aloft

aloft was definitely the culinary highlight of our trip to tasmania.

the restaurant sits right at the end of brooke street pier and despite the stunning views we would have enjoyed in the main part of the restaurant we opted to dine at the kitchen bar and take advantage of the 8 coursebanquetmenu. we were not disappointed.

the space has a seemingly simple design, it’s clean and open, almost verging on clinical with the main feature being the glass wall at the end of the restaurant that boasts breathtaking views of the harbour. the soft lighting warms the venue but what is really smart is that all lights are hidden or covered so they don’t reflect in the glass and distract the eye from the view. at the opposite side sits the open kitchen and bar. there is nothing to hide. everything is immaculate.

we were welcomed by the entire team – chefs included! as soon as we were seated the food service began. we started off with roulette peppers… one in ten was meant to be hot. there were four of us seated at the kitchen bar and three out of the four were hot! after our mouths had recovered, dishes after dishes kept coming out. they were perfectly portioned, not too big and not too small. the ingredients were fresh and local and the flavour combinations were spot on. the dishes were personally delivered by the chefs which was refreshing. the pride and excitement each chef had in presenting their dish gave you a greater appreciation of what you were eating. we loved watching the kitchen banter and seeing how the apprentice chefs were trained. we were lucky enough to become guinea pigs and try two additional dishes that weren’t on the menu. i have to give special mention to one, as it really deserves a place on the main menu. it was made by one of the younger chefs and it was black garlic ice cream. it’s something i would never think to order, but it was divine and i’ve been dreaming about it ever since!

although they’ve only been open for six months it was evident that the team has evolved together. the service was seamless. staff clearly love working there and that really took the customer experience to the next level. i am excited to see what is next for this young, talented team as they have totally nailed their first venture. our experience was impeccable. huge thanks to the entire team for giving us a fantastic night!

just a very average experience, we waited one hour between the 1st and 2nd courses and we were served cold dumplings. every dish was poor to average. we had an 8:00pm sitting and we ordered thebanquetat $85 per person. it was 10pm before we were served something of any substance and by that stage i was suffering from heart burn from the lack of food and the level of acidity from drinking wine and only eating a few nautical oysters, a slice of sashimi and a cold dumpling soaked in vinegar. we suffered through a few more very average dishes before settling the bill early and leaving. i love good food and i travel to go to good restaurants, but this was one of the worst restaurant experiences. .

i’m surprised this place doesn’t have a higher rating! great location, great staff, great ambience and, most importantly, great food.

we went with thebanquetoption because we couldn’t decide what we wanted - too many options! a very succinct overview of thebanquetis that it included pigs’ ears, oysters with kimchi, prawns, chicken wings, yellow fish curry, koji beef, and condensed milk ice cream. favourite dish was the yellow fish curry - so delicious i could have had another serve. least favourite would have been the pigs ears but still found them tasty - just too salty. the only downside we had was it took a very long time for our drinks to come out - about three dishes in.

highly recommend if you are going to hobart.

fantastic atmosphere tables not too close together, great view and very friendly staff. sake 1999 wondrously delicious and almost sticky, red rice sake very moorish too. we let them arrange thebanquetand were in very good hands $195

incredible! we had thebanquetmenu and we left completely satisfied with just the right amount of fullness.

the standouts were the pork shoulder, the condensed milk ice cream, the prawn, the fish and omg the pigs ear in masterstock was phenom! the oyster dish was our least fave however still very good.

i started with a yuzushu spritz and it would have to be the best little cocktail starter refreshment i have had.

staff were friendly, explained the components of the dishes without attitude, and were attentive.

definitely will be a restaurant we return to when next in hobart.

5 of us for dinner enjoyed thebanquetmenu. for me the steamed oyster, kimchi & sesame was the winner, but really all courses were winners! each course came at with an appropriate time interval in between. the wait staff explained all the courses & were friendly but not over the top. highly recommend.

what a great night!

my sister and i sat at the chef's bar and got to watch the meals being meticulously assembled.

thebanquetwas amazing. the pigs ears were a highlight of the night.

amazing restaurant, food, wine, service, staff and atmosphere. highly recommend thebanquetto try a bit of everything they have to offer..

asian themed with fresh local produce. do yourself a favour - take a friend and have thebanquet- $70/head and worth every cent plus some. my picks - the oysters, the prawns, the dipping sauce with the quail, the pepito and fig cream sauce with the flathead (best satay i've ever tasted and not a peanut in sight), the beef and mushrooms. another tip - sit up at the kitchen do you can watch. the whole show is calm and efficient. we had a top night.