Review: Try one of Hobart’s best kept cheap and cheerful dining secrets

A newish Asian eatery on the CBD’s fringe is treating its customers to some severe yum exposure, writes TasWeekend food reviewer Alix Davis.

HOMETOWN SECRET

181 Liverpool St, Hobart

Opening hours: Tues-Fri 11am-2.30pm, 5pm - 8.30pm; Sat 10am - 2.30pm, 5pm - 8.30pm, Sun 10am-2.30pm

On the menu

BBQ pork buns, $7.80; chicken glutinous rice, $10.50; garlic prawn spring roll, $10.50; beef rendang, $22.90; braised beef brisket noodles, $18.90; Chinese broccoli,

$11.50; and crispy fried chicken, $9.30.

Some friends and I went out for dinner the other night – something cheap and cheerful before a comedy gig. There was a QR code on the table that you could order through and it didn’t take much to agree that we would much rather stand up, walk the three metres to the counter and order in person. Sometimes technology is great and sometimes it’s just too clever for its own good – none of us wanted to set up an account and create a password to order dinner.

So, when I visited Hometown Secret a few days later, I was thrilled to see not only a printed menu but also a paper form on which we could mark all our selections. Our waiter came to the table, checked that we’d ticked the boxes and ordering was done – no technology required. It was a good start to a great meal at this newish addition to the CBD fringe.

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Hometown Secret opened about eight months ago – it’s painted bright yellow, you can’t miss it – and recently updated its menu to have a focus on yum cha. Yum cha refers to the experience of eating dim sum – a style of Chinese food served up as bite-size portions, most often in steamer baskets. It’s all kinds of delicious and, while traditionally it’s a brunch event, here you can yum cha all day. And you’re in good hands – co-owner and head chef Sheldon

Hometown Secret’s classic Pan-Fried Pork Dumplings, which are nicely crisp on one side and soft on the other. Picture: Chris Kidd

Chin has been making yum cha for 18 years in restaurants in his hometown of Kuala Lumpur as well as Melbourne and Hobart. All the dumpling pastry and fillings are made in-house and there are plans afoot for Chinese-style pastries like egg tarts and pineapple buns when the new oven arrives.

So, back to dinner. We’ve ticked enough boxes on the menu to feed an army, but everything sounded so delicious I couldn’t resist. Garlic prawn spring rolls ($10.50 for 3) come as long, skinny cigars of shatteringly crisp pastry with a bon-bon-like twist at the end. They’re filled with chunks of garlicky prawn and set the bar high for the rest of the meal. Classic pork buns ($7.80 for 2) are filled with Scottsdale pork in sweet barbecue sauce. The fluffy steamed buns are just bursting at the top, ready to be torn apart and devoured. Pan-fried pork dumplings ($7.80 for 3) are another yum cha classic and these are nicely crisp on one side and soft on the other. My only criticism (and I can’t believe I’m saying this) is that there’s slightly too much ginger and garlic-fragrant filling. Homemade chilli oil ($1) is a condiment worth ordering as it’s perfect for both dipping and drizzling over any and all of the dishes.

Hometown Secret’s Braised Beef with Dry Noodles, features fall-apart beef, studded with chunks of carrot and potato and satisfyingly chewy thin egg noodles. Picture: Chris Kidd

Sheldon and his wife Charlie also own Tasty Buns in Collins St but wanted a larger restaurant with a more extensive menu where guests could eat in. The front room is cosy with seating for 12 and a bench at the window for people watching, while a larger dining room out the back is decorated with steamer baskets and seats 30.

“Yum cha is popular after church,” says Charlie. The food is a mix of Malaysian, Indian and Chinese, “all mixed up together,” like it is in Kuala Lumpur where she and Sheldon grew up.

Hometown Secret’s poular Hainanese Chicken Rice. Picture: Chris Kidd

The most popular dish is Assam laksa ($17.90), a fish soup from Penang that’s simmered for 2-3 hours and features sardines in a broth of ginger flower, lemongrass, ginger and shallots.

I’ll put that on the list for next time, but for now our beef rendang ($22.90) has arrived. Traditionally, beef rendang (one of Malaysia’s most popular dishes) is a dry curry, this version comes with plenty of gravy and a halo of broccoli and is absolutely delicious – tender beef redolent with turmeric, ginger and coconut.

Hometown Secret’s delicious Garlic Prawn Spring Rolls are filled with chunks of garlicky prawns and wrapped in shatteringly crisp pastry. Picture: Chris Kidd

A bowl of braised beef brisket with noodles ($18.90) comes with a small bowl of soup to pour over as you like. Fall-apart beef is studded with chunks of carrot and potato and the thin egg noodles are satisfyingly chewy.

Hometown Secret is licensed, with a decent selection of local and Asian beers as well as classics like milky tea. I enjoyed a lychee mocktail ($8) that came decorated with three fresh lychees.

Hobart is fortunate that Charlie and Sheldon are sharing the food secrets of their hometown and I know we’ll be visiting again soon to try more from the menu.