New Sandy Bay cafe Sisterhood brunches above its weight
Sisterhood is one of the newest additions to Hobart’s flourishing food scene — and TasWeekend food writer Amanda Vallis finds everything here is pram and pooch perfect.
Taste Tasmania
Don't miss out on the headlines from Taste Tasmania. Followed categories will be added to My News.
AS a mother of an 11-month-old with the obligatory giant monstrosity of a pram, I have a new-found appreciation for a spacious cafe.
I am slightly embarrassed to admit that when purchasing said pram, the feature that actually got me across the line was that the seat was “cafe table height” (back when I thought the early days of motherhood would consist of leisurely coffee catch-ups with friends with a perfectly behaved small human in tow).
Coffee catch-ups are definitely a much rarer occurrence than I had imagined, but when the stars (and nap times) align and one does manage to come off, it can be difficult to locate a truly baby-friendly cafe. Thankfully, Sandy Bay’s newest cafe addition, Sisterhood, has come to the rescue.
First of all, and of utmost importance to those of us for whom sleep is a distant memory, the coffee is really good and it’s roasted here in Tassie especially for Sisterhood. The space itself is enormous with a total of 130 seats, a bar that stretches along the entire length of the venue and floor-to-ceiling windows at the front that flood the room with light. The fit-out, by award-winning Melbourne-based architects Biasol, has a calming Scandi feel to it with lots of blonde wood and bentwoods that have been hand-wrapped with soft brown leather.
The food offering is extensive and, as someone who takes ordering food way too seriously, I spend some time looking at the menu online so that I can arrive with an ordering game plan.
The menu is divided in to three sections for adults: Something Light, A Little Bigger, and Big.
On my first visit, a lady on the table next to me is tucking in to the beef burger and it looks like the piled-high burger of my dreams with a smattering of shoe string fries on the side. The menu description reads “toasted dill brioche, grilled raclette, relish, crisp cos, house pickles and a fist full of shoe strings”. Yum.
I have already ordered the vegan breakfast bowl (which I have completely un-vegan’d by ordering sides of haloumi, $4.50, and a poached egg, $3.50) and, at the sight of the burger, immediately regret my health-conscious decision.
Thankfully, though, my ordering game pays off and the vegan bowl is actually really satisfying with hummus, avocado, asparagus, sauerkraut, kale, broccolini, roasted cauliflower and added seeds and nuts for crunch. Just writing about it makes me feel smug and virtuous all over again.
My brunch buddy orders the confit salmon with crispy potato and horseradish rosti, grilled asparagus spears and crispy egg. “It’s perfect,” she says.
I return a few days later and this time opt for a more lunchy option of grilled fish with salt-baked celeriac, charred cauliflower, grape and currant salsa. Today’s fish is kingfish and the accompanying vegetable concoction is fresh and bitey with the added sweetness of the grapes and currants.
I also have the Miss Matcha smoothie (matcha, spinach, banana, dates and almond milk) which is thickshake in texture with just enough sweetness. My colleague orders the shakshouka, which arrives with two giant dollops of labneh along with a side of buttery toast and a little mound of hazelnut dukkah. Once again I feel a pang of food envy as a giant croque monsieur is delivered to the table next to us.
It’s clear that chef Joshua Mathewson isn’t afraid of being creative with his menu and I really admire that. There are some unusual takes on the usual brunch suspects such as his fried chicken waffles (juicy Tasmanian chicken drumstick, bacon floss, maple syrup and truffled popcorn) or the breakfast pasta (pappardelle, pancetta, Swiss browns, thyme, raclette and cured egg yolk).
There is also a generous selection of sides including champagne hollandaise, bacon, roasted mushrooms as well as pork crackle with smoked sea salt and burnt onion powder. In addition, I thoroughly appreciate that there are $5 mimosas also listed as a side. There is also an extensive drinks menu that includes cocktails, wine, beer and cider making Sisterhood a perfect spot for the Friday lunch set, with weekday bookings available for groups of six plus.
The array of non-alcoholic options is also impressive with all the latest iterations of lattes available, including a matcha latte, red velvet latte and taro latte along with some next level smoothies, house-made cherry cola and Impala & Peacock teas, including a coconut and mint variety. There are also a variety of milk options including almond, macadamia, lactose free, oat and soy.
There is a fourth section of the menu that deserves a special mention: the kid’s menu. Titled “Something for ankle biters”, it is by far the best kids menu I have ever come across in a cafe. There are lemon souffle pancakes with fresh fruits and maple syrup ($10), spaghetti carbonara ($10), a three-minute egg with dill brioche soldiers ($8) and a mini croque monsieur made with Georgie Boy’s Sourdough, seeded mustard, shaved leg ham, cheese sauce and cornichons ($10).
Fur babies are also welcomed with open arms, with water bowls a plenty and puppycinos consisting of lactose-free milk, jerky sprinkles and milk bone biscuits ($2.50).
– AMANDA VALLIS
Gourmet farmer dishes up all the dirt on soil in his new book
Former food critic and now farmer Matthew Evans is on a mission to educate people about a vital part of our world that goes largely unnoticed but is vital to keeping the earth, and us, healthy
Authentic Afghan experience serves up community spirit
Moonah’s Zafira Fine Foods not only gives locals the chance to sample Afghani food but also acts as a community hub for the approximately 300 Hazara people who have settled in Hobart