Sunday, March 27, 2005

Farewell Lickerish

The plus-side of being locked in an industrial oven for three days is that you lose three kilos without the need for sit-ups, push-ups, or (God help us) lunges. The down-side is having to stand up a very hot date at Lickerish.

Hadn’t been to Lickerish for about a year. On that occasion we got frightfully hammered on Craigie cab sav (how disrespectful!) and ate who knows what. A travesty! Too pasted to recall the food. Mon dieu! Well, we had every intention of rectifying this shameful waste and had planned to go back last week. Then the drunken-hide-and-seek, locked-in-the-oven, cough-cough-cough scenario* stepped up to prevent our best laid plans.

No matter, thought I, another time perhaps.

Now bugger me but Graeme Phillips tells me in this morning’s Sunday Debacle that Lickerish have held their last supper. Rather fittingly on Maundy Thursday.

Maundy (or Holy) Thursday is the celebration of the Eucharist, the commemoration of the Last Supper. Being the day before Good Friday, in our house Maundy Thursday is referred to as Appalling Thursday. Only logical really, and besides, crap stuff seems to happen on Appalling Thursday (having to go to work being one example, the closure of restaurants another).

It is traditional on Maundy Thursday for the rich to distribute alms to and wash the feet of the poor. (No-one washed my feet, or gave me any bucks, so I’m assuming that means I’m not poor. Any of you guys get a cash windfall or a bit of a tootsy scrub? How was it?). Numerous Catholic rituals and celebrations occur on Maundy Thursday, including the reconciliation of penitents.

Which brings me back to Lickerish, cos I hope there is some bloody penitence going on today, because there sure as hell wasn’t any reconciliation. According to Mr Phillips, the story goes that a barney over the lease of the Lickerish site (and lets imagine a bitch-slap, cos it adds to the drama) resulted in the Lickerish girls flipping the bird and flapping off to greener pastures. Good for them.

I'll have to settle for last year's pathetic effort at sampling Lickerish’s grub (I’m sure it was delightful, and I do have a hazy recollection that the young waitress was a treat), but I’m hopeful that the gastro-adventurers will be back with something new to tempt our tastebuds soon, soon, soon.

Farewell Lickerish. I may not recall your fare, but I liked your curtains.

* Children, don’t try this at home.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I ate at Lickerish 3 times, with my wife. Lickerish was a try hard, all mouth no trousers. Don't listen to The Graeme Phillips mafia,otherwise you might start to think that Home Hill makes wonderful wines.

Anonymous said...

I ate at Lickerish once, in about September last year, with my father. It is the only time I have ever seen him actually go into a kitchen and personally thank a chef. The food was divine, the ambience amazing. I mourned when I heard they had closed, but good on the owners for sticking to their guns and not giving in to pressure. Am working my way back through you blog and enjoying every minute of it.

Anonymous said...

My wife and I were married on Mount Mangana on Bruny Island, and due to the lack of fine restaurants on the mount, we have great memories of Lickerish. We are returning to tassie for our annual anniversary this Cup day and could not contact them.......now I know
Very sad, but have the team regrouped at another venue???

Phil

Georgie Weston said...

Not that I'm aware of I'm afraid. Very sad. Enjoy your anniversary though ... maybe you could try lunch at Peppermint Bay ... you could stare wistfully at Bruny from there remembering your (very romantic-sounding) wedding! Congratulations.

GW ;-)