Things to do – Food & Wine

Restaurants

Red Velvet Lounge

The Red Velvet Lounge is dedicated to its Cygnet community. It serves great food, fabulous bread and superb coffee. RVL sources local produce including olive oil, cider, saffron, native pepper products, fudge, tofu, nougat, honey, cheese, ice cream, seafood, meat, poultry and game, and seasonal fruit and vegetables. It also stocks a variety of specialty whole foods, products, giftware and home wares.

Peppermint Bay

Peppermint Bay on the waterfront at Woodbridge was named by The Weekend Australian as ‘one of the top 10 restaurants worth leaving home for.’ The complex includes The Dining Room, an acclaimed a la carte restaurant; the casual bistro-style of The Local Bar & Terrace; and The Providore which stocks a wide variety of local food and wine specialties. Also on the property are the fish race and extensive herb garden. The Peppermint Bay Cruise from Hobart is a spectacular way to reach this destination.
More information at www.peppermintbay.com.au

Home Hill Winery

Located at Ranelagh and named ‘Best Restaurant’ at the Tasmanian Tourism Awards in 2003 and 2004. Home Hill continues to be a leading maker of wines – only recently winning the best Tasmanian Red Wine for 2009 at the Wrest Point Royal Hobart International Wine Show for their 2008 Home Hill pinot. The boutique winery and restaurant is set among vines and farmland in the heart of the Huon Valley and enjoys sweeping views to the Wellington Range. A range of award-winning wines complements gourmet recipes on the restaurant’s seasonal menu, which highlights the best Huon Valley ingredients. Concerts and musical events are a feature at Home Hill, with a varied program ranging from classical to blues.
More information at www.homehillwines.com.au

Pear Ridge Gardens and Restaurant

Pear Ridge of Margate has sweeping rural views towards Mt Wellington. It overlooks the restaurant’s own productive garden and there’s even a stream with resident platypus! Enjoy a meal on the spacious deck or in the dining room. The cuisine is French influenced and features the region’s fine local produce with fruit, vegetables and herbs freshly picked from the half acre French potager garden. Other regional fare on the menu includes Atlantic salmon from the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, game meats such as Tinderbox rabbit, and cool-climate wines from local vineyards.
More information at www.pearridge.com.au

Fleurtys Café and Essential Oil Distillery

Fleurtys has a scenic setting at Birchs Bay on the forested shores of the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, just south of Woodbridge. The stunning architecturally-designed building features expansive decks and wide windows, with panoramic views of water, forest, hills and mountain. The café’s delicious local fare showcases fine regional produce including seasonal locally grown artichokes, rhubarb, garlic, raspberries and blackcurrants. Vintages from Huon and Channel vineyards feature on the wine list. The property grows thousands of Dutch irises and has an essential oil distillery onsite. It is the home of Australia’s leading native pepper enterprise, Diemen Pepper Products. Walking tracks from Fleurtys explore the magnificent forest in a private reserve.
More information at www.fleurtys.com.au

Petty Sessions Gourmet Café and Gallery

On the shores of the serene Huon River at Franklin, Petty Sessions Gourmet Café and Gallery is set in the town’s charming 1860 courthouse. Excellent coffee, imaginative light meals using fresh local ingredients and regional cool-climate wines are features. Cosy open fires complement the stylishly decorated interior. Views from the dining room take in the Egg Islands, Huon River and the orchards and farmland beyond. Tasmanian scallops and Atlantic salmon feature on the menu. The house special, abalone soup, is an unusual and delicious highlight that shouldn’t be missed.
More information at www.pettysessions.com.au

Huon Manor

Set among landscaped gardens on the banks of the Huon River at Huonville, this fine a la carte restaurant is set in a classic 1918 cottage that retains many of its magnificent period features such as stained glass and hand-painted doors and ceilings. The home’s name ‘Duvida’ means ‘by the river’. Hosts Ray and Trudy Griffiths offer fine fare using the best of produce from the Huon Valley and offshore waters. Magnificent seafood is a house specialty – Bruny Island oysters, local salmon, mussels, crayfish and scallops.
More information at www.huonmanor.com.au

Mermaid Café

The Mermaid Café is at the Bruny Island Ferry Terminal at Kettering. Wide windows look out over the marina and moored yachts in Little Oyster Bay – you can watch the Mirambeena car ferry docking from your table. The café offers morning and afternoon tea and delicious, freshly-prepared light meals for lunch. The seasonally changing menu reflects food and wine from the region. Excellent coffee is a specialty – locals queuing for the ferry regularly call in for a takeaway latte or cappuccino.
More information at www.tasmaniaholiday.com

Brookfield Vineyard

Located in Margate, Brookfield Vineyard offers a unique dining experience. Open 7 days a week, the restaurant serves big breakfast, healthy lunch, yummy cakes and coffee. Dinner is available every Friday and Saturday nights with regular entertainment from a variety of local and international artists. Brookfield also grows the two traditional cool-climate varieties of pinot noir and chardonnay. The vineyard, planted in 1992, has produced wine for 12 years; it is available for purchase only at the vineyard. The fruit-driven wines are crafted to reflect the regional characteristics of the grapes. Brookfield also offers an extensive yet unique, gift shop and hosts a community market every Wednesday. The property also offers a taste of yesteryear with a range of memorabilia, including the latest addition, the Tudor Model Village upstairs.
More information at www.brookfieldvineyard.com

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