Living and Loving Hobart:: The Quarry in Salamanca

There is some stiff competition in Salamanca. The Jack Greene, Cargo and Grape trifecta hold the monopoly; three establishments congested with happy revelers. There are pubs and restaurants too, and there’s the Quarry, clinging on to the edge, without the customers enjoyed by its peers.

It’s not a frequent eating destination for This Girl, but it is a regular watering hole. This year we made it the work Christmas lunch venue. So there we all were, Mr Nobody, Mr Lemon Ricotta, the Lady of Leisure, Ms Erin, Mrs Bojangles, and the Style-Princess.

This is what we ate:

Rolled pork belly, pickled apple, baked sage polenta, Pagan cider caramel, $24

Crispy braised lamb, confit garlic, rosemary cous cous, cucumber, minted labneh, $25

Shredded chicken maryland, corn salsa, kumera, cumin puree, $24.5

'Fish and Chips, tempura market fish, pinkeye chips, shoot salad, lemon mayo, $23

Two plates you won't find on the menu right now were also selected, a beef salad with cous cous, and a white wine-based marinara pasta.

Three of the posse chose the pork belly and fairly much raved about the succulent, melt in your mouth meat. It was the pick of the mains.

We gave the sweets menu a good work out, avoiding the only item that masquerades as a dessert, the plate of cheese.

Chocolate & Hazelnut Tart, berries, mascarpone, $13

Turkish Delight Brulee, spiced chocolate brownie, $13

Buttermilk Panacotta, vanilla bean, honey, toasted nuts, $13

Cinnamon Dumplings, mocha dip, $13

Here’s the wrap on the Quarry’s food:

We're a relatively new little team and the Christmas lunch was a time to get to know each other a little better. Mr Lemon Ricotta surprisingly did not get his tongue stuck in the jar of mocha sauce he practically licked clean. Mr Nobody, who actually is somebody, regaled us with the craziest stories of venomous snakes in his house (Urgghh!!!), a feral cat shot dead from the breakfast table (in-laws hey? can't live with them, can't escape them), and his car, found at the bottom of the ravine opposite his house, sans-handbrake (Ouch that insurance excess is high for under 25s).

Overall, we enjoyed our meals. The Quarry was a solid choice and a few of us stayed on to soak up the sun and take in a few mojitos.

There’s good reason to eat there and it’s certainly a great place to catch up with friends, outside, or on comfy seats and lounges inside.