Sweet city-fringe Hobart cafe is worth homing in on

This delightful little West Hobart cafe is the perfect place for catching up with friends and/or family on your next coffee or lunch date, writes Alix Davis.

ALIX DAVIS

2 min read

November 1, 2024 - 12:00PM

West Hobart’s Pigeon Hole Cafe is a delightful cosy, little eatery in Goulburn St which features food made from fresh produce grown at owners’ Richard and Belinda Weston’s property Weston Farm, at Brighton.

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I love that feeling when you bite into something and it just tastes so good that you do a little squirm of delight in your chair. And possibly make a small noise. I know. It’s most undignified. But when I bit into the toasted pulled chicken sandwich ($20.50) at Pigeon Hole Cafe recently, I just couldn’t resist letting out a little moan of delight. Yes, it was that good.

The size alone was impressive – the slices of bread looked like they’d been cut lengthways rather than crossways from the loaf. Then came the level of toastiness – browned without being burnt, and wonderfully crispy. Inside, the cheese was perfectly melted – pulling into long, stretchy strands once I’d cut this beast into two. There was a generous amount of shredded chicken, vibrant roasted red capsicum, fresh-as-fresh greens and a mustard that was spiked with just a hint of honey.

None of these ingredients were especially exciting by themselves, but together they were definitely greater than the sum of their parts – and this was a sandwich I’ll be coming back for. I was dining with a companion, so reluctantly handed over half of it, and they were in full agreement that this really was a frightfully good sandwich.

Pigeon Hole's delicious toasted sandwich features pulled chicken, vibrant roasted red capsicum, fresh greens and mustard spiked with a hint of honey. Picture SUPPLIED

This impromptu meeting of the newly formed Hobart Sandwich Appreciation Society took place in the cosy room at the back of the cafe. It’s lined with bottles of preserved fruit and vegies, most of which are from the owners’ property – Weston Farm, in Brighton. Richard and Belinda Weston established their small farm on the city outskirts in 2002 with the intention of growing and selling peony roses and olives for oil. They also established a family vegetable patch and had a few chickens and pigs.

This was all well and good until chef and friend Luke Burgess – who was running Garagistes at the time – visited one day and asked if they could grow a bit extra for him. Soon enough, they were growing unusual vegetables for various restaurants around town, and, in 2013, bought the cafe to further showcase their produce.

Pigeon Hole owner Richard Weston, who bought the cafe with his wife Belinda to showcase the produce they grow at their property Weston Farm. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

Produce from the farm is marked on the menu in green and includes award-winning white asparagus, nectarines, preserved lemons, sage, greens, pickles, herbs, honey and spicy carrot chutney. The pickles served on the side of my sandwich were pleasingly mouth-puckering and had me perusing the jars of jams, pickles and preserves sold near the front door.

Pigeon Hole's preserved lemon linguine with bubbles for TasWeekend Indulge. Picture SUPPLIED

Our second dish was linguine with preserved lemon and sage ($23) – a creamy tangle of pasta topped with fresh greens and a flurry of parmesan. I adore preserved lemon and was surprised at how well it paired with sage, a woody herb I love for its fragrance but find tricky to use as much as I’d like.

This is another dish of simple ingredients that work beautifully together to create something wonderful. The short but sweet wine list features two sparklings, a red, a white, a pilsener and a cider. If that’s not your thing, there’s a selection of Tas Juice Press juices, Love teas and coffee by Villino.

One of Pigeon Hole's orange and poppy seed cakes is the perfect way to finish a meal at the cafe. Picture SUPPLIED

I quite like a bit of something sweet after lunch and decided on an orange and poppyseed cake ($8) that’s baked in-house – as are most of the other baked treats. It’s gluten-free, but you’ve never know it as it’s moist, fluffy and full of bright citrus flavour. A dollop of cream wouldn’t have gone astray but that didn’t stop me from enjoying this wonderful little cake that’s perfectly sized for two.

If you have a friend you haven’t caught up with for a while, invite them to join the Hobart Sandwich Appreciation Society (membership is free) and make a date to meet for lunch at this sweet, city fringe cafe.

West Hobart’s Pigeon Hole Cafe is a delightful little eatery where diners can either choose to eat in, in the cosy interior, or al fresco on the outdoor tables and chairs.