Located in an old Ford showroom in Hobart’s historic Mercury Newspaper Building, Franklin opened with somewhat of a pop. Founding chef, David Moyle, proved a revelation with his locally sourced and deceptively simple cooking, relying heavily on the sheer quality of the produce and fire-fuelled cooking. Franklin changed Hobart like Garagistes did, and not unlike Mona did, too.
Today, Analiese Gregory, one of this country’s brightest cooking talents, stokes the centrepiece Scotch oven, with her acclaimed cooking only taking Franklin to greater heights. With a staggering resumé, Gregory has worked around the world, including stints at legendary restaurants, Bras, Mugaritz, Le Meurice, The Ledbury and back home at Peter Gilmore’s Quay, as his Sous Chef. Quite a list.
Like Moyle, Gregory’s focus is similarly produce based, with her work sourcing from local farmers, fishers and hunters key, while her own foraging adds yet another dimension to the menu. The mentality at Franklin is very much one of making from scratch, with everything from bread and smallgoods to cheese now made in-house.
The room’s starkness, with concrete making up walls, ceiling and bar, ranging from the polished to the textured, is softened with mid-century styled wooden furniture and the occasional bovine or marsupial pelt. Scrim curtains and soft lighting complete the picture.
Sommelier Forbes Appleby tends to the service and wine list, managing the room with characteristic calm. His selections are decidedly in the ‘natural’ camp, with selections from all around the world, covering the gamut of styles, including a house range sourced from the restaurant’s own vineyard down the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, overlooking Bruny Island.
While Hobart has soaked up a good deal of the spotlight over the last little while, Launceston is home to one of Tasmania’s most iconic restaurants, the pioneering Stillwater. Occupying the historic Ritchie’s Mill – an 1830s flour mill – at the entrance to the Cataract Gorge on the banks of the Tamar, Stillwater has…
Hobart’s Institut Polaire is housed in a distinctly cosy space, with the proportions dictated by one of Hobart’s classic historic building, which abuts the Customs House Hotel. And while the hotel spills over multiple classified buildings, Institut Polaire occupies the ground floor of just one, with 30 guests squeezing the interior to capacity. But although…
Please sign in or create account as candidate to bookmark this job
Please sign in or create account to save this search
Please sign in or create account as candidate to create a resume
