TasWeekend: Tom McHugo’s offers so much more than just pub grub
There is so much more to this unassuming corner pub than first meets the eye, discovers AMANDA VALLIS.
Taste Tasmania
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WALK in to Tom McHugo’s on a Monday night and this is where you will find many of Hobart’s chefs and hospitality crowd having dinner on their day off — a ringing endorsement like no other.
There is nothing I don’t love about this unassuming corner pub. The wine list by co-owner Whitney Ball (ex Franklin) is fantastic, there are an array of boutique Tasmanian beers on tap and the food by co-owner and head chef, Tom Westcott (ex-Garagistes and Franklin) is beautiful in every way.
I arrive at Wednesday lunch time in the middle of the festive season and the pub is brimming with work Christmas lunches.
When I go to the bar to order drinks I notice a burly, bearded chap dining alone with a pint, a plate of pork rillettes, pickles and toast ($16) and a steaming gratin of broadbeans and tomato ($10). Whether solo or with a big group, after a quick bite or up for a relaxed multi-course meal, Tom McHugo’s is perfect, however you choose to dine.
My friend and I nab a table in the dining area and take our time to peruse the menu. Pub favourites are there — chicken parmi with chips ($13), 250g sirloin steak with chips ($14), good value and very tasty by all accounts — but the menu offers much more than that.
What stands out is an obvious dedication to small-scale, local producers which I can imagine doesn’t always come easy when feeding a busy pub full of people day-in/day-out.
Together with the parmy and steak under the “meat dishes” section of the menu is corned beef chuck roll with thousand island fermented cabbage and chips ($16), blood sausage braised with bomba rice, cayenne and spring garlic ($16) and McHugo’s mince pot pie with tomato ketchup and chips ($16).
But it’s the vegetables section of the menu that continues to blow my mind every time I visit this much-loved pub. Dishes in this section aren’t necessarily vegetarian (and it says so in brackets next to the heading) — rather these are dishes where vegetables are the hero ingredient and can be eaten either as a meal on their own or as a side.
We order braised Kindred spelt with nettle sauce and ricotta salata ($12) and Newry farm asparagus with tropea onion and boiled egg and chives dressing ($14). As it’s approaching the end of spring, these dishes will likely change in the next week or so to reflect what’s available throughout the Tasmanian summer, which is what makes this place so good. There is a genuine dedication to seasonality and locally sourced produce, and that’s reflected in how good everything tastes.
To accompany our vegie dishes, we order a pot pie and roast Littlewood lamb with radishes, chicory and cabbage cream ($26). Co-owner Whitney Ball tells me that she and Tom have been working with Littlewood lamb since the beginning, ordering two whole lambs every week and using every part of the animal to create ever-changing dishes that showcase each of the various cuts.
Along with the vegetables section of the menu with larger style dishes, there are also five different vegie side dishes, including kohlrabi with lovage and kefir cream ($6), steamed peas with mint ($6), sauteed greens with lime pickle ($6), and good old fashioned chips ($8).
As a vegie lover (not a vegetarian) I am very excited about all these options, especially when most pubs struggle to put up a plate of frozen steamed veg or a lacklustre side salad. We order the kohlrabi in full knowledge that we have already ordered too much food for two people but ‘tis the season for a long and relaxed lunch!
Our Kindred spelt is risotto-like in texture with a verdant green nettle sauce and shavings of ricotta salata on top (which happens to be one of my favourite cheese varieties). The asparagus is tender and sweet and the kohlrabi dish inspires me to promptly add kohlrabi to my shopping list (it’s one of those ingredients that I’m never quite sure what do with).
Here it is served raw in paper thin shavings atop the beautiful kefir cream, sprinkled with olive oil and powdered lovage.
Our mains are nourishing and hearty. The pot pie filling is rich and meaty with buttery, puff pastry on top, and the chips are gloriously crunchy. There are few things in life better than a really good hot chip in my opinion.
Despite our impressive spread, we have barely scratched the surface of the menu. There is an impressive snack selection including Pyengana cheese breads ($8), curried scotch egg with coronation mayo ($10) and fried black pepper chicken ($12), just to name a few.
The dessert menu is what dreams are made of, featuring dishes like fried apple pie with whipped cream ($10) and cold strawberry souffle with rhubarb and olive ($10).
This year Tom McHugo’s sous chef, Bianca Johnston, was awarded Young Chef of the Year at the Appetite for Excellence Awards — the first Tasmanian and first female to win the award. With an incredibly talented kitchen team and friendly, knowledgeable front-of house staff, it’s always a pleasure to visit this Hobart gem.
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