Chef at New Hobart Brooke Street eatery comes from good stock
Once it gets out former Born in Brunswick chef Josh Retzer has set up shop in a new restaurant, it won’t be that easy to secure a table there, predicts food writer Amanda Vallis. WHAT’S ON THE MENU >>
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THE newly opened Stock Market Restaurant and Bar is relatively empty when a friend and I meet there on a Wednesday for lunch.
Word is yet to get out that chef Josh Retzer has set up shop here but once it does, I’m quite sure that securing a table at this New York/Wall Street-inspired locale isn’t going to be quite so easy.
Formerly of Born In Brunswick, prior to that Josh worked under chef Craig Will — whom he still considers a mentor to this day — at Stillwater Restaurant in Launceston.
When I catch up with Josh and sous chef Alvin Sim (formerly of Macq01) following our meal, the pair are scheming dishes for their soon-to-launch dinner menu.
“We’re currently working on a dish of wood-fired chicken thighs with foraged nettle and caviar,” Josh says.
“We’re tight on space so we have designed the kitchen to revolve around the Asado Grill. We cook pretty much everything on it.”
It’s a privilege to sit and listen to Josh and Alvin (who clearly share a mutual love for their craft) talk about their approach to food. They talk in detail about the producers they work with, designing each dish around what farmers have on offer.
“We bought the last of the white asparagus crop from Little Red Hen,” Alvin says.
“We’ve preserved it so that we can use it in various dishes for the next few months,” he says, gesturing towards the giant jars of white asparagus lined up on the top shelf of the kitchen.
Said white asparagus made an appearance in the dish I ordered for lunch earlier – wood-fired greens with smoked almond dukkah, Persian feta and blood orange dressing.
While I ate around midday/lunchtime, the venue offers a brunch menu that runs from 8am-3pm each day.
As someone who isn’t much into breakfast first thing and likes to eat my main meal of the day between 11am and midday, I like this approach (who was it that decided certain foods should only be eaten at certain times of the day anyway?!).
Grilled to perfection, along with the white asparagus there is green asparagus from Longley Organics, Warrigal greens from Yorktown Organics and broad beans artfully arranged atop beetroot puree, sprinkled with chive flowers and house-made dukkah and drizzled with blood orange dressing that features Josh’s own kunzea vinegar.
It feels like spring on a plate, made even better by the list of killer sides on offer (I opt for a slab of bacon and an egg).
Fully licensed, I order my daytime drink of choice, a Campari soda.
Bar manager Tom Dahya’s obvious love of drinks matches Josh and Alvin’s love of food.
Originally from Devonport, Tom recently made the move south and is excited to be serving his coffee of choice, Allpress (brewed on the snazzy La Marzocco PB Linear), which is available in the restaurant or takeaway from the streetside service window.
Be sure to grab one of the freshly baked kunzea spiked madeleines with your coffee.
Tom thoroughly enjoyed the process of putting together the beverage menu that features Tasmanian, Italian and French wines, a selection of craft and big-label beers, predominantly Tasmanian spirits and classic cocktails.
A self-taught bartender, Tom worked with local distributer Martin Miles from Red and White to compile the wine list.
My colleague orders Tunnel Hill mushrooms with fermented potato flatbread for lunch.
Served with tarragon salsa verde and stracciatella, I have some serious food envy.
Josh tells me the flatbread is made using sourdough starter and potatoes and left to ferment for a number of days to ensure a light, easy-to-digest dough.
The grilled oyster mushrooms have a meaty texture and the cheese adds a luxurious, creamy element.
I pop in a few days later and order the Cumberland sausage with scrambled eggs and burnt onion sambal.
Josh tells me the sausage recipe was designed in collaboration with Bayside Butchers and supplied exclusively to him.
Paired with the scrambled eggs and Pigeon Whole heritage wheat sourdough, it’s a beautiful, hearty dish taken to a whole other level with Josh’s incredible house-made Sri Lankan-inspired sambal.
“It’s made up of Rocky Top tropea onion, kafir lime from my garden, fermented red chillies and lots of lemongrass,” says Josh.
“It takes a few days to make and sits for at least a couple of weeks to mature.”
Stock Market Restaurant and Bar is the latest hospitality venture for restaurateur Josh Handley and his collaborators, and I suspect, soon to be the hottest new place in town.
With evening service set to have launched by the time this article goes to print, I’m planning on booking in a dinner date ASAP.
THE BROOKE STREET STOCK MARKET RESTAURANT & BAR
8 Brooke St, Hobart
pH 6128 3353
Open seven days 7.30am-3pm (brunch menu available from 8am-2.30pm); Open for dinner Tuesday-Saturday from 6pm-late (snacks and drinks available from 3pm-6pm on these days).
ON THE MENU
Tunnel Hill mushrooms with fermented potato flatbread, tarragon verde and stracciatella ($25); Wood-fired greens with smoked almond dukkah, Persian feta and blood orange dressing ($23); Bacon slab ($7); Slow egg ($3); Cumberland sausage with scrambled eggs, burnt onion sambal and heritage wheat sourdough ($25); Long black ($4); Campari soda ($9); Moores Hill Pino Gris ($12).
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