DINE: HONEY BADGER DESSERT CAFE

7 Salamanca Square, Battery Point: Honey Badger is one of the very few dessert places that stays open at night in Hobart. It’s the place to go after you’ve had dinner in town and want to walk somewhere else for some­thing sweet. Or, if you’re brave, an evening coffee! Their desserts are all photogenic and it’s not an uncommon sight to see fellow patrons taking photos of their newly-arrived food. They have a focus on pancakes and waffles, and on this visit we tried their summer special, the Black Forest Delight. It’s a visual showstopper for sure. A stack of chocolate pancakes covered in their homemade chocolate sauce, paired with berry ice cream and seasonal fruits like strawberries, cherries, and blueberries. It was as delicious as it sounds. This writer shared the plate, but by the end we wished we’d gotten our own.

RECIPE: ROAST CHICKPEA AND CARROT SALAD

1 cup greek yoghurt

1-2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tbs lemon juice

1 tbs olive oil

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into batons

2 tbs baby capers, drained

Salt and paper

Parsley to serve

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. On a baking sheet place chickpeas in one layer and coat in a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes until brown and crunchy, shaking the pan occasionally. In a small bowl mix the yoghurt, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Steam the carrots. On a large plate or flat-bottomed bowl, smear the yoghurt mix and layer with the roasted chick­peas, capers, carrots and top with parsley, and a drizzle of olive oil.

NEW: TURKISH TUKKA

160 Sandy Bay Road, Sandy Bay: Hobart does high end food beautifully. But at the “weeknight quick family dinner out” end of the spectrum, there could be more choice. Turkish Tukka, a Launceston favourite, has just opened in Sandy Bay and fits the bill. There’s limited seating but it turns over quickly, or takeaway and sit by the water to enjoy your durum (wrap with meat or felafel, sumac onions, greens and sauce).

PINOT GRIS

Exploring one wine variety, with a local bottle and one from afar.

HOME

2024 Bream Creek Pinot Gris ($36):

To celebrate the final month of summer, a Pinot Gris is a no-brainer. Bream Creek’s 2024 variety recently took home Best Pinot Gris award at the 2025 Tasmanian Wine Show, and it’s not hard to see why. Nice and fruity, the taste is a refreshing mix of apple, pear, and mandarin. A beautiful crowd-pleaser.

Set the vibe:

Music: Birds of a Feather by Billie Eilish

Food: Barbecued bream

When: Lobbing up at a friends place

AWAY

Noble Fellows Marlborough Pinot Gris ($15):

In all honesty, it may have been bottle art that attracted us. We had to take a chance on a cow in a puffer jacket. This is a classic Pinot Gris hailing from New Zealand with notes of pears and apples, dry and light-bodied. Enjoyable, crisp, and fresh, nothing pretentious here. Plus, there’s a cow on it.

Set the vibe:

Music: Inner City Pressure by Flight of the Conchords

Food: Soba noodle salad

When: A warm weeknight