The Kitchen Strahan — Restaurant in Tasmania

Out of the scarce food options for our 3-night stay in Strahan, it was inevitable that we would have dinner at the Kitchen. So when I returned with our takeaway pizza, I was shocked to scroll past the countless negative reviews bombarding the small restaurant. What would've sent a chill down my spine was instead occupying my head with questions marks because my food experience was completely contrary to the status quo.

Before seeing the reviews, we had already finished our Carnivore pizza and Greek salad with a lot of good things to say. The Greek salad is a non-traditional remix of the essentials and nutritious additions that screams "Fresh!" in well with Tasmanian spirit. You can taste the whole rainbow in this single container, red cherry tomatoes and sweet yellow capsicum dancing with the salt of purple kalamata olives all in between the crisp green leaves and cucumbers. Dress it up with a timeless balsamic vinaigrette and you've got yourself a tasty, nutritious salad. If only there was cubes instead of crumbles of feta as its sharp flavour gets lost in translation with everything else.

The Carnivore is a decent-sized pizza loaded with smoked brisket, shredded ham, pepperoni and bacon. I was sceptical at first but the meaty deliciousness imbued into the milky fior di latte was too convincing to ignore. The generous amount and variety of meat are well dispersed around, stacking each bite with an enticing smokiness from the slightly charred ham and pepperoni. But it's the crackling bits of the brisket that individualise the Carnivore, particularly the fat that stores delectable oils flipping the chewy texture on its head. I can't say that their claimed Napoli sauce is housemade, more like out of the can with a straight acidic taste. No doubts about the dough though, it is relatively soft and light once you crack through the crust which packs a tough crunch.

You could say that I struck the jackpot as a one-in-a-million satisfied customer from a low rated place. But I also understand the discontent with the prices rivalling Hamer's next door, yet the Kitchen's food quality doesn't put their money where their mouth is. It's all up to you whether you think it's worth trying or not. For me, the moreish pizzas make the Kitchen less discouraging than what it is...

Whilst you shouldn't be completely afraid of dining in here as many reviews would have you thinking, The Kitchen's food definitely leaves something to be desired. With an overpriced menu, The Kitchen produces mediocre pizza, with the Carnivore being described by family as "Okay until the fat permeates your membranes, which occurs after 3 slices". The BBQ chicken was also average, however, still had the indefinable quality to stop you from eating after a couple of slices. The Salt and pepper squid seems to be a safer choice, with a large serving and beautiful tender and thick squid, however, it was not at all peppered and more similar to just a battered squid dish. The fish and chips is also alright, but the lightly seasoned chips clearly just mean salted. Overall, despite what the reviews tell you, there should be more a fear of the overpriced menu than the inedibleness of the food, and with a limited selection for dinner in Strahan, The Kitchen merely serves it purpose as a...

With very little options for food in Strahan, we gave this place a go… two nights in a row.

First night we ordered “Fresh” Oysters ($22 for half dozen), Fish and chips and Squid and chips.

I specifically asked if the Oysters were local and fresh, to which the male cashier swiftly replied fresh. They absolutely were not. They came out hot, green and smelt awful. Not at all what I was hoping my first Tassie oysters to be.

The fish and squid was dry and flavourless, clearly frozen product and the price of the seafood does not reflect this.

The second night we unfortunately couldn’t get into the restaurant next door as it was fully booked.

We ordered a pizza which was a big step up from the seafood, but still a huge greasy mess. The bottom of the box was filled with oil.

The Kitchen is in a great spot and with little food options in Strahan, it could be very successful. They just need to ustilise the local produce, or be honest with customers about the origin of...