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Lucinda – A natural wine bar and restaurant
Lucinda, the bar and restaurant in front of (and owned by) one of Hobart’s leading restaurants, Dier Makr, is now an essential part of the Hobart eating and drinking scene.
The food and wine is closely overseen by Kobi Ruzicka who is also the driving force behind Dier Makr.
It is a welcoming place where you will sit shoulder to shoulder with locals and international visitors who are seeking the comforting food and interesting wines that are a hallmark of this exciting venue.
We are entranced by the radishes (sourced from our friend Tony at Rocky Top Farm) served with an absolutely delicious fried egg sauce.
We also love the play on textures demonstrated in the squid and potato dish where both are entwined in noodle shapes. This dish gives a nod to the northern China dish of noodles made from long potato strips that we have enjoyed on a number of occasions in Shanghai. Chef Kobi, however, has used lemon and coriander seed rather than chilli to enhance the flavour of this dish.
Another moorish dish is made from Tony’s turnips bathed in a nori cream and topped with ultra-thin flakes of katsuobushi.
We have been delighted with some of the dishes featured on the menu at various times including a dish of caillettes that had just the right amount of fat and just the right amount of silver beet. These fabulous meatballs are treasured in France in the Ardeche and in Provence. We have often eaten them at La Fourchette in Avignon where they nearly always feature on the menu.
Kobi has also entranced us with some amazing iterations of the fabulous French dish Choux Farci, when cabbages were plentiful in late winter / early spring this year.
We also have been enjoying terrines that chef Kobi is experimenting with and the accompanying pickles or other treats that he is matching with them. They are always packed with flavour.
We treat Lucinda as a bar when we are meeting people for a chat or dropping in after a day of work in our warehouse and as a restaurant when we want a delicious but not ostentatious meal.
The music here is also very interesting while not being overwhelming to congenial conversation. Think Simple Song by The Shins or Hold On by Alabama Shakes. On a recent visit the playlist ranged across The Weight by The Band, I’m Waiting for the Man by The Velvet Underground then on to Like a Hurricane by Neil Young.
The wine list is exemplary with a panoply of the best from the natural wine world. You will find Australian producers such as Momento Mori (we tried their lovely Nosiola recently), Jauma with their 1000 Fires or the Manon Geoponica which is a delightful blend of Chardonnay and Savagnin. From Europe you will find Gut Oggau, Thomas Pico, Le Temps des Cerises, Domaine Mosse, Jean-Pierre Robinot, Domaine du Possible from Bandol or you could go for broke with a magnum of the Domaine Mosse Chenin or the Cantina Giardino Gaia.
Just forget all your current preferences such as a preference for a particular grape variety. In Europe the style of wine made from the same variety can vary dramatically from one region to another depending of the exposure of the vineyard, the type of soils and the microclimate. Therefore a Chardonnay from the Jura is way different to a Chardonnay from Burgundy (which is only an hour’s drive away) and in turn, different from Chardonnay from the Loire Valley or Champagne.
But Lucinda is also the place to get adventurous and try wines that are made from rare indigenous grape varieties such as Gringet, Pineau d’Aunis, Fer Servadou, Petit Manseng, Grolleau, Gamay d’Auvergne and many more.
The staff are very happy to make a recommendation if you are unfamiliar with these wines. Note that we have also included Lucinda in the Bottleshop category because you can peruse the wines in the adjacent wine room and buy bottles to take home if you wish.
Additional information
Street: 123 Collins St
Town/Suburb: Hobart, 7000
Phone number: +61 3 6288 8910
Reservations: No reservations
Opening hours: Open from 3pm Tue – Sun
Disclaimer
The editors of foodtourist.com supply some of the wines to Lucinda through their wine importing business Living Wines.
You can find out more about Lucinda and the wines they sell by clicking on the link below: