Fico — Restaurant in Hobart

Carrot Gazpacho - rich smooth and beautifully flavored. Relatively not acidic for a palate cleanser but due to the clean flavor it does the job adequately. A little bit of chopped carrots into tiny cubes in the bottom for some crunch finishes the dish nicely

Blue fin tuna tartare - the orchestra of herbs on top of the dish serves both as a nice contrasting colored garnish and a fragrant scent balance to the fishiness of the tuna. The fried specks of croutons give the tartare a slight crunch which is a clever touch to bring more balance to the dish.

Ripinena - the calamari is perfectly cooked to give a bit of bounce on the bite. Nice rich creamy flavour with a hint of acid in the sauce to counter balance. The squid ink pappardella is al Dante which is perfect. Visually the dish looks like sweet corn so the subversion of expectations is nice.

Sea urchin rice - perfect al dante rice drizzled with a touch of olive oil and flavored with the sea urchin puree sauce. Tomato brings a hint of acidity that balances the dish nicely and the basil also does some heavy lifting in ensuring the is light. Perfectly portioned and wonderfully seasoned with paprika at the top for a subtle kick

Venison - beautifully pink venison. The beetroot ju served as a great sweetener while the white sauce provided great mixture of acid and substance from the potato. Elegantly plated and meticulously balanced.

Strawberry tart - wonderful! Stuffed strawberry with custard provides an articulate symphony of sweetness, sour, crunch, creaminess and softness. Excellent dish. The honeycomb gelato on the side with strawberry sauce is nice but not particularly special.

Cassis & yogurt - odd bitter notes with slightly stale hints and generic yogurt. Nothing notable

In general, I guess my expectations for the restaurant may be too high for where they place themselves. None of the food is poor though there is relatively limited creativity or innovation within the dishes. Visually they are fine but nothing stood out to be amazing. The service was adequate and nothing stood out in general. The ambiance within the restaurant is nice and warm. Too pricy for what they are offering...

First of all, a big shoutout to Mohit who we found entertaining and downright lovely and genuine - we had a great experience partly because of his hospitality and Fico has got themselves amazing staff who are passionate about the food served there and genuinely listened to how we feel about each dish we had. Thanks Mohit for your service and humor, you made our night.

Now the food - is it worth the hype, the price, the two hats reputation? YAAAAASSSSSS!!!!!! What’s even better is the friendliness of the staff not just the servers but also the legendary kitchen staff who also came out to help serve the food with a genuine smile and warmth to their service. If I could have the authority to give all the hats in the world to Fico, heck I would and I mean it.

I’m not going to go all pretentious and say ‘food is on point’ or ‘technique is flawless’ (no offense to my foodies who know what they are saying when it comes to that, all respect) but what I’m going to do is HIGHLY RECOMMEND everyone (foodies, travelers, anyone looking for a great date night, celebrating anniversary or birthdays or even to just spoil yourself) to book a place at Fico because it will be a dining experience to remember for a long time.

Everything that is served throughout dinner - flawless. It really is. Great portions served for the money you pay for degustation at Fico. It’s absolutely worth it. In fact, make Fico the first degustation restaurant for you to try in Hobart because they set the bar truly in Tassie. After that, you can compare other eatery places (there is one particular one who hosts a tour of their own community garden in the oldest historic prison/hospital - honestly overrated and overpriced so don’t do it) and know Fico genuinely delivers. They are way way better value. So come to Fico and not the other eatery place with the insane price tag to abysmal food portions.

Fico will not disappoint. I highly urge you to experience Fico and make sure you make a booking. Even if it’s waitlisted, do it. We were contacted from the waitlist and we feel so grateful for having one of the best dining experience at Hobart with Fico....

As interstate visitors, we were eagerly looking forward to dining at Fico, renowned for its fine cuisine and exceptional atmosphere. Overall, our experience was quite enjoyable, with standout dishes and a lively ambiance, though there were a few hiccups along the way.

The Food: The culinary offerings truly impressed us. The bread, served as part of the course, was a highlight—soft, with a deep sourdough flavor and a beautifully crunchy crust. We wish we could have had more! (Is this really a course though?) Among the dishes, the popping mushroom capelli was our favorite—bursting with flavor and perfectly cooked. The brown sorbet dessert was also a delightful finale, offering a unique and memorable taste. However, towards the end of our meal, the crème caramel felt a bit dull and repetitive, especially after the similarly textured savory chawanmushi course, which slightly dulled our dessert experience.

Ambience & Atmosphere: The restaurant’s ambiance was somewhat acceptable, but I found it to be a bit loud and chaotic for a fine dining setting. It lacked the quiet elegance typically associated with such establishments, which was a bit surprising. We did appreciate the overall vibe, but it could benefit from a more refined atmosphere.

Service & Experience: Initially, we encountered some inconvenience with our booking—an error in the system led to us being seated at a bar table instead of our reserved spot. The bar stool was somewhat uncomfortable, but luckily, we were moved to a proper table for our mains, which improved our comfort. The service was a bit below the expectations for a fine diner; we expected a higher level of attention to detail. That said, the bartender/sommelier did an excellent job, and we were pleasantly surprised when the chefs came out to serve and explain the dishes—adding a personal touch that we appreciated.

Final Thoughts: While there were some minor setbacks and the overall atmosphere could be more refined, the quality of the food and the moments of genuine hospitality made for a...