Comfort Food

1

 

Schnitzels the size of dinner plates served with sides of crunchy potato roesti - how can you go wrong? And even if deep-fried meat isn't your thing, there's other Euro-style peasant food such as goulash and stroganoff to choose from. Try if you can, but there's never room for dessert.

2

 

Betty, a Romanian immigrant, certainly knows about cold-weather cooking and her family-style meals attest to that. If you pop in on a Monday or Tuesday with $10, you can score yourself a soup, pie or pasta with salad.

3

 

Nothing staves off the cold like a steaming plate of northern Chinese handmade noodles unless it's followed by a plate of fried dumplings. This place is ridiculously busy, but it's fun to watch the chef making the noodles while you wait.

4

 

Baked potatoes are the ultimate winter warming indulgence, especially when they come with sour cream and cheese.

5

 

While home-cooked food is ultimately the most satisfying, sometimes juggling work and cooking is just a bit too much of an ask. Thankfully this deli offers plenty of take-home Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dinners ready to be warmed up in your own oven.

6

 

Tucked away at the top of the club is this much-vaunted, though curiously still secret, home of great pasta. The serving sizes are enormous and the wine reassuringly cheap.

7

 

Nothing keeps your knees warm like knitting, plus you get a scarf or similar at the end. This cafe is combined with a knitting shop and they offer knitting tips with your coffee - which comes with a custom-designed coffee cosy.

8

 

Steaming hot chocolates help ward off the cold, while at the same time inducing a kind of temporary delusion you are in Paris. Although it must be said: those of questionable faith in their own sweet tooth should fear the possibility of a diabetic coma while attending this chocolate temple.

9

 

This homage to home-style cooking focuses on locally grown produce - and the culinary celebrity's own products, of course. Dishes such as the pheasant pate are utterly delectable.

10

 

The partnership of steak and shiraz is nothing short of sublime and throughout the colder months should be consumed with gusto. The steak menu here is a lengthy ode to meat, including details on the weight, breeding and feeding methods of each cut, as well as tasting notes akin to those found on many wine lists.

11

 

Nothing keeps a cold at bay like a hot whisky toddy, and this distillery thoughtfully makes its own excellent whisky, which can be sampled all day at the attached cafe. The range of all-Tasmanian wines and beers can be soaked up with a selection of fine cheeses, or perhaps a hearty soup on a cool day.