New high-end eatery brings taste of the Med to Hobart waterfront
The food, service and setting of Maria are all outstanding and, while it’s a long way from the Derwent to the Mediterranean, I think I can see it from here, writes TasWeekend’s Alix Davis.
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After a couple of hours in Restaurant Maria, with 60s lounge music in the background, Mediterranean cuisine in the foreground and the rough-rendered walls reminiscent of an Italian villa, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton circa 1962 tumble through the door, trying to escape the paparazzi who had been hounding them while they filmed Cleopatra and embarked on a torrid affair. Dickenliz do not make an appearance but Maria’s air of subtle glamour certainly makes it seem possible.
This new addition to Hobart’s high-end restaurant scene is downstairs from Aloft and has been created by the same team, led by chef Christian Ryan and manager Hedley Monks. Their team’s experience and professionalism shine bright throughout the evening. It’s a set menu at Maria ($120 per person with the option of matched drinks for an added $90 per person), which means we can sit back, relax and let the meal unfold.
The food here is Mediterranean, but there are distinctive Tasmanian influences throughout thanks to local produce and native ingredients. And despite the carefully curated menu, the staff are happy to accommodate a couple of last-minute dietary notifications with options that are just as delicious as the originals.
We begin with a light-as-air piece of focaccia that’s perfect for wiping up a creamy Tongola curdy topped with salty olives and capers plus the crunch of toasted almonds. It also serves as a scoop for a wallaby tartare that sits atop a nutty macadamia hummus dusted with lemony sumac. Bruny Island oysters – meaty and briny – are topped with a mignonette scented with wild fennel collected by the team over the summer and are a wonderful, anise-tinged mouthful from the sea.
Maria’s open kitchen sits at the centre of the restaurant, which has been completely re-imagined from its previous incarnation. Heavily veined marble countertops surround the kitchen and have also been used to craft the tables of various sizes. Comfortable chairs – thank you – make dining and chatting a pleasure. A soon-to-open private dining area at the rear of the space is already fielding enquiries and its arched niches and rustic, rendered walls transport you to the Med in a heartbeat. A vast wall of glass doors looks out over the Derwent – tonight an inky black, but it will be one of the best views in town come summer evenings.
Our meal continues with Maria’s take on garlic bread – which is really a cheese-stuffed pita that’s been pan-fried to crunchy goodness then smothered in local honeycomb and crowned with a fennel frond. Honey and fennel are flavours reminiscent of the Greek islands and this more-ish starter nails it.
The drinks list is just as Med-leaning as the food, with offerings from Italy, Greece, Lebanon and Portugal as well as Tasmania. My husband is thrilled to discover Ichnusa Lager on the menu – a Sardinian beer he enjoyed while visiting Sardinia last year and then orders a limoncello spritz (a cousin to the Aperol spritz) that’s crafted with housemade limoncello and conjures up lazy meals by the beach.
The main course is a lamb shoulder that’s been slow-cooked for 14 hours and falls off the bone at the merest touch. It sits in a pool of jus which is begging to be wiped up with a piece of bread. Charred greens are crisp-tender and their mellow flavours are offset by a zingy green goddess dressing that’s vibrant and herby. Delicate white anchovies are draped over the greens and provide a subtle saltiness.
It’s hard to choose a favourite dish of the evening, but if I had to, it might just be the other side dish of roasted-until-they’re-caramelised Jerusalem artichokes on a bed of tangy tzatziki. I never quite know what to do with these knobbly vegetables which are related to neither Jerusalem nor artichokes but are instead a member of the sunflower family. This iteration is excellent with a mix of flavours and textures that is very appealing and works brilliantly with the other mains.
Dessert is inspired by Ryan’s time in Athens, where he found an original yoghurt maker whose Greek yoghurt was so thick you could carve it into pieces. That experience inspired a yoghurt-based panna cotta topped with honey and walnuts that takes me to the back streets of the Greek capital.
The food, service and setting of Maria are all outstanding and, while it’s a long way from the Derwent to the Med, I think I can see it from here.
RESTAURANT MARIA
Brooke St Pier, Hobart
Opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 5.30pm til late
On the menu
Oysters with wild fennel pollen mignonette, crudo with campari and citrus, Maria’s garlic bread with fennel and honeycomb, lamb shoulder with charred greens and Jerusalem artichoke, Greek yoghurt with honey and walnuts.
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