact of life that the cheap and cheerful's rarely maintain quality over the long haul. Maybe I've just been lucky with this place up till now!

Rita said...

Thanks for 'fessing up Anon2! You're a big man, figuratively speaking!

Anonymous said...

Just bought the DVD of "Pie in the Sky" and just watched the 1st two episodes of a series I loved when it was first screened in the 90s. In the light of what you just posted , Rita, I'd love to aspire (alas falling far short - and somewhat slimmer!) to being a Henry Crabbe, never going anywhere without his pepper mill and a flask of extra virgin olive oil!

Rita said...

Hey Anon2, I watched some episodes of that when I was on my recent annual leave, as it's being re-run on ABC in the afternoons on weekdays. I agree - it was a great show, and I love Henry's intensity regarding anything to do with food!

Anonymous said...

Help needed - what/where is Duc? Always keen to try somewhere new.

Thanks

Anonymous said...

just returned after a few months away and am wondering what happened to the snitch. was it a legal thing? also, things seem a little tame without the gobbler. everyone seems to be agreeing, no silver fairy et al.,is it becoming mundane and boring in the hobart food blog scene? even the faux knight is appearing lackluster and acquiescent.

Anonymous said...

Duc's is in King St, Sandy Bay, just down fronm the Bund and near The Fish Bar.
It's rough and ready inside but clean enough with only about six tables. But the food.
Young chefs have to start somewhere and I reckon the bloke in there is a winner.
His use of spices in the sambals and szichuan dishes is great.
We ate twice as much as we thought we could and will be back soon as.
PS It's not posh delivery but cheerful. Even the green tea was a mix of an unknown and a Lipton tea bag (yes tea bags).
Service was cheerful and prompt.
But the food...oh, the food.

Rita said...

Anon 7.54 - I totally agree with you. The blogging scene IS really tame, mundane and boring without Gobbler. I miss him like crazy. Without that stimulation, it seems lacklustre. But what can we do? I seriously thought about stopping myself after he finished, but have had a second think about it - mostly because I really still want to read and talk about food and eating here in Hobart, and if no one else is blogging (locally) or talking about it, then who can I read?

There is no one else regularly blogging here in Hobart.

I missed Food Kitty when she pulled the plug, but there were still others going at that time, so even though I loved her blog, it was OK.

It seems that once the bloggers get over it, they never return to the habit.

Anonymous said...

Hi Rita,
Can I make a suggestion? Can we ask people to nominate a specific dish rather than a place? There is GREAT food to be had under $10 in Hobart.
I grew up in Adelaide and the local rag used to have a weekly column which would feature a $10 dish from somewhere each week. Just going to those places on the list does not gurauntee a good experience. But if you are in the know, and know what to order, it can make things a heap easier.
For example, yesterday while waiting for my van to get fixed, I wandered in to the Rainchek Lounge in North Hobart and ordered one item from the tapas menu - Spanish meatballs $10. 6 delicious meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce with a big chunk of bread to mop it all up with. It was great and more than enough for lunch.

Rita said...

Nick, that's an excellent suggestion. Our list was beginning to look like it needed to be more specific, so if anyone wants to nominate a specific dish, as Nick has done with Raincheck, please do so.
However please be mindful that this can turn into one of those sessions that is just an "I like xxx dish at xxx", or "my favourite is xxx at xxx". That can be boring. We all know we've got preferred places to eat our favourite food. What we are wanting here is a sharing of info about cheaper but consistently higher standard foods/venues.
Even though I'll keep adding posts to the blog, if anyone has a suggestion, please add it to the comments on whatever post is happening at the time, or send me an email via the Email Rita direct facility here, and I'll add it to the Cheap listing.

Miles McClagan said...

Yeah, it was definitely my 30th that's reduced me to scraps, and worse, McDonalds...

I spent far too much money spending cash on Hobart nightclubs and kebags (again, should have stuck to scraps!)

Miles McClagan said...

Kebags? The hell? I obviously meant kebabs (I'm not well obviously)

Anonymous said...

Attended a wonderful concert followed by lunch at Peppermint Bay today. The day was magnificent, making the most of the wonderful venue. Had lunch in the cafe, the staff friendly and attentive.
The food, however, was a bit disappointing considering this place's reputation. The dishes were
- oysters kilpatrick - very good - nice plump fresh oysters -not overpowered by the condiments.
- French onion soup - overly sweet and not hot enough
-garlic bread - door stop slices- very average
- 2 orders of lamb tagine with couscous, olives and coriander - one served with parsley and one with coriander! (which was quickly and graciously adjusted) - quite tasty but not spectacular.
- flathead and chips -soggy chips (served with tomato sauce!!) fish average- batter not ideally crisp.
Good coffees - a glass of nice pinot.
Overall quite average - but what a venue!

Whitey said...

I am more than impressed with the theme here.

Following the closure of Fitzies Cafe, I have been long without a regular cheap eatery, so I will carefully study all the suggestions.

Anonymous said...

Anon2, I do love the setting of Peppermint Bay. It has to be one of the most beautiful places in Tassie.
Have heard lots of not so great reports about the food though. Phil and I grazed one day on some platters and they were lovely, but if we're down that way, {more and more often lately}, we often call in for a drink and a sit on the lawns to take the the wonder. Phil got a camera for dad's Day and couldn't wait to get there after lunch on Sunday. I was hoping for some homemade tomato sauce at the stalls that they often have in the hall, but have been unlucky for a while. Scrambled eggs just aren't the same without them.