A hidden gem plating up farm-fresh produce and bakery perfection.
You have to go out of your way to get to Pigeon Hole. The little café, a good 15-minute walk from the centre of Hobart, is in an old shop with a burnished brick façade and aged stainless steel window and door. It is also one of the best little places to eat paddock-to-plate food in the nation. Pigeon Hole Café is owned by farmers Richard and Belinda Weston who showcase their excellent produce through the café’s small menu. Take a seat at the table in the front window or down the back perched on a short stool. It is cozy. The food is truly seasonal.
Expect a soup – good chicken stock and loads of veg from the farm. There could be some meatballs, redolent of fennel, with paprika-infused ragu. If you see paprika on any dish on the menu, order it. The smoked paprika from Weston Farm is a brilliant product, deep and complex. There are good braises on the menu using less-loved cuts such as beef short rib. As an aside, the next-door neighbour is an ethical butcher called The Huon Valley Meat Co.
Pigeon Hole’s baked goods are truly excellent – notably the dense, flavoursome muffins and excellent bread. Pigeon Hole Café is popular with Hobart’s fooderati but because it is a little out of the way it has not been swamped by the tourist trade (which makes visiting other popular cafes such as Jackman and McCross in Battery Point a waiting game). Pigeon Hole is honest, delicious and has integrity that can’t be faked.
Pigeon Hole Café
93 Goulburn Street, West Hobart
Tel 03 6236 9306
pigeonholecafe.com.au
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