Eating: Pilgrim Coffee, Hobart

Tragedy struck on day two of the Tasmania break, the cellular network left me without wifi. So to console me, we decided to indulge in some fancy breakfast at Pilgrim Coffee.

We weren't disappointed. The decor is edgy and modern, with the feeling of being underground in a mining tunnel. The polished gold tables adds to the allure of searching in a gold mine. The exposed wood beams of the ceiling, the muted singular curl of the corrogated iron wall lights give an interesting vibe.

Pilgrim surprises diners with complimentary pilgrim popcorn flavoured with salt, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and chipotle. The flavours meld well together.  It isn’t super crunchy but it's all about the flavours. View this popcorn like pilgrim introducing themselves and handing you their business card. Here is what we do: flavour.

Pirates bay octopus with chilli, octopus, potatoes. Great zingy citrus flavour with strong notes of pepper. Potatoes are crunchy and creamy in the inside. The octopus is very soft, which suggests that it has been in brine then cooked. The preserved lemon gives so much zing. The colours really remind me of a Mexican dish. Unfortunately it doesn’t have the same lightness as a mexican salad based dish, but the combination of the pickled pepper, preserved lemon and octopus is a great mouthful. With each chew, the flavour keeps giving. I’ve recently noticed a trend over the past half a year that restaurants are incorporating more pickled or home preserved elements. This gives their dishes more flavour than just simply adding spice or salt. This process takes much more time and preparation. A great example of a restaurant doing it so well is Provenance, in Beechworth.

The coriander is a good lift to the dish, as all the other elements are more intense in flavour, the coriander is that "fresh" component. I think I would have liked a little more, maybe some basil as well. At the time my dish arrived the heat from the other elements had wilted it, but i’m sure it couldn’t have been helped.

The Better Half went with the french toast with maple butter and bacon. The bread was rich and creamy, which in itself was a nice bread, but when made into french toast it went squishy and mushy. The BH struggled also in eating the caramel due to the way it hardened once it came into contact with the cooler dish. There were a few pieces of the caramel, that the better half just couldn't chew through. The contrast between the mushy bread and the hard chewy caramel, makes for a complicated mouthful.

Service here is prompt and friendly.

In conclusion:

Pilgrim coffee is a friendly relaxed way to the start the morning in the middle of Hobart’s CBD.

I heartily enjoyed my Pirates Bay Octopus but would think twice before ordering the french toast. Their more savoury dishes have more promise due to the way they love to play with flavours.

Pilgrim Coffee

48 Argyle St

Hobart, Tasmania

03 6234 1999