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HOBART 615
through regular menu upgrades. The crêpes Suzette dessert is also wonderful. The
service is friendly and relaxed, and the place is packed on weekends.
In the Wrest Point Hotel Casino, 410 Sandy Bay Rd. & 03/6225 0112. Reservations recommended. Main
courses from A$12 (US$7.50) at lunch, from A$17 (US$11) at dinner. Fixed-price 3-course lunch menu A$26
(US$17); fixed-price 3-course dinner menu A$43 (US$28) Fri–Sat, A$34 (US$22) Sun–Thurs. AE, DC, MC, V.
Daily noon–2pm and 6:30–9:30pm.
Sisco’s on the Pier SPANISH/MEDITERRANEAN/INTERNATIONAL
Sisco’s has undergone a transformation from a typical Spanish eatery with roving
guitar players to a more upmarket international affair in recent years. Today
it’s known for its paella, Morton Bay bugs (a kind of small crayfish) with chocolate,
garlic prawns with squid-ink spaghetti, and chargrilled octopus. The restaurant
is light and bright with a large outdoor balcony.
Upper Level, Murray St., Pier. & 03/6223 2059. Reservations recommended. Main courses A$17–A$18
(US$11–US$12). AE, DC, MC V. Mon–Fri noon–3pm; Mon–Sat 6pm–12am.
Vanidol’s Asian Cuisine ASIAN Another restaurant very popular with both
locals and tourists, Vanidol’s serves up a variety of Thai, Indonesian, and Indian
dishes. The beef salad with basil, chile, and mint is very good, as are the barbecue
prawns served with a sweet tamarind sauce. The fish cooked in a light red
curry sauce is another specialty. Smoking is not permitted between 6 and 9pm.
353 Elizabeth St., North Hobart. & 03/6234 9307. Reservations recommended. Main courses A$13–A$18
(US$8.45–US$12). AE, MC, V. Tues–Sun 6 to around 11pm.
WORTH A SPLURGE
Mures Upper Deck SEAFOOD This large and bustling waterfront restaurant
offers great views of bobbing yachts as well as very fine seafood caught on the
owner’s very own fishing boats. I recommend starting with a bowl of potato soup,
or the signature Mures Oysters topped with smoked salmon, sour cream, and
salmon caviar. The most popular main courses are the blue-eye filet Martinique—
a Creole-inspired sweet fish curry with coconut cream and banana sauce—or the
giant seafood platter for two. The best summer dessert on the menu is the restaurant’s
famous summer pudding, which almost bursts with berries. In winter, come
here if only for the Granny Leatherwood Pudding—made of apples and Australian
leatherwood honey and served with cinnamon ice cream. The complex also
includes Lower Deck, a very popular self-service family restaurant where you can
dine very well for under A$15 (US$9.75).
Between Victoria and Constitution Docks, Hobart. & 03/6231 2121. Reservations recommended. Main
courses A$19–A$25 (US$13–US$16). AE, DC, MC, V. Daily noon–10pm.
HOBART AFTER DARK
Built in 1837, the 747-seat Theatre Royal, 29 Campbell St. (& 03/6233 2299),
is the oldest remaining live theater in the country. It’s known for its excellent
acoustics and its classical Victorian decor. Ticket prices vary depending on the performance,
but A$25 (US$16) is average.
If theater’s not your thing, you may be interested in the Hobart Historic Pub
Tour (& 03/6225 4806), which traces the city’s development through hotel
drinking holes—an important part of life in Hobart early last century. The 2-hour
tour takes in four pubs; visitors enjoy a drink in each as guides give an account of
the building’s place in Hobart’s drinking history. Tours depart Sunday through
Thursday at 5pm, and cost A$35 (US$23), including a drink at each pub.
Opened in 1829 as a tavern and a brothel frequented by whalers, Knopwood’s
Retreat, 39 Salamanca Place (& 03/6223 5808), is still a raucous place