LONG LUNCH

WESTEND PUMPHOUSE

105 Murray St, Hobart Licensed. Open Tuesday 8am-4pm, Wednesday-Saturday 8am-late 6234 7339

In our game, the great tradition of the long Friday lunch fell over years ago, so I feel a bit nostalgic and naughty when I duck out for lunch with a colleague at Westend Pumphouse in Murray St.

We are warmly greeted and led to a frontwindow table in the main dining area of what was once a mechanics’ workshop. The huge restaurant, bar and coffee house owned by Alastair Derham, of the New Sydney Hotel, opened as Westend Pumphouse five years ago.

We order four dishes of casual fare. Our waitress politely suggests this is too much for two people, but we go ahead, hoping it won’t alert staff we are also on a reviewing mission.

Salt and pepper squid is our first indulgence. If you are deft with a deep-fryer, this Cantonese-inspired crowd-pleaser is easy to make but, given its ubiquity, how do you make it your own? The Pumphouse version is delicious without being wildly distinctive.

It is served sizzlingly hot, which is ideal, and the lightly golden batter is crisp and crunchy, contrasting with the tender squid. It crosses cultures with a citrusy salad of rocket, cherry tomato halves and pine nuts.

It tastes good, but the chunky battered squid strips lie heavily on the salad, not quite crushing it but making the seafood look like an enemy of arteries. When plated up for photography later, the dish looks a lot springier and better balanced.

Next up is a lively quesadilla, served street food-style in a cardboard tray. Jalapeno gives the tortilla filling plenty of kick, balancing nicely with the creaminess of cheese, the fresh pop of corn kernels and a liberal dressing of chipotle mayonnaise. The choice of the takeaway box seems a bit at odds with the rest of the table’s setting, with its artisan-look ceramics and standard cutlery.

The taco has come a long way from the savoury mince-filled shells of our childhood to become a vehicle for chefs to deliver all sorts of samplers. Today’s lamb taco, which we choose over wallaby and mushroom options, is a tasty take on a Mexican favourite, the lamb pulled and fried to crispness after slowcooking. It’s a steal at $6, but the generous mound of filling makes it tricky to eat as intended, folded over in the hands.

The best-looking dish is the chatamari, a rice-flour crepe served in its cast-iron skillet and laden with goat meat, tomato and housepickled vegetables. A confident take on a traditional Nepalese festival food often known as the Newari pizza, it is a colourful affair, with the pickled vegetable flavour dominating. It’s good to see the chef experiment with South Asian cuisines less familiar to Hobartians.

Several burgers place Westend Pumphouse squarely in Hobart’s ever-growing casual dining scene. Other Aussie faves include prawn salad, steak, eggs and chips and fish and chips. There’s a nod to Slovakia with goulash and gypsy (pork) rolls.

Numerous Tasmanian wines are available by the glass. Gala Estate sauvignon blanc ($11 per glass) goes down well as we soak up the laid-back surroundings.

An industrial vibe evokes the building’s history. It’s not quite as sleek as, say, the warehouse conversion at higher-end St. Albi at Moonah or Franklin in the old Mercury building, but the interior is still striking, with lots of black and a suspended fireplace. In a couple of spots, a little TLC wouldn’t go astray. For example, while the space is enlivened by big indoor plants, at least one of those hanging above the central bar looks dead.

We forgo three tempting desserts – chocolate brownie with ice-cream and berries, pavlova with sorbet and berries and churros with white chocolate and cinnamon sugar – to get back to our desks.

Would I return? Yes. Food-wise, it would be for a casual bite as a change from, say, Fish Frenzy. The atmosphere was cheerful and family-friendly and the service attentive. The price was in keeping with the level of offering. And I’m curious to see what incoming executive chef, ex-Born on Brunswick’s Josh Retzer, will bring.

Our outing, by car from Salamanca, took 90 minutes max. In the old days, that was the blink of an eye on a Friday arvo, but we savoured every precious minute. Regular reviewer Libby Sutherland is on leave