“Look but don’t touch,” said no one ever at Faro Restaurant and Bar. Here, you’re encouraged to touch, play and even eat the artful creations plated by this fancy European-inspired restaurant at MONA. It’s the finest of the subversive art museum’s dining options, which also include an outdoor fire kitchen, underground cocktail bar and onsite winery.
It’s a bit of a maze to find Faro, which is tucked in the triangular wing of MONA, jutting out over the River Derwent and providing serene water views through sparkingly floor-to-ceiling glass windows. The dining room is as extravagant as you’d expect from a MONA restaurant, with pink marble tables, velvet chairs, a sleek timber bar and the odd saxophonist or singer drifting by. At the heart of the room sits a large, white ball, one of three James Turrell artworks housed in and around the restaurant.
Faro’s ‘platedropping’ menu is as experimental as its art, featuring wild-caught and feral meats, alongside local Tassie produce. Dishes are equally playful and delicious, with creations like ‘Carcass In Swamp,’ featuring cured and smoked wallaby, warrigal puree and salt-baked beetroot; and ‘Eat The Problem,’ which involves wild Tasmanian fallow deer, candy carrots, plus blackberry and coffee vino cotto. Given that the guy who owns MONA is vegetarian, you’ll find plenty of plant-based options as well, including ‘Meat is Murder,’ featuring rare mushrooms, hazelnut cream and Tassie winter truffles.
You can pick your own adventure with à la carte lunch available from Friday to Monday, or let Faro take the reins with a set menu dinner on Friday and Saturday. Spice it up with fun twists on classic cocktails or pair your meal with a local wine.