With Hill Street Grocer vacating its landmark corner-shop premises for larger digs, it has passed the baton to the team from Smolt and Frank. An Ottolenghi vibe meets the 1980s in a breezy space punctuated by asymmetric plastic laminate, and salmon-pink touches of the Memphis school of design. A variety of seating options, some communal, accommodate spontaneous walk-ins as readily as those with bookings.
The menu is likewise accessible, its influences spanning Europe, South America and the Middle East, with an emphasis on seasonal, sustainably farmed Tasmanian produce. Breakfast options include baked eggs pepped up with spiced eggplant and pork belly, and for lunch and dinner there are cured meats and nicely composed salads: plump and juicy heirloom tomatoes, for instance, dressed with silky Huon Valley goat’s curd. Sweets, meanwhile, include a stunning combination of chocolate mousse with charred peaches and fresh mint. Happy days
Smolt Kitchen, 107-109 Hill St, West Hobart, Tas, (03) 6231 0828, smoltkitchen.com.au
