[Travel Tasmania] Room For A Pony @ Hobart

We flew from Melbourne Airport to Hobart and this is marks my first time in Tasmania! WoOooHoOoo! Thanks to the meticulous planning by the boys, we hopped onto our rental and off we went in search for lunch.

Decided to go somewhere nearby our would be accommodation for the night.

going to town

Our lunch was at a place called "Room For A Pony". Staff said don't quote her but once upon a time, indeed there was a stable for pony but now, there's none.

The restaurant/cafe looked pretty cosy from across the road, with beautiful lawn where one could feel the breeze and the bright sun. Alfresco dining is available and there were two tables where guests enjoyed their lunch outdoors.

We? Hiding inside the airconditioned place, of course. Hahahaa.

bright and sunny

We decided to go for a couple of pizzas and I thought we would be doing two. Well, I thought wrong. How could this foodie gang stop at just 2 mains? Ended up with one appetiser and three pizzas for the 5 of us.

Grilled Halloumi and Tzatziki @AUD23

Napoletana @AUD25

Eggplant Siciliana @AUD30

Capricciosa @AUD32

The size of the pizza was definitely pretty huge for us. Keke, legendary again! The grilled halloumi was tasty and refreshing with the tzatziki but again, it was a huge plate.

For pizzas, one can't be too dainty when eating this. Fork and knife, if you wish but for casual dining, I'd grabbed one with hands. Easier.

can't fit onto my palm

Napoletana flavours were strong especially if you bit onto the anchovies or black olives. I like it but I think this need to be paired with beer or cider. Eggplant Siciliana was interesting as I never had eggplant on my pizza before. Smokey flavours with occasional slight bitterness and overall, very filling. With some doesn't like olives, some don't like eggplant, the crowd favourite unsurprisingly went to Capricciosa, for the ingredients on the pizza were something that we commonly choose back home.

thin crust, loaded with ingredients, packed with flavours

when in Tassie, drink apple juice

So, did we finish all the food? Answer was no. We packed the leftovers pizza to take back for dinner. Staff was really nice and friendly. It was lovely talking to you!

Room For A Pony

Address: 338 Elizabeth St, North Hobart TAS 7000, Australia

Website: http://roomforapony.com.au/

Contact: +61362310508

Business Hours:

Mon-Fri: 7 am–9 pm

Sat: 8 am–10 pm

Sun: Sunday, 8 am–9 pm

Trattoria da Mimmo Restaurant and Pizzeria @ Clover Way

"Let's have something healthier." That was how we came about choosing this place for our lunch. Italian fare it is.

restaurant's entrance

I was a tad late, so the others arrived earlier. The interior was cosy and spacious.

interior

table setting

online menu

Pretty extensive menu and one of the staff rattled off a long list of Specials for the day. Our first time at the restaurant, so we decided to get the Special Pizza, two appetizers and two pastas. Once our order was captured, a bread basket was immediately brought out.

complimentary bread

olive oil and balsamic

with butter

Staff asked us if we would like the food to be served all at once or to serve the appetisers first. We smiled and said, "all at once". But little did we know that the plates are pretty big, so very quickly our table were full!

Burrata Pugliese con Parma @$56++

hello parma~

It has been quite a long while since I last had any burrata or parma ham. Loved the sweet tomatoes! The burrata was our healthier plate. The small side dish that looked like pickled vegetable was a curious thing. Taste-wise, it definitely does not taste like szechuan vegetable. Staff helped us to enquire from the chef and came back with the answer. Eggplant! Ok, it didn't taste like eggplant too.

smooth burrata

Prosecco @$13++

Trippa della Casa @$24++

The tripe was served piping hot, so be careful. We used the bread to mop up the sauce. I liked it as it was cooked till tender, and its tomato based sauce was comforting.

Gnocchi al Formaggi @$29++

Am always in search for gnocchi that could rival the one that I really liked from Club Street, many years ago. Lucky me, my friends allowed my indulgence and we got a plate to try. However, am on the fence for this one as it had a heavy cheese flavour to it. Maybe I should've ordered the tomato based version?

Pappardelle al Cinghiale @$36++

I was skeptical at first on the wild boar pappardelle (Pappardelle al Cinghiale) but it had a likeable robust flavour. Strong flavours, lovely pasta texture and not overly gamey. In fact, I think it wasn't gamey at all. This was one dish that I kept going back for more!

Special Pizza @$42++

The Special Pizza came looking kinda cute with all the mini cheese balls on it. Mini burrata? Hehe. Liked that the crust is neither too thin nor too thick, as it was just right. The sausage meat on it had an interesting texture and overall flavours were enjoyable. I can finish 2 slices of these.

lemon sorbet @$12++

For dessert, we had the lemon sorbet served in an actual frozen lemon. Keke, first time seeing ice cream presented this way.

And, we did try their tiramisu as well. Light and gone in a jiffy!

tiramisu @$15++

light and yums

The sparkling and still water were charged at $7.50++ per bottle. I saw the other tables having their water poured from a jug, so I guessed the tap water option is available as well.

Service was efficient and we enjoyed the light hearted banters with Isabelle, who attended to us that day.

Thank you Ivan, Tracy, Hence and Shermaine for a lovely catch-up, and for the hearty lunch. Till our next adventure, stay safe.

Trattoria da Mimmo Restaurant and Pizzeria 

Address: 3 Clover Wy, Singapore 579078

Website: http://www.trattoriadamimmo.com.sg/

Contact: 90882659

Business Hours:

Closed on Tues.

Wed - Sat: Monday, 11:45 am–2 pm, 5:45–10 pm

Sun: 11:45 am–2:30 pm, 5:45–10 pm

THE MAST' of Mozzarella & Co @ 182 Cecil Street

Was looking for a brunch place when Hence suggested to try this place. Italian food for brunch? Well, why not? The Mast' hails from Rome, Italy and specializes in freshly made mozzarella.

The Mast' is located near Amoy Street Food Centre and the taxi couldn't find the exact drop-off point so, it was a curbside alight that's right in front of the entrance to the restaurant. Sweet.

inside the restaurant

counter view

The interior is spacious with comfortable vibe. For our group of 5, we shared two starters, three mains and two dessert over a bottle of wine. We ate, conversed over food and drinks for almost 3 hours. Happiness.

what would be our aperitif of choice?

Ivan picked the wine, and food orders were mainly left to Tracy and Hence. Everything was on-point.

Caparzo Toscana Sangiovese 2018 @$65++

The dark berried red wine was very drinkable, sweet and with a spiced finish. It was one juicy drink that's low in tannin. Yums!

lovely red

Let's not drink on an empty stomach, shall we? On to the appetisers! First up, the mushroom crostini. It has sauteed mushrooms, stracciatella and truffle. Was curious so, did a look up on a the definition of stracciatella. It is from mozarella strings, mixed with cream for a soft creamy texture. Imagine crispy toast, laid with abundance of this creamy white cheese and topped with sauteed earthy flavourful shrooms and drizzled with some truffle oil. A good starter that excites!

Crostini E Funghi (vegetarian) @$20++

Ready for more, so let's move on to their signature burrata. Small fist sized burrata, drizzled with olive oil, and served with rocket leaves, tomato slices and parma ham. Am no expert of cheese, and burrata doesn't really have any flavour to it, in my honest opinion. The texture was soft and creamy as befitting of fresh cheeses. Tracy said that the burrata seemed smaller than the other time when they tried it.

Burrata pomodoro e proscuitto crudo @$30++

And, we need to have our quotient of meat and on the menu, there's one item each for beef, chicken and fish (excluding the burger option). So we got ourselves a 300gm grain fed ribeye done medium rare. Everyone loved the veal jus, and the accompanying cherry tomatoes, baby potatoes and asparagus. The beef was a good chew and paired well with the Sangiovese.

300g Grain-Fed Ribeye @$42++

Now, having had our fill of meat, let's try on some carbs. What's Italian dining, if we didn't get ourselves a plate of pasta?

Rigatoni Carbonara @$25++

the secret is in the bacon

It is rare to see rigatoni for carbonara. Al-dente as expected and not very saucy. Someone asked in IG, like how is this a carbonara? Well, if the Chef wants to call it a carbonara, whom am I to disagree? I enjoyed this version of the pasta as it has a stronger flavour due to the chopped bacon that's the main contributor to the flavour game here. Most importantly, is to eat it while it is hot.

And, we thought we did well to end it there. But nooOOoo... we have not tried the pizza! So, ended up with a large Funghi pizza. Didn't expect to see bacon slices on the shrooms pizza as topping, but there it was and no complaints though! The pizza was pleasant and a good filler if you needed more carbs. Non-greasy and with a good cheese pull.

Funghi Pizza @$27++

look at the pull!

Now, we are full and about to have our last sip of the wine. But, could we really leave without trying any of their dessert? Take a guess.

Zuccuto Amarena @$12++

Tiramisu @$12++

Yeah, we ended up with two dessert to end the meal. Hmm, the Zuccuto Amarena is for cherry lovers. I didn't like it because it tasted like cough syrup (all artificial cherry will taste like cough syrup to me). I reckoned it tasted like a cherry flavoured ice-cream cake.

The tiramisu had the classic flavour, with not too strong of the coffee taste. The sweetness was rather pronounced.

All in all, it was a good meal to share with friends. Service was friendly and non-intrusive. One thing to note is that they don't serve complimentary water here, so guests will have to opt for sparkling or still if they want to. We had a large sparkling for $7++.

Expect to spend about $40 to $60 per pax.

THE MAST' of Mozzarella & Co

Address: 182 Cecil St, #01-05/08 Frasers Tower, Singapore 069547
Website: https://themast.com.sg/
Contact: 6513 8010
Business Hours:
Mon-Sat: 12pm to 9pm
Closed on Sundays

[Tasting] Supply & Demand | Modern Italian Trattoria & Pizzeria @ Orchard Gateway

Supply & Demand is an Italian restaurant, serving hearty Italian fare with a smattering of Southeast Asian twists. A chic place located at Level 2 of Orchard Gateway. Nearest MRT would be Somerset Station.

signboard

It was rather busy when we visited on a weekend at about 2pm. Hence, do make a reservation to avoid disappointment. Nice ambiance, cosy and with high ceiling inside the restaurant. Space between tables could be pretty tight, but that depends on where you are seated.

interior

It was pretty awesome to listen to live entertainment during the day time. We had Amanda on that weekend and loved her singing! Song requests are possible though we were too shy to ask.

live-music schedule board

Amanda

Eh, enough ogling at cute singer. Let's take a look at the menu. Hardcover menu, with some sort of an emblem printed on it, this has an old school charm. Plenty of things in the menu, but since this was an invited tasting, we left the selection to Chee Sheng, our host for that day.

feels like those old library book

what shall we try?

Oh, important to note that at the moment, Supply and Demand have an all-day promo for oysters. $2 per piece (instead of usual $4.90) if you order a drink and capped at 6 pieces per pax. I supposed they meant alcoholic drink? Do enquire if you're there. But the oysters were so good! Plump, juicy and briny.

Taylor Shellfish Farm Oyster @$2++ (usual $4.90++) per piece

"The truffle fries are pretty popular here." Yes, we did catch a whiff or two of the truffle smell while we were there but we're gonna try something different. Let's have the Okonomiyaki Sweet Potato Fries and the Indomie Goreng Fries instead. Yup, these are the ones with an Asian twist.

(left to right) Okonomiyaki Sweet Potato Fries and Indomie Goreng Fries

Indomie Goreng Fries @$12/$17 (petite/regular)

The seasonings on these two fries were really strong, hence be ready with your drinks. A beer may be a good idea. The Indomie Goreng had a spicy kick towards the end, so don't be like us but to have the fries as soon as it landed on your table. I think these fries would appeal to the younger crowd.

Next we tried some appetiser from the Chichetti section. Would you like some beef carpaccio, crostini and baked brie? Well, yasss! Let's get those.

Beef Carpaccio @$15++

Beef carpaccio was sliced tenderloin with yuzu wasabi emulsion. While the  tenderloin wasn't melt-in-your-mouth, it was of a lovely thinness that was easy to eat. Again, this was strongly flavoured. My remedy, was the huge mug of Lychee Mango Fizz from the Signature Coolers of the beverage menu.

Signature Coolers - Coconut Mint, Ginger Peach Mule, Coconut Lychee Cooler and Lychee Mango Fizz @$8++ each

I would totally recommend the Peach and Parma Ham Crostini. This was one mouthful of deliciousness. Ok, one mouthful could be too much to handle. I had it in two. The crostini had a dollop of lovely cream cheese as its base, and then a chunky sweet peach and topped with savoury salty parma ham. And, I liked the fact that it was one generous piece of parma!

Peach and Parma Ham Crostini @$14++

Next up, the baked brie which I would suggest to have it as dessert. First of all, this was one well plated item. It looked like a flower in bloom. Oven baked brie cheese, drizzled with honey and topped with almond flakes and crumbles served with a side of toasted flat bread.

Baked Brie @$17++

While the brie was not melty, I still loved it. Cut a good piece and savour it on its own. Revel in the taste of sweet honey and the more you chew, the more savoury salty mild flavour of brie rises. Take a bite of the flat bread and contrast those with a slight crunch. Yums.

"Where are the carbs?" You asked.

Not to worry, because here comes the pasta and the pizza! The seared beef pizza was really beautiful and Instagram-able too. The dough is made in-house daily and is of a thin crust variant. Again, remember not to leave the pizza out for too long.

Manzo Scottato e Pera (Seared Beef with Pear) @$25++/$29++ (regular 9" or large 13")

The beef was not tough but unfortunately, there was some tendon on the piece that I had, and that was rather hard to chew through.

I like to use my hand

For meatless pizza, the Avocado e Pesto pizza was on point. Tasty garlic cream sauce, savoury pesto sauce topped with loads of peppery bitter rucola, with a scattering of onions and avocado pieces, oregano, mozzarella and some sweet cherry tomatoes.

Avocado e Pesto @$25++/$29++ (regular 9" or large 13")

For the pasta, we tried the squid ink and the carbonara. The squid ink pasta was very al-dente with little liquid, garnished with cherry tomatoes and finished with some shavings of grana padano cheese. One could choose to have it without any other toppings, or with seafood or seared scallops.

Nero di Sepia with seared scallops @$19++/$29++ (petite/regular)

I preferred the carbonara as it was more flavourful. The sauteed crispy bacon was indeed superbly crispy and its glorious salty porky flavours upped the ante for this pasta. The yolk infused cream coated the noodles and I liked the smoothness of the noodles when slurped. And, load it up with plenty of shaved cheese to impress the tastebuds further. The mushrooms gave the dish a touch of earthy flavours. So delectable.

Carbonara Cremoso @$14++/$19++ (petite/regular)

Thank you Kris for extending the invite, Chee Sheng for hosting the lunch and S&D Orchard Gateway crew for taking care of us.

Supply & Demand

Address: 277 Orchard Road #02-13/14, Orchard Gateway, Singapore (238858)
Website: http://supplyanddemand.com.sg/
Business Hours:
Mon-Fri: 11:30am-3pm, 6-10:30pm
Sat-Sun: 11:30am-10:30pm