[Travel Tasmania] Jailhouse Grill @ Launceston

The building that houses Jailhouse Grill is said to have been around since the 1800's. Hehe, I thought it was a themed eatery but turns out to be quite an old skool steakhouse in Launceston area.

Our friends said that it is better to make a reservation prior to visit as the place could get rather busy.

approaching the entrance

 

menu

grill station

Friendly staff led us to our table as we have a reservation for 8 pax. As we passed by the open-kitchen at the grill station, one could hear the delicious sizzling sounds and the fantastic smells of meat cooking. 

Once seated and menu perused, we speedily ordered our mains and then, we were free to enjoy the salad bar. The salad bar has a small selection of hot and cold items such as greens and pasta.

salad bar

my plate from the salad bar

Scotch Fillet @AUD52

medium rare

Scotch fillet is said to be similar to rib-eye. The version here was firm and meaty. A masculine/macho version of meats. Haha.

We enjoyed the meats with delicious sips of Taverner's Tasmanian Honey Mead that we brought to the restaurant. BYO corkage fee applies hence do enquire at the restaurant. 

The honey mead tasted sweet, mellow with a touch of spice and complemented well with our meal.

Tasmanian Honey Mead

cheers

It was a night of interesting banter amongst new and old friends, made even more enjoyable in a cosy environment with delicious foods and drinks.

Jailhouse Grill

Address: 32 Wellington St, Launceston TAS 7250, Australia

Website: https://jailhousegrill.com.au/

Contact: +61363310466

Business Hours:

Daily: 12.00–2.30 pm, 5.00–9.30 pm

[Tasting] Abundance Set @ Goldleaf Restaurant 金葉餐廳

Lunar New Year is approaching and soon, families will gather to celebrate the start of new beginnings, new adventures!

Let's have a look at the festive menu served at this nostalgic place.

menu

Abundance (for 6 pax)

Gold Leaf Reunion Abalone Yusheng

Goldleaf Reunion Abalone Yusheng

abalone

vibrant new year

财源广进

huat ah!

refreshingly sweet and crunchy

Superior Broth with Fish Maw and Crabmeat

I liked it with black vinegar but most of my dining companions prefers to put pepper instead.

vinegar

bowl of umami

Housemade Chicken

nutritious stuffings in the chicken

The plump looking chicken was stuffed with carrot cubes, chestnuts, herbs and cooked till tender. Broth tasted more floral than herbal, with a sweet finish.

Steamed Red Grouper in Superior Soy Sauce

closer view

What's your favourite fish for steamed style cooking?

Golden Tiger Prawns

The prawns were of a good size and loved the tiny details in the plating of the dish. Contrary to the red specks on the prawns, this dish is not spicy.

petals in the nest

Wok-fried Specialty Kai Lan

Do you prefer the leaves or the stem? 

Imperial Treasure Steamed in Lotus Leaf

Enjoy the delicate taste of the sweet savoury lap cheong (preserved sausage), sliced abalone, sliced pork, together with the savoury dried shrimp flavoured sticky rice. The rice portion was plenty.

Chef's Creation

golden jelly

Dessert was a lovely hue of golden. The jelly taste was mild with a hint of osmanthus. A very light dessert.

Thank you Kris for the invite and Karen, Goldleaf Restaurant for hosting the dinner. Special thanks to the staff whom attended to our table that night.

Wishing everyone 蛇年快乐!

Goldleaf Restaurant 金葉餐廳

Address: 83 Geylang Rd, Singapore 389200

Website: https://goldleaf.com.sg/

Contact: 60161653

Business Hours:

Daily: 11 am–10 pm

[Travel Tasmania] Rupert & Hound @ Seaport Launceston

Rupert & Hound is located just steps away from Peppers Seaport Hotel, so we visited for a cosy, intimate dinner.

nice and cosy

Hence and Tracy have been here before, so they recommended some starters.

table light

menu

seasonal menu

interior

Breads

Stonebaked Ciabatta @AUD14

Loved the homemade tomato butter served with the bread. So so tasty!

R&H Entree

Tasmanian Scallops @AUD25

Lovely presentation with the orange-hued sauce, with the scallops placed ontop of some kind of sweet savoury chorizo jam (looked like sambal!). Scallops were smallish but nicely seared.

The crispy pork pancakes reminds me of Peking duck-styled of eating. Thin crepe, served with sliced spring onions and cucumber but instead of the dark sauce, there's mayonnaise and chili caramel.

Crispy Pork Pancakes @AUD19

R&H Classics and New Menu

Chargrilled Porterhouse @AUD52

Beef Cheek Pasta

Scottsdale Pork Belly @AUD38

Fisherman's Favourite @AUD37

There's gummy shark, scallops and calamari in the Fisherman's Favourite.

Coal Valley Quail @AUD24

I had the quail and it was nicely cooked with tender springy meat. There was a mound of sweet potato puree, hence leaning towards the sweeter side.

Staff was friendly and pleasant to converse with. Thank you for taking care of our table that night!

Rupert & Hound

Address: 30 Seaport Blvd, Launceston TAS 7250, Australia

Website: http://www.rupertandhound.com.au/

Business Hours:

Sat: 11:30 am–10 pm

Sun: Saturday, 11:30 am–9 pm

[Travel Tasmania] Mudbar Restaurant @ Seaport Launceston

We were staying for 2 nights at Peppers Seaport which is located at the waterfront and Mudbar is the affiliated restaurant with the hotel as we could also find Mudbar's QR code in our hotel room.

I was curious about the place and suggested to the group to drop by for some late lunch snacks. The restaurant offers a casual-classy vibe. Service staff who spotted us at the door, gave a brief greeting and ushered us to the table.

Menu was offered and we took some time to peruse and decide on what we wanted. 

food menu

Mudbar serves modern Australian cuisine and from its menu, there's plenty of dishes with strong Asian influences.

This was also one of those places where one is asked whether we prefers sparkling or still water. Back home, the most memorable was when we racked up SGD39 on bottled sparkling water in one of the Italian restaurant...

let's try

nice glassware

Me? It was the perfect time for a beer/cider and my drinking buddy, Ivan (and occasionally Tracy/Shermaine) concurred. Hahaa!

refreshing~

For light snacks, we tried the chicken wings and fat chips. Savoury is always a good choice for alcoholic drinks. I enjoyed both the sticky soy wings and the hot piping fat chips. Yums!

Sticky Soy Chicken Wings @AUD18

Fat Chips with garlic aioli @AUD12

Presentation for the chicken wings was lovely with the cute sprinkling of black and white sesame, plus the spring onions. Wings were smallish, but so so tasty!

Hence and Tracy ordered a slice of cake, so I had a bite of it.

Lemon Cake served with cream @AUD9.50

Mudbar Restaurant

Address: 28 Seaport Blvd, Launceston TAS 7250, Australia

Website: https://www.mudbar.com.au/

Business Hours:

Daily: 11:30 am–12 am