The Agrarian Kitchen

The absolute best food experience I have ever had. We started our visit with the garden tour which is well worth the price. Rodney one of the owners took us through their garden and gave us some history as well as info about their plants and why they do certain things. He also answered all questions of the group. We started with a drink and snacks in the yard for our restaurant experience and we’ve never had vegetables taste so good especially raw. Once inside the restaurant it was just magnificent. The vibe is very sleek but doesn’t feel too fancy, just right. The food is served with care and the wait staff are very knowledgeable but down to earth and can have a chat. Want to give a shout out to Riley & Jess who made us feel right at home in the restaurant and in the garden. And now the food! Oh my what a treat, everything that came out was finished and sparked conversation. It has me so curious about food and they switch menu every week! I couldn’t believe it, the chefs must be so talented! Absolute stunner spot for food lovers or people who just want to be wowed by food!

Absolutely outstanding experience! The Agrarian Kitchen is unlike any dining experience I’ve had before. I love the juxtaposition of this converted insane asylum into a modern farm with all locally made & sourced produce. The food is exceptional especially with the non-alcoholic pairing! The staff go above & beyond too! Extra special shoutout to Riley who made my birthday extra special. 10/10

We had a wonderful experience with the degustation at Agrarian Kitchen. The garden is beautiful to walk through and helps to appreciate the planning, preparation and quality of ingredients. The food was divine! Meticulously planned and perfectly executed. The service was friendly, warm and inviting. Each course was thoroughly explained and at no point were we left wanting in terms of assistance. We would love to dine here again!

I attended the two day whole hog cooking course. Amazing . Great people, Rodney is a great tutor and very relaxed. Sev is an amazing host. Lots of fun.

An excellent long lunch. Appreciated the option to have a non-alcoholic drink pairing (consisting of drinks created in-house). Enjoyed wandering through the gardens between first and second course. All the food was yummy and interesting. Staff were friendly, and knowledgeable about the dishes and drinks served. Highly recommend.

Worth the drive from Hobart. Delish meal! You appreciate every ingredient in each dish. Everything is fresh sourced from the garden or neighbours. If you want to do the garden tour you will need to book before you dine. There are 2 sessions daily.

The most memorable meal I’ve ever had. This was a transcendental experience, set within a culinary monastery. Exquisite local produce considered, balanced, paired back without ego. I remain enlightened

Went with group of 8. Set lunch menu was both beautiful and delicious. Followed up with a cheese course. Service was excellent, especially Millie. Lovely space with fireplace. 3 hours well-spent.

The absolute best food experience I have ever had. We started our visit with the garden tour which is well worth the price. Rodney one of the owners took us through their garden and gave us some history as well as info about their plants and why they do certain things. He also answered all questions of the group. We started with a drink and snacks in the yard for our restaurant experience and we’ve never had vegetables taste so good especially raw. Once inside the restaurant it was just magnificent. The vibe is very sleek but doesn’t feel too fancy, just right. The food is served with care and the wait staff are very knowledgeable but down to earth and can have a chat. Want to give a shout out to Riley & Jess who made us feel right at home in the restaurant and in the garden. And now the food! Oh my what a treat, everything that came out was finished and sparked conversation. It has me so curious about food and they switch menu every week! I couldn’t believe it, the chefs must be so talented! Absolute stunner spot for food lovers or people who just want to be wowed by food!

Absolutely outstanding experience! The Agrarian Kitchen is unlike any dining experience I’ve had before. I love the juxtaposition of this converted insane asylum into a modern farm with all locally made & sourced produce. The food is exceptional especially with the non-alcoholic pairing! The staff go above & beyond too! Extra special shoutout to Riley who made my birthday extra special. 10/10

We had a wonderful experience with the degustation at Agrarian Kitchen. The garden is beautiful to walk through and helps to appreciate the planning, preparation and quality of ingredients. The food was divine! Meticulously planned and perfectly executed. The service was friendly, warm and inviting. Each course was thoroughly explained and at no point were we left wanting in terms of assistance. We would love to dine here again!

I attended the two day whole hog cooking course. Amazing . Great people, Rodney is a great tutor and very relaxed. Sev is an amazing host. Lots of fun.

An excellent long lunch. Appreciated the option to have a non-alcoholic drink pairing (consisting of drinks created in-house). Enjoyed wandering through the gardens between first and second course. All the food was yummy and interesting. Staff were friendly, and knowledgeable about the dishes and drinks served. Highly recommend.

Worth the drive from Hobart. Delish meal! You appreciate every ingredient in each dish. Everything is fresh sourced from the garden or neighbours. If you want to do the garden tour you will need to book before you dine. There are 2 sessions daily.

The most memorable meal I’ve ever had. This was a transcendental experience, set within a culinary monastery. Exquisite local produce considered, balanced, paired back without ego. I remain enlightened

Went with group of 8. Set lunch menu was both beautiful and delicious. Followed up with a cheese course. Service was excellent, especially Millie. Lovely space with fireplace. 3 hours well-spent.

Really good coffee, one of the best in New Norfolk. Great food too delivered with a smile and well presented.

We went to the Agrarian Kitchen after visiting Mona. From one quirky establishment to another, Agrarian Kitchen has set up in an ex mental asylum and this time we were committed. The fit out was impressive, keeping many of the original ornate freatures and sprucing it up. The dining room had plenty of natural light and a good playlist contributing to a great dining atmosphere. Once seated, it didn't even register what this building previously housed. The service here was impressive from the start, with many of the waitstaff greeting us on the way in and showing genuine enjoyment for the restaurant. They weren't without error, but dealt with the situation well. An incorrect dessert, which cannot entirely be attributed to the waitstaff, as there was two puddings on the menu. This worked out in our favour as we were rewarded with an extra dessert F.O.C. With an emphasis on fresh, seasonal and local ingredients, with staff foraging the restaurant garden for ingredients. Each dish was presented nicely with an emphasis on sharing. The flavours and textures of each dish were very notable. There were plenty of potatoes on offer around town, the Agrarian utilising this ingredient for their potato scallops/cakes, which had a nice crisp batter, and each scallop had a slice of locally sourced potato which they served with a tasty house made tomato sauce. The pear, prosciutto and stracchiatella was beautifully presented, and a nice cool dish for summer. This dish had a great combination of flavours the sweetness of the fruit, saltiness of the prosciutto and creamy texture of the stracchiatella. The farmer's cheese dumpling was a singular pastel yellow in colour, with a souffle like texture with zucchini, olive and parmesan adding a good hit of flavour. The pick of the bunch was the half wood smoked duck to share. The duck itself was tasty enough on its own, the skin so crisp, so good there was none to spare. It was served with a range of condiments to enhance the flavours, including mustard pickled cherries, which happened to be in season and the sweet damson plum sauce, both combined very well with the duck. The was also served sides including the deliciously crunchy roast russet burbank potatoes and an aussie favourite beetroots with shallots in red wine vinegar. After this, we decided to share desserts and the salted honey ice cream and fennel pollen was a simple sophisticated dessert which went perfectly with the Belgrove Rye; a locally distilled craft spirit. A great brunch or lunch venue not to be missed, the restaurant is bright, the service great and the food enticing.

There are so many reasons to like this place, and I do. I very much so do. The Agrarian Kitchen is a foodie's delight, a cooking school out in the wilds of southern Tasmania, run by a couple of people who love food. Cooking classes there are wildly expensive (for this pauper), hence I've never actually been able to attend one. But now they've opened the Eatery & Store, I can do one better, and just taste the good stuff (I'm not much of a cook anyway, let's admit it). Another reason I'm already in love is because the Eatery & Store is located within the grounds of Willow Court, previously known as the Royal Derwent Hospital, previously known as New Norfolk Insane Asylum. I actually worked out on the grounds last winter as part of the fourth Dark Mofo festival, when we had an artist in residence in one of the blocks during a long durational piece all weekend. The building where the Eatery & Store is now located was our back of house (and where our supervisor took some much-needed shut eye for an hour here and there). Let's talk about the food, shall we? It's delicious. I went out to the Eatery with a large group of workmates so we got to feast on heaps of things instead of just a couple of plates. Everyone had a different favourite dish, which was kudos to the kitchen. My favourite was probably the cheese dumpling, buried under delicious greens. It was one of the last courses and we were all very full but I couldn't say no to that DUMPLING. I hope it's still on the menu next time I head out to New Norfolk! But I have to reconcile myself with the fact that it's likely not to be, as the Eatery & Store will change things up regularly to stay fresh and exciting. I suppose I'm ok with that. Another good thing about going out with a group of people is that somebody else drove for once and I got to drink all the cocktails. Ok, not ALL of them, because they can make you whatever you'd like, but they also have a sweet little menu that I had to work my way through to the best of my ability. I think the standout for most of us was a simple concoction of some spirit (brandy?) and whipped orange juice. What the hell, how does whipping juice make it suddenly the fluffiest, most moorish juice you've ever tasted? I don't know, don't tell me the secret. The hours at the Eatery & Store are a little odd, and mean it's likely I won't get here often (who am I kidding, I'm unlikely to get here often anyway--if you have to drive more than ten minutes from Hobart you don't tend to go). Lunches and afternoon snacks are the main focus, with Saturday nights being the only dinners each week (though it looks like they're expanding to Friday night dinners once summer's here). ...now I want dumpling, why did I write this? Somebody go get me dumpling, please.