SoHo eatery South is well worth setting your course for
Delicious food – that can be anything from a snack to a meal – comfy seating and friendly service makes me wish this relatively new wine bar/eatery was my local, writes Alix Davis
Food and Wine
Don't miss out on the headlines from Food and Wine. Followed categories will be added to My News.
There’s a scene in the 2014 film Chef where chef Carl Casper (played by Jon Favreau) – recently parted from his job at a fancy restaurant after having a meltdown at a reviewer – rediscovers his love of cooking via a food truck and a Cubano sandwich.
Stuffed with ham, mojo-marinated pork, Swiss cheese and pickles before being toasted, this sandwich (and the movie) is what inspired plumber and gasfitter Jez Waterhouse to hang up his multi-grips and dive into the food venture he’d been dreaming of.
Together with his wife Kath, Jez runs South – a wine bar and eatery on South Hobart’s Cascade Rd.
I hadn’t heard much about South since it opened in August – maybe the locals have been keeping this delicious food and friendly service a secret from the rest of Hobart – but it’s firmly on my radar now.
While my husband is talking to Jez, I scan the menu and choose a selection of share plates. We order enough for dinner, but you could just as easily order one or two with a glass of something Tasmanian as an on-the-way-home snack, afternoon interlude or a pre-dinner warm-up.
Our table in the window is perfect for people-watching and has an excellent view of kunanyi/Mt Wellington in the gloaming.
As dog-walkers wander past and people head home from work, we enjoy a menu that showcases Tasmanian ingredients and an enthusiasm for big flavours. Our first dish is mushroom skewers ($14) – three plump and meaty button mushrooms on each skewer have been charred and slicked with a sweet miso sauce and it’s a tasty indicator of what’s to come.
My husband had been craving hot chips earlier in the day but I had reminded him that we were heading out for dinner and hot chips wouldn’t be an ideal pre-game plan. He reluctantly agreed and this impressive show of willpower was rewarded with a plate of Kath’s crispy pink eyes ($14).
This golden mound of roasted potatoes – slightly squashed to generate extra edges that have been baked to crispy, craggy perfection and then salted with a deft hand – is definitely worth forgoing a bowl of hot chips for. The insides are soft and fluffy and we waste no time at all finishing off the lot.
There are plenty of meat-free options on this menu and a dish of charred cauliflower ($18) is substantial and full of flavour. Roasted cauliflower is topped with a housemade harissa (punchy but not too much heat) and crunchy chickpeas. One of the keys to a roasted cauliflower dish is ensuring it’s cooked to tenderness throughout – no one wants to eat hot, raw cauliflower. They nailed it here – the cauli is tender without being mushy and the crunch is in the chickpeas – right where you want it.
There are a couple of wallaby dishes on the menu (tartare, $20; slow-cooked ribs, $32) and some buttermilk fried fish bites ($22) inspired by Sydney fish maestro Josh Niland, but we opt for a new winter menu item – fried chicken ($18).
Two bone-in thighs have been dipped in a buttermilk batter and fried to golden glory, the housemade coffee barbecue sauce (no, you can’t taste the coffee) on the side is ideal for dipping both the chicken and the fries that come on the side. Everything is beautifully presented and it’s obvious that care is going into every dish that comes out.
And so we come to the Cubano ($22) – “the sammich that started this crazy journey of ours,” according to the menu.
A housemade roll encases slices of mojo pork (citrus marinated and slow-cooked), Tasmanian smoked ham, Swiss cheese, mustard and crunchy pickles before being slathered in butter and toasted in a sandwich press. It’s a substantial beast and an excellent sandwich – I love the fact that it’s imbued with meaning as well as flavour.
Having South as my local would make me very happy – Tasmanian drinks paired with food that can be anything from a snack to a meal, comfortable seating and hosts who are excited to share their enthusiasm for food and the next part of their life journey.
Set your course for South.
Is this the sweetest foodie opening of the year?
This recently opened family-friendly Northern cafe makes a sweet new addition to this business’s growing empire
Warning: This hobby could become an obsession
A thriving Tassie festival will celebrate our beekeepers and world-renowned honey industry while highlighting dangers of introduced pests to the small but mighty heroes of our gardens and farms.