SHARI HOBART
Sat, 9-1pm, Tasmanian Produce Market, Sun 12-4pm,
Kingston Park carpark

By the time Saturday rolls around, the last thing I feel like doing is making lunch. A week of school lunchbox preparation usually has me quite over the idea of even eating lunch! So on a recent Saturday morning we decided to try a new Japanese food truck I’d heard good things about. Adding to the appeal was that it was at the Tasmanian Produce Market, a relaxed affair on the waterfront at Kangaroo Bay. After picking up apples, bread and pastries on the way in, we place our order at Shari. The kids go for the temaki – sushi rice rolled in a sheet of crispy seaweed paper and topped with crispy chicken and mayo. They were a hit. To share, we ordered a serve of the stir fry udon noodles and the chirashi don. The udon were satisfyingly slippery and the sauce was soupy and warming on a cold day. The chirashi don had a bed of sushi rice, topped with finely chopped raw fish, spring onion, cucumber, fresh ginger and local Shima wasabi. While it didn’t look amazing in the takeaway container, you could tell this was expertly prepared – it was perfectly balanced and the knife skills were impressive. Chef Devin, I later discover, started at culinary school as a 16-year-old and has specialised in Japanese kaiseki techniques, which all now makes perfect sense. Next time, I’m looking forward to one of the pre-ordered sushi and sashimi boes. Check out @shari.hobart for more information.

MOLTO WINE BAR
25 Melville Street, Hobart

It was a rainy Saturday night and I had a long standing drinks date with a friend. Molto has been on my list for a while – a new wine shop and bar connected to winemakers Stefano and Marco Lubiana. Molto, meaning many, is appropriate here – with many beautiful wines by the glass and lining the walls of the space.

We take a table and enjoy a glass of Ochota Barrels “Texture Like Sun”, a chilled red from Adelaide Hills, while murdering a generous charcuterie and cheese plate. Sitting among the shelves of bottles, looking out into the cold, wet night, I feel like I’ve found a new little happy place. Open from Wed-Sat, 3pm until late.