In our last night on the island, we hopped down to Peacock and Jones for dinner. It's on the section of town that Peacock and Jones (two separate individuals) apparently had jam empires located back in the day, so the decor when you step in is basically the same as it was in the past - lots of old brick structures with some concrete filled in here and there for repairs over the years. As such, it's got a bit of a cozy hipster vibe. Getting seated was pretty quick, and the service was also quite quick as well - we were done with our meal in a little over an hour. The drink selection isn't all that large; I ended up sticking with a glass of local red, which was alright but nothing too spectacular.
As for the food...sadly, I came away pretty disappointed. We started out with a table salad and grilled octopus as the appetizer, both of which fell short of the mark. The salad was just lettuce in a bowl and nothing else - there was a faint whiff of vinaigrette, but that was it. The octopus, while it had a nice curry sauce with it, was cooked poorly - a rubbery, chewy texture that is what you try to avoid with this dish. The mains were a bit better; my dry-aged strip loin had pretty solid flavor (although it was a bit dry), and the slices were a bit on the thicker side. My wife's duck missed the mark a bit, IMO - while the flavor was pretty standard, the slice was way too thick, and each bite was pretty chewy.
Perhaps I got my expectations up a bit high - Peacock & Jones showed up on some of the 'Best Of' lists when looking at where to dine in Hobart - but sadly, I don't think the cuisine would be worth another visit. I did enjoy the ambiance, and the waterfront / old industrial location is nice, but it doesn't offset the food missing the mark. read more