Why Burgers Are Better Than Sushi or Pastries or Chocolate or Pies (The Ranelagh General Store)

Burgers are not necessarily better than sushi or pastries or chocolates or pies. However, in order to be as good as, better than or the best - or able to be ranked, even - eateries need to be open in the first place. This rather ruled out Masaaki's Sushi at 20B Church Street, Geeveston (Ph: 0408 712 340) who, for the second time when UMPH has tried to visit, was closed. Computer (aka Trip Advisor) said yes but hand-written note pinned to front door said no!

Happily for the Huon, all is not lost if one venue is closed. The Huon Valley, comprising the main centre of Huonville and several satellite towns - Cygnet, Geeveston, Franklin and Ranelagh amongst them - are all within twenty or so minutes' drive and the roads and scenery are terrific, making for a fun drive in the country if you're so inclined.

Arguably, Huonville's best cafe is the Cat's Tongue at Shop 3, 11-13 Wilmot Road (0428 411 455; www.thecatstongue.com.au) - a self-described 'gourmet chocolatier' with an 'off-beat breakfast and lunch menu' that includes a delightful array of pastries. UMPH has been before. He likes it. He was looking forward to it. He was disappointed. It was, like Masaaki's, inexplicably closed on a Friday.

The Cat's Tongue, third from left on the ground floor, which is not to be confused with ...

a cat's tongue, centre of puss.

Undeterred, an attempt was made to grab a reliably fabulous pie from the Summer Kitchen, 1 Marguerite Street, Ranelagh (Ph: 6264 1323). Unlike their Japanese and nominally feline counterparts, the place was actually open but UMPH's wallaby pie was quite literally snatched from the brown paper bag in which it had been packaged and reassigned to someone in the dining room who had, apparently unbeknownst to the take-away staff, already bought it. All that was left were vegetarian options. No thanks!

Now thoroughly out of sorts, cursing the Huon all all who cooked commercially within it, UMPH pointed his X1/9 to the big smoke of Hobart in the hope of finding a cafe, bakery or bar that: a, was open, and b, wasn't prone to re-gifting of prospective diners' chosen meals. Salvation was closer than imagined, taking the form of The Ranelagh General Store, a few hundred metres further up Marguerite Street at number 31 (Ph: 6234 2613; @ranelaghgeneralstore).

The decor - a sort of retro-funky, country dining room meets workshop theme - suggested that the RGS might not be your average frozen Chiko-variety pattie and sludgy-mush white-bun kinda burger joint. The ever-changing burger menu - including, but not limited to: The Jessica (named in honour of Roger Rabbit's pneumatic wife); the pork and beef Royale; and the good ol' standby, The General (the lot) - certainly quashed any lingering doubts about the place's credibility.

A gratuitous internet image of Mrs J Rabbit.

The Jessica comprised of a crusty white bun, a reasonably-sized wad of pulled rabbit, small, tasty segments of orange and a harissa infused slaw. Very nice indeed. Unsurprisingly, The General, as sampled by GlamRock, fellow wannabe consumer of sushi or pastries or chocolates or pies, had, well ... the lot! The pattie looked plump and delicious and the egg dribbling down his chin suggests that it was cooked just right.

The flat white and hot chocolate consumed while the burgers were cooked to order were a treat, too. The rest of the menu also looked really tempting and, if it's up to the standard of the fare sampled on the day, could hardly fail to be worth a try.

So, on Friday the 15th of September, 2017, burgers were better than sushi or pastries or chocolate or pies. But, when it's all said and done, all four venues mentioned are great, so why not head down to the Huon and give them a try?

U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

EJ or EH Holden? (Up-dated December, 2022)

EJ or the later EH? Several years ago, I posed the question: Can somebody please explain the difference between an EJ and an EH Holden ute or van? The response at the time wasn't overwhelming, so I did a bit of Googling and ferreting through my photos and came up with my own rough guide to EJ and EH identification. Sedans and wagons are easy to tell apart ; the EH's vertical rectangular tail lights are a dead give-away. However, the workhorse versions of both models share the rear-end treatment of the earlier EJ, making it harder to identify one from the other. No super obvious hints here. Or here ... . It turns out that the main clues are in the placement of the front H O L D E N lettering and GMH lion emblems, the style of the radiator grille and the width of the vents in front of the windscreen, with all EJs - sedans, wagons, utes and vans - having one combination and the EH line-up having their own . So what exactly are those diffe

Vick Auto Prima Fiat X1/9 Brakes: An Owner’s Assessment

At the end of 2022, I fitted a set of Vick Autosport Prima front brakes to my mildly worked 1.5 litre Series 1 Fiat X1/9 . I was fortunate, having picked them up at a very, very reasonable price, brand new but surplus to the needs of a fellow X1/9 Australia member who had imported them from the US. The kit included: New single pot callipers , new vented rotors (standard X1/9 front rotors are smaller, non-vented items), DOT approved stainless steel brake hoses, and all the necessary mounting hardware. They are a value proposition, being particularly well priced compared to other manufacturers’ packages - even at RRP - with everyone I’ve spoken to saying they’re made to a high standard, too. Here's a link to a piece that I wrote about them at that time, including some costings: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-x19-gets-prima-brake-upgrade.html . Initial Assessment: I was a little underwhelmed by the brakes' performance, finding that although they had a tiny

Random # 301: Nanna-Spec KE36 Corolla

Once upon a time - six or seven years ago, actually - there was a lovely pale yellow GC Galant station wagon getting around Hobart. It was totally nanna-spec; its paint was umarked, the chrome work and hubcaps were immaculate, and its very original interior was pristine. Then someone stuck feathers in its dashboard. Next, the windows were adorned with Tibetan prayer flags. And a hubcap went missing. And the the rear bumper was pushed in, mangling the bodywork behind it. And a mudguard got dented. And rust set in. I fear for this sweet, innocent KE36 Corolla. Somebody please save it before it's too late. Nanna needs you to do it. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) Photos by GlamRock.

Upper Middle Petrol Head:

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