The Chef's Table
Eight seats, one long table, and a kitchen that cooks in front of you. Six courses built from whatever came off the boats and out of the ground that morning.
One table, one sitting, no menu to choose from
You turn up at 6:30, sit down, and eat what we've bought. The kitchen writes the menu at about 3pm once the produce is in, which means nobody at the table gets a choice and nobody gets disappointed either. Allergies and dislikes get worked around if you tell us when you book. Everything else is a surprise.
Cooking in the room you're sitting in
There's no wall between the table and the pass. You see the fish get portioned, the bread come out of the oven, the sauce reduced twice because the first one split. It's a working kitchen and it sounds like one. The chef calls each course as it goes out and answers whatever you ask, within reason.
- Seafood landed at Constitution Dock the same morning
- Vegetables from two farms within 40 km
- Bread baked on site from a 12 year old starter
- Wine matched or a non alcoholic pour, your call
How the evening runs
The timings are roughly fixed because the food is cooked to the minute. Everything else is loose.
Arrive for 6:30
You're met with something cold and sparkling in the courtyard while the last prep finishes inside.
Sit wherever
There are no place cards. Groups get split across the table on purpose, and most people end up talking to a stranger by course three.
The chef sets the scene
A short explanation of what came in that day, what's on the menu, and where the produce travelled from.
Six courses land
Twenty to twenty five minutes apart. Wine gets poured to match or a non alcoholic alternative arrives at the same moment.
Kitchen tour
Between the last savoury course and dessert, anyone who wants a look gets walked through the cool room and the oven.
Coffee at the bar
The table finishes around 10pm and shifts to the bar, where the tab stays open until you're done.
Three ways to sit at the table
Prices are per person and cover the whole evening. Drinks are the only thing that changes the total, and you choose that when you book.
Table Only
$145
Per person, six courses
- All six courses as written that day
- Sparkling on arrival
- Tap water and coffee included
- Wine ordered separately from the list
With Matches
$215
Per person, wine matched
- Everything in table only
- Five wines poured to the courses
- Tasmanian producers, mostly small labels
- Extra glass available for $16 each
Kitchen Bench
$340
Per person, two seats only
- Seats at the pass, closest to the cooking
- Two extra courses off the menu
- Full cellar match including one older vintage
- Take home a loaf and the starter to keep
What the table looks like
Six photographs, taken mid service rather than styled beforehand. The room is small and the light is mostly from the kitchen.
The questions we get most
Ring the kitchen between 10am and 4pm if you want to talk through a diet properly. Email works too, just slower.
The next free nights go quickly
Friday and Saturday fill about three weeks out. Midweek usually has a couple of gaps within the week, so it's worth asking even at short notice.
Ask about a seatTell us when you're in town
Send the date and any diet notes and the kitchen will come back with what's free. We don't hold seats without a reply, so expect an answer within a day.
Kitchen phone
+61 3 6214 9078
Email the kitchen
svelamo@hotmail.comWhere to find us
181 Elizabeth Street, Hobart TAS 7000, Australia