The waiter in Bar Wa placed a plate of Wallaby wings in front of us. The last of our order that came out that night, and it wasn’t anything like I had briefly imagined. It looked more like oversized quail wings, crispy brown, in a bed of shiso dressing, sprinkled with black and white sesame seeds and a dash of coriander on top (for a country so divided on its opinion about coriander, Australian restaurants sure use a lot of it).
The plate would’ve been even more appetising if I hadn’t already demolished so much food earlier. Still, I took a deep breath and used my two hands.
You see, this plate was mine alone to finish. Having spotted a few Wallabies living in our Airbnb garden on the first night we arrived, Liz had declared she wouldn’t be trying any wallaby on this trip.
I, on the other hand, had “eat Wallaby at Bar Wa Izakaya” in my to-do list ever since Nicole, a friend from work, sent me a detailed Tassie must-do/see/eat list that included it.
The sauce was umami-rich, and the meat was crispy (don’t judge me too harshly, if you could). It would be ideal beer food- a nippin.
The thing is, usually, given how full I am, I’d instantly regret not saving some space in my stamp-sized stomach. But tonight, in Bar Wa Izakaya, no regrets!
It was our last dinner in Tassie, and knowing I might only see Liz next at her wedding, I insisted on a celebratory meal—and over-ordered, of course. By that, I meant I shamelessly ate and drank, while Liz, the designated driver for the night, stuck to soda.
I started with a flight of Choya, Sanbaishu and tempura oysters. Then we moved on to Wagyu Yakiniku, which was good. The chicken Yakiniku, though, was a no for me, but that’s more of a user problem—I’ve never liked Chicken Yakiniku.
The Nasu Age, which I had expected, was supposed to be a crispy eggplant chunk with spicy soy glaze. Unfortunately, this one was a miss. The chunks were too big, every bite too gooey, and lacking that crunch of batter I was hoping for.
The saving grace, though, was what came next: my second favourite dish, the Wagyu Hotpot, which I only ever served in onsen towns in Japan. It was heart-warming, body-warming, soul-warming—so fulfilling. And that’s why I struggled to finish my favourite of the night, the Wallaby Wings. But I did.
Next time, I’ll start with the Wallaby Wings. And the oysters. Also, with Fafa in tow—because when I bit into it the first time, I instantly knew he’d go crazy over them.
All the more reasons to do another Tassie trip next year. We can tick off Dark Mofo and Bar Wa Izakaya’s Midnight Ramen party, which I missed this time around.
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[…] last meal in Hobart was a dozen oysters. Liz was at the Hobart library, presenting at a meeting she had to attend—even on her day off. We had parted ways after […]
[…] fully packed, the service was good, and the decor felt authentic. It’s hard to believe a full-on izakaya exists and thrives in the middle of nowhere in the country […]