Finally made it today to the much vaunted New Town Greenstore, organic grocer and café (134 New Town Road, New Town, 6278 1306).I felt by the time I left the property, if I saw the word ‘organic’ anywhere else, I’d scream! Everything was labelled ‘organic’ starting with menu items, and covering most goods in the grocery side of the business. I’d prefer it if they renamed it the Organic Greenstore, had a sign above the door as you enter telling you everything is organic, then leaving it at that!
Don’t get me wrong. I’m as concerned as the next person that my food be as organic as I can ensure it, but ……
The café was full most of the time I was there, which is more typical of a new eating place in Hobart rather than an indication of good or bad food or service.
I ate a hamburger which came with a roasted vegetable salad, comprising toasted pine nuts, cubed roasted pumpkin, tiny tomatoes, baby spinach and red onion, was accompanied by a small container of a tasty tomato sauce and was priced at $7. It was fine, but given the emphasis on organic-ness, even though I felt virtuously ‘healthy’ after having eaten it, it didn’t actually taste any more flavourful than any other meatball or rissole I’ve had before.
I accompanied my food with an organic banana smoothie ($5) which proved to me that in order to successfully make something like this, you actually have to regularly drink them yourself. Lukewarm smoothies, or milkshakes, with no added ice cream (or ice, if you don’t want to use icecream) are horrible.
My overall feeling about NTGS is that it is a welcome addition to the café scene, and especially bold having it there in New Town. We need more businesses like this in the suburbs, giving us viable options to the usual run-of-the-mill cafes.
Their menu today included items like:
Pumpkin & risotto roll $8.20
Chicken & broccoli pie with warm veg salad $8.50
Spinach & pinenut quiche on salad $7.50
Organic pumpkin & ginger soup $5.90
Rabbit pie $7.50
Organic frittata with all organic vegetables $8.95
Desserts were:
Raspberry and white chocolate cheesecake $6.50
Berry panna cotta with Tas raspberry sauce $7.90
Cupcakes $5.50
Sticky date pudding with caramel sauce $7.95
Coconut & raspberry muffin with raspberry sauce $6.95
Pecan & white choc tart $5.50
Pear & walnut cake $5.50
Poppyseed muffin with warm orange sauce $6.95
The grocery side of the business contains the usual suspects, like Boks Ham, Lesley Blacks goods etc as well as some of their own produce like pies. It’s a place where I’d love to think everyone in Hobart shopped, thus ensuring their good health, but I think it will end up being a destination for those amongst us with various food intolerances, as well as the more concerned eaters.
I was amused to be at a table next to 3 burly-looking ex-footballer type blokes, chatting about footy and all topics manly, whilst at the same time eating their organic lunch! Made me smile!
So – at least I know what all the New Town ladies are talking about now. It’s early days at the moment, so I will need to return later and see how NT Greenstore has settled into the eating landscape of the city.
They're open Mon - Fri, 7.30 am till 6.30 pm, and Sat & Sun 7.30 am till 6.00 pm.
ADDITION - See Comment from Rockoyster re these last two pics......
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5 comments:
The menu sounds good so I'll give it a try.
Imagine if everything was organic and well-produced Rita.
Then we wouldn't have to label it all the time.
A dream.
By the way those footy types can be ruthless about their fitness and diet. Comes from years of it.
Wish I had their iron will.
Mind you my diet of pies and beer have left me still a superior and commanding figure of a fellow.
Those genes, those genes.
Imagine my surprise on visiting the Newtown Greenstore for lunch yesterday to find the totally-organic Rita seated below the blackboard menu.
You could tell it was Rita by the way she was taking snapshots of the food. Not a lot of lunchers do that!
This was one of those synchronicity type meetings. My consort and I had just returned from the wilds of Derwent Park and were heading for the nearest Hungry Jack's Drive-thru when a minor traffic jam outside the Greenstore caused us to take a detour.
We enjoyed our lunch immensely. The chicken and broccoli pie sounded great but was unfortunately off. So an egg and bacon tart and a ham, relish and camembert tremazzini (that's a little sandwich for the non-Latins) were the order of the day; both served with roast vegetable salad. Rita took a snap of both our meals but clearly deemed her spicy beef burger more photogenic.
I'm not sure what the footballers thought but Rita's comment across the room to me that "I was just thinking about you in bed the other night . . ." caused a few raised eyebrows.
Things were pretty quiet after Rita left to go back to work until the elderly lady with the loud voice arrived and told the assembled throng that "things are pretty crook in Tullarook" - several times.
All in all a very entertaining luncheon adjournment with good value, tasty, wholesome and filling food. What more can you ask for? A bun with your burger mayhap?
I've corrected that RO - now the pics of your meals are there - but how much were they?
$18.20 for mains and tea for two plus a small portion of Gran's Coconut Ice to go (gluten free of course). A trifle more expensive than Hungry Jack's but what price virtue.
You're burger shot WAS more photogenic.
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