Pigeon Whole Bakers

Location: 138 Hopkins Street, Moonah

Website: Pigeon Hole Cafe

Opening hours: Sunday's 9am till 1pm

Mumma Review

After seeing a pic on Instagram yesterday of some amazing looking local donuts I had to find out where they were from....and with a quick click of the phone I discovered they were from Pigeon Hole Bakers - the bakery wing of the popular Pigeon Hole Cafe.  Located on Hopkins Street Moonah the Pigeon Hole Bakers open their doors (albeit 'hole in the wall' shop front) every Sunday from 9am till 1pm so the general public can consume delicious amounts of fresh bread and a small amount of baked treats......namely their amazing donuts :) 

With a baby almost due I had to get myself there this morning and now wish I had of purchased every donut in sight!!  This morning they had raspberry jam filled donuts; strawberry or hazelnut chocolate-filled donuts - each for $3.50.  I couldn't resist the traditional raspberry filled donut but will defiantly be returning for a hazelnut-choc filled one :)   The owe so doughie donut was amazing as too was the sweet yet not sickening home-made raspberry jam inside.  A true little delight.

Along with their donuts they also sell their delicious bread.....various loafs of sourdough; baguettes or fruit and nut loafs which are available at either their Cafe in West Hobart or at various stores around town.  Today I purchased a loaf of ciabatta which was inhaled at lunch time by my growing family :)   

Pigeon Hole Bakers is certainly a great little find located in the residential streets of Moonah......perfect for a Sunday trip out with the kids to gather some delicious weekend goodies :)

Love Mumma Al xx

The Bush Bakery

Location: 682 Leslie Road, Leslie Vale, Hobart

Phone: (03) 6239 6196
Website: The Bush Bakery

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday - 7am till 5.30pm

Menu: Good quality bakery fare including hot & cold speciality pies; sausage rolls; pizza buns etc and loads of yummy cakes!

Mumma Review

I just love The Bush Bakery!  Situated in Leslie Vale, roughly a 20 minute drive south of Hobart or via the scenic route around Fern Tree, the Bush Bakery resides in a shed (albeit a very clean and modern appearing shed!) adjacent to the family home of the owners and bakers themselves.  My hubby and I have been going to the Bakery for years and now enjoy taking our Great Man there for a bit of a family drive and spot of lunch - often eaten at the river opposite the Longley Pub!  If you fancy eating your goodies ASAP there is a small seated area under a wooden shelter on the grounds of the Bakery as well as picturesque scenery to match.

The Bakery sell a variety of tasty pie options (hot for your picking or sold in cold packs in the fridge to enjoy at home) with our picks often being a Sheppard's Pie; Bacon & Egg; or Curried Chicken....yum!  

But my eyes are always drawn instantly to the cakes.....yummy, yummy!  They sell cakes individually as well as in half dozen packs and stock a plethora of home-made goodies including carrot cakes; chocolate cakes; danishes; fruit strudels; fruit tarts; caramel or peppermint slice; kiss biscuits; anzac's.....the list goes on!  

But my favourite without a doubt is their French Vanilla Slice - honestly it has got to be one of the best around!  With deliciously light, flaky pastry; smooth custard and oh just right icing it really is simply delicious.  In addition to that we enjoy their famous chocolate mousse truffles - for around $1 each they are a true little delight and finish off a meal (albeit a pie meal) very nicely!  

One of Tassie's best kept secrets The Bush Bakery is certainly unique and a terrific place to head to for a weekend or weekday drive with the family :)

Love Mumma Al xx

tunnel vision

NB. tunnelvision is no longer in operation

 

Location: The underpass of the fountain roundabout, Hobart

Phone: 0439 347 153

Website: tunnelvision facebook page

Opening hours: Mon-Fri 7am - 1.30pm

Adults menu: Take-away coffee/hot drinks, plus a small menu featuring WAM (Wrap A Mash) try one!

Prices: $3.30 for a small coffee 

Mumma Review:

After a few weeks back in the paid work force (yes the paid work force, notice I didn't just say "work", since all mumma's work the unpaid, on-call 24/7 job of being a mummy don't you know!), I finally got my act together enough to not only get myself and two kids out the door by 7am, and do the childcare drop off, but also make it into the city with enough time to park and walk to work.   

As I trudged along on an icy Hobart morning I heard music, live music, and I could see movement and light coming from the underpass...then what to my wondrous eyes did appear?  Tunnel vision! I was so excited that I had to get myself a coffee, and post a sideways photo on facebook before rushing along to work. 

It's now a part of my weekly routine (the coffee that is, not the sideways pic posting, although I'm sure I'll do more of that too).  The coffee is great, from a barista who has been making coffees since the days of black or white being the only options. He is super friendly too, seems to know the name of nearly everyone trudging past whether they are stopping for coffee or not.  

It's an awesome set up, with seating provided if you are keen to brave the winter chill.  I'm not. Take-away only for me at this time of year!  But this cool little coffee cart sure does inject a bit of warmth and life into the underpass.  If you walk that way you will already know all about it, if you don't, it's well worth the detour. 

Love Mumma Kel x

La Porchetta

Location: 315 Elizabeth Street, North Hobart

Phone: (03) 6231 6777
Website: http://www.laporchetta.com.au/

Opening hours: 11am till 9pm

Kids menu: Yes - $9.90 including small main meal (pasta or pizza), soft drink and small scoop of ice-cream

Adults menu: Small, medium and large sized traditional pizzas ranging from $12 - $18; gourmet pizzas $15 - $22; pastas $14 - $18; main meals including schnitzel's, parmigiana, steaks & seafood options $24 - $30; and desserts including tiramisu, chocolate mousse, cassata and gelato options $3.70 - $7.90

Mumma Review

Time has been slipping away from us lately......bubba number 2 is on its way for me and my taste buds have been doing extreme things - McDonald's cravings one minute to stir-fry veggies the next!!  This night I was after one thing.....cheesy pizza and a tall glass of diet-coke!  So we zipped into La Porchetta in North Hobart for a quick mid-week meal and a cheesy pizza and diet coke is just what I got :)

It has been years since we have been to La Porchetta that's for sure.  Upon entry we were greeted by friendly staff who quickly had us seated, our great man propped up in a booster seat and colouring-in pencils and paper presented to him within minutes.  The menu consisted of regular and gourmet pizza's, pasta and a few other main options to choose from.  We opted all to share a medium sized margarita pizza and a BBQ Chicken.......both pizza's arrived at our table pipping hot in less than 10 minutes (good going when you have a busy and hungry toddler on your hands and one hungry mumma!).

The pizza's were tasty and they hit the spot perfectly.  The layout of the restaurant was certainly family friendly with enough room to park prams and high chairs and/or booster seats available.  While we were there is was pretty quiet (albeit it was before 6pm!) however noise was easily absorbed into the space - a prerequisite really when you are dining with little ones :)

All in all La Porchetta in North Hobart was a great spot for a quick, tasty and affordable meal and they well and truly accommodated our great man.

Love Mumma Al x 
   

Moto Vecchia

Location: 35 Gordons Hill Road, Bellerive

Phone: (03) 6244 3434
Website: Moto Vecchia facebook page

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm

Kids menu: Not specifically

Adults menu: Italian food, with both breakfast and lunch options; fritatta, panini's, toasted sandwiches, calzone, lasagne, eggplant and zucchini fritters, antipasto, salads, and sweets, as well as gluten free options.  Nothing over $15.

Mumma Review:

Catching up with a couple of friends mid-week for a coffee used to be a relaxing affair... now it feels more like we are leading a small school excursion.  A noisy one at that.  

Last week two friends and I decided to take our kiddos (between us there are three boys aged around three, and three girls in the 6m to 1yo age bracket) for a fun outing to Rock n Rhyme at Rosny Library, followed by morning tea across the road at the relatively new Moto Vecchia. Madness!  The kids had fun.  The baby girls bopped away to the rhymes, while the boys rathered piling up the pillows to wrestle on more than anything else.  By the time we got to Moto Vecchia I really needed that coffee!

Luckily Moto Vecchia is super child friendly.  The owner let us know that she considers the cafe to be an extension of her family home, and she would like to make families feel welcome, as though she were inviting them into her own home.  The cafe is basically a homage to her family, and all the motor bikes inside, well that is basically right up a three year old boys alley.  Much time was spent admiring the bikes by my little mister, and I was instructed to photograph them all.  I wont bore you with with my photography skills, but here's a brief snap shot...

Between instructing the boys that the couches weren't for wrestling on, and that lion roaring competitions in a cafe are also a no go, we actually got them to sit still for a little while.  The cute babycinos helped

As did the owner, who brought over colouring-in pages and crayons, informing the boys that if they were very good and coloured in nicely someone would win a prize!

Mean-while, the coffee is roasted by family in Queensland.  The food is yummy, a small menu of Italian food, and they even cooked up a couple of none-menu items for the kids which was great (scrambled eggs on toast). 

My friend who is very used to coming along with me and/or Al for cafe reviews did most of the scouting for details... a cooking school, a 10% discount for Hobart Mums Network members on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. They also have Happy Hour on Mondays ($2 reg coffee) and Thirsty Thursday $5 coffee and biscuit... and the boys can vouch for the biscuits, each of them were given a delicious lemon biscuit as their prize for being so "good" as we were leaving.

I think we will be hard pressed to find anywhere as accommodating to families as Moto Vecchia on the Eastern Shore.  Are there any new mums groups out there looking for somewhere to go?? 

Love Mumma Kel x

Ginger Brown......revisited again!!

Apologies for the radio silence over the Easter Break and subsequent lack of reviews!  Perhaps it was all the chocolate consumed and family time enjoyed that has meant we haven't ventured out lately for our regular cafe catch-up?!

Feeling rejuvenated we headed to the park in South Hobart this morning so the little ones could run about and let off steam before heading into Ginger Brown Cafe.  It is the first time we have been back to Ginger Brown this year and once again we were not disappointed :)  Creatures of habit Kel and I - we both opted for the same dish we enjoyed on our last visit.......baked eggs and crusty toast for Kel and I enjoyed the fruit nut crumble with labne which was simply heavenly and oh sooooo mouth watering, yum!  My growing man enjoyed a kid-sized strawberry milkshake (with a small straw which is a blessing in disguise to minimise the spillage that can occur as excited hands wrestle with a  normal sized straw!).  

Once again the service at Ginger Brown was efficient and friendly as we settled back and enjoyed the relaxed vibe of the cafe.  Kel noted that her latte was smooth and delicious and hit the spot exactly.  When we were leaving we noticed that the Barista was a familiar and experienced face from a few other cafes around town which explained why the coffee was so good!  A welcome addition we are sure to the popular South Hobart spot.

Love Mumma's Al & Kel

Oh and from April 26th Ginger Brown will be starting evening dinners Thursday to Saturday - we will have to suss that out that's for sure! 

The Station Cafe

Location: The Signal Station - 700 Nelson Road, Mount Nelson

Phone: (03) 6223 3407
Website: http://www.thestationcafe.com.au/
 

Opening hours: Tues - Fri: 10am to 4pm; Sat - Sun: 10am to 5pm

Kids menu: No specific kids menu

Adults menu: Light meals and lunch menu; brunch available on a weekend

 

Mumma Review

Hobart has had the most sensational summer weather wise and we felt the need to soak in our beautiful city by heading to the Station Cafe at the Signal Station, Mount Nelson.  It was a spectacular morning, and the view from the hill is certainly amazing!

Station Cafe, situated to take in the most breath taking views, was perfectly kid friendly. Easy pram access, and a choice of seating either outside, or inside with the options of lounge area, large spacious tables, or the best view in the house from the balcony.  We sat at one of the tables with room for prams, and high chairs.  While the enclosed balcony has a great view it is a bit cramped, and you'll certainly need your sunnies!

The boys enjoyed investigating the toy box, while baby girl enjoyed the rest of her nap in the pram before being propped up at the table in a booster seat.  She was delighted to be set up along side the boys, but hasn't quite been included in the babycino club yet!  The babycino's were of the baby variety; little pots of frothy milk, no marshmallows, no chocolate dusting... we held our breath waiting for the protests..... but they were happily consumed by the taste testers!

Good coffee, tasty muffins, and gorgeous scones with jam and cream (the CWA would have been impressed!) were on the menu for the mumma's today.  And after we had made a sufficient amount of mess at our table we paid up and headed outside to enjoy the fresh Tassie air and gorgeous sunshine (and let the boys run loose with them running down a track half way to Hobart before we could catch them!!).

Love Mummas Kel & Al xx

PS - Has anyone been to the Station Cafe for lunch recently and tried out their menu?!  Would love to hear your thoughts :) 

Cadbury Visitor Centre

Location: 100 Cadbury Road, Claremont

Phone: Toll Free - 1800 627 36718 
Website: Cadbury Visitor Centre
 

Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 8.30am till 3.30pm (closed weekends & public holidays)
Admission Price:  $7.50 per adult; children under 4yrs free; family $17.50 (two adults & up to three children)

Mumma Review

Many of you will have noticed that the two of us have somewhat of a sweet tooth, so instead of our regular coffee and muffin catch-up in a local cafe this week we opted for something a little different........a trip out to the Cadbury Visitor Centre at Claremont!!  And with Easter just around the corner it was the perfect opportunity to do a little chocolate shopping - we were not disappointed!  After paying our admission fee (we even had a 2 for 1 bargin voucher from the Entertainment Book - therefore costing us a total of $7.50 for two adults and three children under 4) we were greeted by a friendly lady who handed us each a little purple bag consisting of a block of dairy milk chocolate, some small chocolate treats, a small sample pot of cocoa and a brochure on the process of chocolate making.  The boys were thrilled to receive their very own little bag and skipped off excitedly hand-in-hand to see what else the place had in store for them!

Due to occupational health and safety laws you can no longer do a factory tour of Cadbury's.  Instead the visitor center has a merchandise section, a cafe, regular information sessions presented about the process of chocolate making as well as some of the history of cadbury's and chocolate, and not forgetting the much anticipated chocolate shop! 

The boys made a bee-line for the Cadbury car and large milk cow that was on display - they could have spent hours in that car!  The cafe serves both hot and cold drinks as well as the 'famous' hot chocolate.  We both opted for a cappuccino (which on all accounts was terrible) and delicious raspberry & white chocolate muffin which tasted fresh out of the oven :)  The boys shared a strawberry milkshake and freddo from their bag - certainly a morning tea treat that had little nutritional value (we did offer some fruit and a Vegemite crusket from home which was also consumed).   
 

We were keen to go to the presentation on chocolate however thought 30 minutes was a bit of a stretch for our boys (especially after their morning tea!).  We opted to 'slip' in quietly to the session half way through......possibly not the best idea of the day however the boys did sit quietly for 5 or so minutes listening to the lady talk chocolate before proceeding to swap seats with each other while calling out each others name in a not so quiet voice!

Following the presentation the doors opened into the chocolate shop, and we were sucked through into the vortex.  After a whirl wind of chocolate shopping and minding little hands before they were able to grab at the temptations on the shelves, we emerged with our Easter loot.  Now all the mumma's need to do is resist those chocolate temptations that are now hiding in the back of our cupboards.......how many days til Easter??

Love Mummas Al & Kel xx 

Doo-Lishus - Re-Visited

We headed down to a favourite spot recently, Doo-Lishus, at Eaglehawk Neck, for some delicious fish and chips and my all time fav berries and ice-cream!  It was the first time we had driven down to the Tasman Peninsula after the devastating fires that occurred in January.  The drive down was certainly an eye opening experience, being able to see the path that the fire took as the burnt out landscape unfolded in front of us.  Many homes along the way were still standing while others were gone, and instead tents and temporary camp-sites surrounded the spot where a home once stood.  

To our delight Doo-Lishus was open and buzzing with tourists and locals alike, keen for their weekend dose of fish and chips.  And the fish, scallops, squid rings and chips did not disappoint our little family!!  Soooooo good, it is definitely worthy of a drive down to enjoy a local lunch in a unique part of our state.  The Great Man and I rounded our meal off by sharing a Berry Delight - creamy vanilla ice-cream and pureed seasonal berries......yummy!

After our lunch we enjoyed a walk up to Pirates Bay Look-Out (an easy walk thoroughly enjoyed by our little toddler), a look around the pier at the fishing boats (another past time enjoyed by our great man) and a fun drive back through Doo-Town :)  A run and play in the sand at Eaglehawk Neck Beach finished off our drive.  Apart from a family surfing we were the only ones on the beach :)  It was utterly relaxing and very rejuvenating as I breathed in the salty fresh air and took a moment to reflect on my growing little family and how lucky we were to all be together. 

Love Mumma Al x

Village Cafe

NB. This café has closed

Location: 46 Hampden Road, Battery Point

Phone: (03) 6224 4101

Opening hours: Mon-Sat: 7am till 5pm; Sun: 8am till 4pm

Kids menu: No specific kids menu

Adults menu: Brunch and lunch options including muesli, fruit toast, variety of egg dishes, french toast, mushrooms on toast, BLT as well as veggie burgers, lasagna, vegetarian frittata, soup & pies.  Some cakes, muffins and scones also available

Prices: Brunch: $5 - $17.5; lunch: $9 - $16.5; cakes/muffins: $4 - $6

Mumma Review

We went to the Village Cafe in Battery Point recently for a spot of brunch one Thursday morning.  On arrival it was very quiet (granted in was only 10am of a weekday morning) and seeing as it smelt heavily like cooked bacon and seemed a bit 'steamy' we assumed they must have been busy cooking breakfast earlier?!?

There was plenty of room for prams and bubs - with seating options both inside and out in the back courtyard.  The boys ran straight to the toy box on arrival but as the place was empty their shrills of delight seemed to echo through our bones!  We opted to re-locate to the back courtyard for a more 'peaceful' brunch setting, although the excitement of seeing a water feature and many small garden pebbles seem to ramp up their morning enthusiasm again...

I opted for the French Toast with maple syrup and bacon whilst Kel had Mushrooms on Toast - both meals were slightly ordinary to be honest and didn't really win us over.  Our coffees were OK, hit the spot caffeine wise but slightly on the watery side and didn't have us wanting more.  The boys enjoyed the strawberry milkshake they shared so that was a plus.

The Village Cafe is certainly in a terrific location on Hampden Road in Battery Point and they have all the baby friendly features we love to see.  But.....all in all the place didn't really inspire us to want to go back.  The staff didn't seem very inspired to see us return though either, so perhaps all is even?!

Have you had a better experience at the Village Cafe?  We would love for you to share your thoughts....?

Love Mumma's Al & Kel xx