The Astor Grill - Hobart

This was a great little find on a recent overnight business trip to Hobart.  It was cold and rainy, and I stumbled on the Astor just a short walk from my hotel.  The staff were welcoming and friendly, and more than happy to accomodate.  The menu was ample, providing a good selection of dishes, but not overcrowded, and there was obviously an emphasis on local ingredients and steak.  Same goes for the wine list.  I had an appetiser of grilled octopus, and my scotch fillet came out cooked perfectly.  Throughout the meal, the staff were attentive, but not in-your-face-all-the-time, and were knowledgeable about the menu and drinks list.  The restaurant itself was warm, quiet and cozy, perfect for a cool night, but would also be nice on a warm summer evening.  There were a few couples and small groups, as well as a few other single diners (who appeared to be people on business like myself).  I would definitely recommend the Astor for a relaxing dinner.

After a long day trip on a Saturday, we arrived back to our accommodation on Macquarie Street tired and just needed somewhere close to eat. We were glad that Astor Grill still had seats when we showed up without booking. This busy restaurant had a warm and welcoming vibe to it, with friendly and attentive staff. <br/ <br/ As we didn’t feel like eating steaks on the night, we went for other proteins on the menu. We had two Entrée dishes, one Main dish and one Dessert to share. <br/ <br/ First Entrée was Grilled Farm Quail with smoky roasted Tomatoes, Ligurian Olives, Mint and Buffalo Fetta. The hero of the dish, the quail, was tender and full of flavour. All the other elements of the dish complimented each other really well too. Our only issue was, we couldn’t get enough of the quail because it was so good. I could probably eat another 5 more. Price: AUD$21.50.<br/ <br/ The second Entrée we had was Linguine with Garlic Prawns in Chilli Oil, Tomato Rocket, Lemon and shaved Grana. The garlic prawns tasted fresh and mildly spicy. The whole dish was very pleasant to eat and again, I wish there were more of the prawns on the plate because they were delicious. I probably would be happy to get double the size of this as a Main. Price: AUD$19.50.<br/ <br/ For Main, we had the Tasmanian Wallaby fillets with Spring Onion Mash, Beetroot, Red Wine and Native Pepperberry Sauce. The wallaby fillets were cooked to perfection as the meat was still pink in the middle and the texture was nice and not tough to chew at all. I like the taste. It’s a nice alternative to steak. And when you are in Tasmania, why not give it a go? The spring onion mash was smooth and together with the sauce were just the perfect combination with the wallaby fillets. Price $35.50.<br/ <br/ We decided to try the dessert on their Special Menu, which is Cold Set Lime Soufflé with Apple Sorbet, Lime Zest and Biscuit Crumbs. This was a beautiful dish with an understated presentation and name. Both the soufflé and sorbet were really light, smooth and refreshing and the lime zest was a great touch. This dessert was a great way to finish our meal, after all the strong flavours and meat. I’d recommend order it again if I come here, as you don’t often see lime soufflé in restaurants. Price: AUD$13.50.<br/ <br/ Overall, we enjoyed everything we ordered. Price is slightly on the expensive side for the serving size otherwise it would have been perfect. The restaurant does get a bit busy on weekend evenings so booking is recommended if you plan to visit. It seemed to be a popular venue for the locals as we saw the manager greeting some regular customers on the night.

Took the missus and friends to the Astor Grill for an Anniversary dinner last night<br/ I have been a long time patron of the Astor Grill except for that period where they dropped the ball it appears that the crowds have returned as it was a busy Saturday night, so much so that we were seated in the secondary dining room, apart from that grating on my nerves, the evening was quite enjoyable. We men had the entree of grilled octopus and it was well received, the mains chosen were the <br/ signature dish Steak Astor I would have liked more ! The missus had the Eye fillet scallopini that tasted terrific but also would have liked more,the dinner finished with shared deserts, also very nice. The pacing of the service was spot on with <br/ the wait staff engaging without going overboard. The only criticism that I could level would be the cost of the drinks however it should be mentioned that the Astor does have an extensive drinks list that should cater for most tastes<br/ All in all it was professional dining experience that only just missed top marks, will definitely return

We really enjoyed our meal, although the restaurant was very busy. Our waitress was attentive and the service great. When our meal was delayed, the staff took the time to let us know and explained why. We had divine oysters with salmon gravlax. Definitely up there with 'best ever oysters '. The Cape Grim eye fillet was cooked to perfection and the Stilton sauce delicious. The Blue Eye trevalla was also a high standard dish. A perfect dining experience. Thank you.

We had the best meal and time. The food. The staff. The atmosphere. All faultless. One of the best dining experience of our lives. A most memorable anniversary dinner. Thank you to everyone at Astor Grill. You made our night.