The Taste of Tasmania 2011/12

I am a great fan of the Taste of Tasmania, the multi-day food festival that is held at the waterfront in Hobart every year just after Christmas. Coinciding with the end of the Sydney Hobart yacht race, and running over New Years, it all makes the waterfront hive of activity at this time of year. Visiting the Taste is a regular part of my Christmas - New Year period and I have only missed a handful of years in the 23 years it has been running.

Despite my enthusiasm each year I approach the Taste with a little trepidation. Some years it is outstanding, and I come away raving about a number of dishes. Some years I come away feeling that it was an expensive way to get an uninspired lunch. To be honest, this is probably as much to do with the choices we make as with any changes in the food that is available. Choosing well is the key to a good Taste experience. The Taste has, however, definitely changed over the years and not always for the better.

My memory of the first few years was that there were lots of food producers and many opportunities to get small tastes from a number of stalls. Perhaps I am suffering from selective memory, but it also seemed that more of the food was cooked (or at least assembled) to order. I have fond memories of trying yolla (mutton bird) and fantastic smoked quails. 

Fairly quickly the character changed with more restaurants and catering companies running stalls, and more of the same old vendors that you find at regular markets around the state. This may be good for visitors who don't know the local scene, but was wasted on locals. Why go to the Taste to have a cut-down, take-away version of a menu from a restaurant that you could eat at any other week of the year? The smaller tastes also seemed to be replaced by bigger (and more expensive) 'meals', 'plates' and 'platters', making it harder to try food across a range of stalls. Perhaps it is inevitable with the increase in size and popularity of the Taste, but fewer stalls made to order with more food being plucked from warming cabinets or served from bain maries. It was still worth going to, but had lost some of the magic of those early years.

This year my trepidation level was higher than normal given the significant "improvements" made to the venue over the last year, and the increase in size. Happily the changes and extensions have, on the whole, been improvements, and the heart of event hasn't changed.

The main building has been significantly upgraded. It was basically a dockside warehouse, and has now been extensively renovated. It looks pretty slick but it is still basically a big shed. The Taste has expanded out onto the lawns in front of Parliament, with a few food stalls, lots of activities for kids and a giant outdoor TV screen so that you don't miss the cricket (or the TV commercials).

There has been an increase in the amount of seating but my impression is that this has not actually made it easier to find a place to sit. Human nature being what it is, people have simple spread out so rather than squeezing up and filling tables, you now see a table that could seat six or eight 'fully occupied' by two blokes each sitting in the middle a side. Unfortunately the old wooden bleacher-style seating has gone. These provided a lot of seating that turned over quickly, and had a pleasant communal feel.

But what about the food? The mix is pretty much as before. More restaurants and caterers than I would like, but enough variety and quality to make a visit worthwhile. This year there seemed to be an inordinate number of places selling berries, making for a virtual monoculture down one side of the shed. There is also the normal, but inexplicable, long queue for fish and chips. I really don't understand this. If you want fish and chips you would be better off getting it cooked to order in any number of places around Hobart.

So what did we eat? After a good wander around we ended up with:

Turkish gozlemes from a place from Geeveston - Gozlemes are a personal favourite and although I cook them regularly (see the earlier post and recipe) I still can't pass up a chance to try somebody else's. These were very pleasant, and a generous serving. Home cooked is still better.

Ethiopian injera and chicken - This was a highlight from last year's Taste, and did not disappoint this year. The fermented injera bread is like a spongy pancake and has a delightful lemony zing. It is perfect with the spicy chicken. Not elegant eating, but so good. I have to learn how to make this at home.

Angus steak sandwich - Disappointing. The meat was beautifully tender but had been cooked with an acrid, bitter finish that spoiled what would have otherwise been a fine steak sandwich.

Leatherwood honey and vanilla ice cream from the Bruny Island cheese people - Leatherwood honey has a very strong, distinctive flavour that I am not convinced that I like. In this ice cream however, it really worked. A lovely, interesting sweet end to lunch.

All in all it was a good day. The event is definitely getting bigger, slicker, and with more variety of activities but the quality and variety of the food has been maintained. I will definitely be back again next year for number 24.