Omotenashi: The intimate venue showcasing Tasmanian produce

A venue with as few as 12 seats and one sitting per night means tables won’t be easy to come by. Why Hobart’s newest restaurant – which promises a unique and exemplary dining experience – is worth the wait.

Omotenashi new restaurant in Hobart. Picture: Adam Gibson

WITH limited space for dining and a high-end price point of $300 per head, Hobart’s newest dining experience, Omotenashi, may not suit every taste.

But word of this game-changer is spreading fast, with bookings already into December.

The word omotenashi is said to embody the Japanese spirit of hospitality and it’s with this ethos that the restaurant has been established in the Lexus building at 160 Elizabeth St, Hobart.

There are 12 seats positioned along one counter top dining space and just one sitting per night.

Each night a set menu of about 12 dishes is served with matched alcoholic or non alcoholic beverages.

The menu and overall experience is produce driven.

Omotenashi new Hobart restaurant. Picture: Adam Gibson

Patrons can expect to be presented with an element in various ways such as raw, cured, poached, smoked or grilled.

Co-owner and chef Lachlan Colwill said getting to see the raw element and then finished product adds to the story telling of the dishes.

“We hope people can leave somewhat inspired to source and prepare these ingredients themselves,” he said.

Mr Colwill said he moved to Tasmanian from South Australia in 2020 wanting a stronger connection to individual farmers and produce.

“Let’s say you have really good tomatoes, from 1980 to 2018, those tomatoes would have been ‘tricked around’ by chefs,” he said.

“The finer end of dining became all about dehydrating, foaming, deconstructing and reconstructing.

Lachlan Colwill and Sophie Pope at new venue Omotenashi in Hobart. Picture: Adam Gibson

“We want the experience to showcase the produce, we want the tomatoes, for example, to be the star of the show.”

Mr Colwill and co-owner Sophie Pope are behind the new venue and bring with them a wealth of experience, having both sharpened their skills at some of Tasmania’s most renowned venues.

Mr Colwill previously owned Hentley Farm in South Australia before working with at Seven and a Half, while co-owner, partner and pastry chef Sophie Pope has most recently worked at Dier Makr. The pair, along with Ashley Castle, are all formally trained chefs who will swap roles between cooking, serving and ‘story telling’.

Omotenashi new Hobart restaurant. Picture: Adam Gibson

Mr Colwill said he felt confident about their new venture.

“We have quite a bit of technical ability in our background which we’ve matured into so we feel confident we can do a good job showcasing things for what they are.”

The new venue won’t be easy to nab a table, with bookings already packed out until December.

Originally published as Omotenashi: The intimate venue showcasing Tasmanian produce