Lēoht
Cafe Lēoht is housed in a 170-year-old Georgian cottage and was conceived as an investment in the community.
Overview
One of Hobart's favourite day destinations has just announced it will open after dark for the first time. Cafe Lēoht, in Battery Point, will now welcome customers for dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings, offering more opportunities to savour its Tasmanian-led food and wine.
Head Chef Sarah Morfey's à la carte dinner menu showcases Tasmanian produce at its best. "We really do have some of Australia's best produce down here. Working with the seasons — and the shifts within each season is really rewarding. We join locals with a weekly pilgrimage to the Farm Gate market, and work closely with growers and producers right across the state."
The seasonally changing menu may include olive oil flatbread with goat's curd and dill gremolata, venison kielbasa, and roast zucchini with squash, sunflower tahini, and burnt honey dressing. You might be lucky enough to sample a tomato-and-saffron brodetto with escabeche mussels, fish and calamari, or a wallaby tartare with pickled mushrooms and nasturtium leaf. Morfey says, "Tasmanian food has a distinct style — the quality of the produce does a lot of the talking. Plate integrity is important is really important to us."
Cafe Lēoht is housed in a 170-year-old Georgian cottage and was conceived as an investment in the community. "Our intention has always been to create a true third space — somewhere that belongs to the village and the wider community. Seeing it come to life the way that it has, I think we're honouring that," says co-owner Chanel Parratt.
Organic and low-intervention wines that lean enthusiastically Tasmanian sit alongside a considered offering of drops from France, Italy, Australia and South Australia. Wines by the glass will rotate weekly to highlight different local producers and lesser-known varieties from further afield.
News of Cafe Lēoht's new after-dark hours has been welcomed by the Hampden Road community seeking a space for easy-going, convivial dining. "The village has been asking us to do this since we were painting the front fence pre-opening. We want to increase accessibility and engagement with wine and dining, especially for locals. This could be a special dinner out or a walk-in wine and snack; it's going to be fun," says Parratt.
Images: Supplied.
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