Yep....2017 is racing to finish

A sure sign of ageing is perceiving the years absolutely flying past so fast it seems impossible to keep track of the days, so you eventually give up, and are aware it's November but not what the actual date is. It's only when you miss a significant other's birthday, not because you love them any less, or that you weren't aware their birthday every year is on 20th November, but because you simply didn't know what the date was.

Anyway, here we find ourselves in December 2017, and what a year it's been for hospitality in Hobart.

So much has altered in the dining and drinking scene here that it's a totally different place to the Hobart hospitality scene we experienced in January.

I think we're at a really excellent place now, with an industry that caters to every single person, whether they be the poorest and most desperate couple with absolutely not one taste bud to share between two of them to discriminate between whether they prefer Maccas, HJ's or KFC, or the biggest food connoisseur in Hobart whose local is Fico, Franklin, Templo or Aloft.

I've enjoyed some most fabulous and high class offerings at different restaurants throughout the year. I've also suffered through some shockers, thinking to myself at the time "What the very f*ck am I paying good money for here?"

Standouts, according to my ever-failing memory (so they must have been damned good for me to remember!) include Filoxenia (Greek, in Elizabeth St, North Hobart), The Lounge at Frogmore in the city, and Agrarian Kitchen at New Norfolk. Also loved Born in Brunswick in NoHo, Kobe (Japanese) in Harrington St, Stone & Barrow (the former Richmond Wine Centre amongst other previous names) in Richmond, Aloft, Salty Dog pub in Kingston, Ettie's (Elizabeth St) and finally Landscape (in the Henry Jones hotel) for some top class professional food and service. In fact if anyone asks me which my most favourite restaurant is, I usually reply that it's Landscape (if money is no object, otherwise I usually recommend Kobe, if they like Japanese).

It may be my age and cynicism but I have also come across a few places where the hype I've heard prior to eating there (and since) has most definitely, for me, not been lived up to, and my experience has indeed proved to be a 'wtf' moment. For the life of me, not wanting to be uncharitable, but.....I'm yet to find the charm or enjoyment from quite a few dishes of the many I've tried at Bar Wa Izakaya. There are two other venues that I enjoyed the first time I ate there, but subsequent visits let me down badly. Brother Mine is one that I'd add to that category, and Suzie Luck's (the rebranded and revamped ex Smolt in Salamanca). Once again, I repeat that is just one person's opinion and summation of a few dining experiences at those three particular venues.

So, well done hospitality in Hobart for 2017. Here's to more of the same in 2018.