I had the best restaurant experience of my trip to Tasmania at Stillwater Restaurant www.stillwater.com.au in Launceston. The local seasonal food, the boutique wines and the immaculate service were all absolutely on point.
It’s located in a historic building, a former flour mill constructed in the 1830s, that overlooks the Tamar River.
I began with the obligatory half dozen Pacific Silver oysters from the Tarkine Oyster farm www.tarkinefreshoysters.com.au on the north coast. They were served with a delicious yuzu and dashi condiment.
With these, a fantastic Old Vine Riesling 2018 Reserve from Bream Creek www.breamcreekvineyard.com.au. Made from one of the oldest commercial Riesling blocks in Tasmania, planted in 1974, it had a beautifully fragrant nose with strong citrus notes that went so well with the oysters. It was the best wine of my trip and one of the best Rieslings I’ve ever tasted!
The Japanese influences continued with some Torched Kingfish Sashimi with Bonito Cream, Verjuice Ponzu, Ruby Grapefruit and Sesame Laver. I have to thank my friend Rory for turning me on to the fantastic flavour of Kingfish sashimi at a restaurant we went to in Bondi.
This was served with another stunning wine, a 2023 ‘Chardennui’ Chardonnay by Dr.Edge www.dr-edge.com (aka Peter Dredge). By his own description it’s a “not so normal” Chardonnay that is easily accessbible to drinkers who might not be fans of that particular grape as it has a dash of Riesling thrown in. I also love his labels which are all very abstact, as you can see on the website.
For the main, Tasmanian wallaby with Barbecued Local Mushrooms, Fermented Pepper, Freekeh and Porcini Sauce. Not a looker but great flavours. The maître d told me that wallabys are considered vermin in Tasmania and a sustainable resource as there are so many of them. It’s certainly a delicious meat.
With it a decent 2022 Syrah from Sonnen sonnenwine.com.au.
Next an unsolicited pallette cleanser of Raspberry Sorbet.
For dessert, Burnt Honey and Maple Cream with Pepperberry-infused Rhubarb and Wattle Blossom Granita, which was also wonderful, although the flavours were new for me and hard to pick out. Pepperberry is a popular local spice that has been described as similar to a cross between Sichuan pepper, plum and cloves, while Wattle is usually used for its seeds which have a similar flavour to coffee when ground.
With it I drank a sweet 2022 Riesling called R139 from Pressing Matters pressingmatters.com.au, which was lovely.
And to finish, a tasting flight of malt whiskies from Launceston Distillery launcestondistillery.com.au, which is one of the oldest in Tasmania at ten years old (established in 2013!). I don’t recall all the information my server Zane imparted to me, but I remember the second bottle was made with peat imported from Scotland, while the second was aged in a Tawny (Sherry) barrel. In Zane’s opinion, the reason why the whisky industry has taken off in Tasmania is due to the quality of the island’s water.
The final bill came to around £150, including a tip for my excellent young servers Zane, Bella and Christina, which was very reasonable for everything I had I felt. I loved it so much that I reserved for the following night but sadly had to cancel due to another committment 🙁 Next time!
The next day I went to Casalinga www.casalingagourmetmeats.com who are the meat suppliers for Stillwater. When asked, they told me that the difference between kangaroo and wallaby is that wallaby meat is a little sweeter, like veal, while kangaroo is gamier. Casalinga source their meat from Flinders Island, between Tasmania and the mainland, which is also famous for lamb raised on salt grass pastures (extra flavour). They have an impressive range of sausages and other gourmet meats if you are planning a BBQ.
I’ve plotted all the businesses mentioned, and many more, onto my Google map of Tasmania.
Off to Sheffield next!