Restaurant review: 1882 breathing new life into a historical Hall setting

I loved the quaint markets and would head out on the first Sunday of every month to browse the stalls, perhaps picking up some delicious baked good, or a plant, or some handmade mug or something.

A trip to the countryside was always a nice reset for this country girl.

But it's been forever and so I was keen to head to 1882.

I knew about their regular wine dinners, nights where they collaborate with local wineries to showcase the best of the district.

They book out fairly quickly, so if you like that kind of thing, get out your calendar and lock something in.

I had also heard good reviews about their wood-fired pizza and how, during lockdown, the takeaway menu with kerbside pick-up was a popular option.

With all that in mind, we really had no idea what to expect.

Would it lean more towards fine-dining or a nice casual place to order a pizza with the family?

We were pleasantly surprised then to find it was both these things - and perhaps a little bit more.

We head out on a chilly Wednesday night - and really head out means about 15 minutes from my place in the inner north via Gungahlin, we joke it took us less time to get out there and park than it would to do the same thing to Braddon or Kingston.

There's an open fire blazing, the socially distanced tables are full, there's one big table of about eight celebrating a birthday.

The place has a nice feel.

There's something about the fire, and the excellent wine list which is overflowing with local wines, that makes us want to settle in and order a few courses.

Friday and Saturday nights there's a deal where it's $50 for two courses and $60 for three, so that's worth checking out as well.

We start with crispy sweet and sour pulled pork ball, served on an Asian-inspired vegetable ribbon salad with a house made sweet and sour sauce ($19) and the pumpkin pannacotta set on a spinach and roasted-capsicum salad and basil dressing ($17).

The pork ball's a billiard ball-sized serve. The meat inside is moist and the coating crispy but not hard.

The salad is full of ribboned vegetables, carrot, bean sprouts, red onion, fairly standard.

The highlight here is the sweet and sour sauce. There's nothing of the old cloying bright red substance you used to get in the old Chinese restaurant. This is deep, almost caramelly, well seasoned and moreish.

The pannacotta too is moreish. We're not sure what to expect from it but it's delicious, passing the pannacotta jiggle test even though it feels somewhat odd doing that to a starter.

It's sweet, but not too much so, the basil dressing complements perfectly.

It's the kind of night where mains need some heartiness and our first choice is the roast stuffed lamb breast, with candied garlic, creamy mash and chorizo cassoulet ($32).

The lamb is well-cooked, just a little pink, the cassoulet with good proportions of white beans, chorizo and onion, and the mash the perfect thing to tie it all up with.

I know here I should go with the braised beef cheek or the grilled butternut pumpkin steak but I'm a sucker for soft-shell crab and it's always nice to find it in something other than a bao bun.

Here it's served with a mini fishcake, with a roasted capsicum puree and vegetable ribbon salad ($30).

I'm a little disappointed here, only because she's a little crab. It's crunchy and flavourful but there's not enough of it.

The fishcake is nice too, with a fine crumb coating. There's probably too much of the ribbon salad, but the capsicum sauce again ties everything together.

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It's a pudding kind of night. We order sticky date pudding with toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream ($14) and an apple and pear crumble with cinnamon anglaise ($14).

Both hit the spot. The sticky-date pudding is light and fluffy, there's nothing stodgy about it at all.

The toffee sauce is thick and rich (wondering whether we can take a jug of it home).

The apple crumble is a little deconstructed, each section served in its own vessel.

The crumble has good proportions of fruit to crumble, pour on a little creamy anglaise. It's very homely and delicious.

We've had an excellent night. The service is friendly and efficient.

Our meals are quick to the table and at the end of the night chef Rob Oliver works the rooms to see how everyone's meals were. That mightn't be your thing but I think it's a nice touch.

Overall, 1882 is a place well worth a visit. It would be nice out there when the weather warms up and perhaps there are tables back in the courtyard, for a long lunch or early dinner as the sun sets over the village.

It's not as far off the regular track as you think, and, anyways, sometimes the best adventures happen when you take a detour.

Address: 13 Gladstone St, Hall

Phone: 62392113

Hours: Open Saturday an Sunday, 8am til late; dinner from 5pm, Wednesday to Friday; open for takeaway Wednesday to Sunday, from 5pm.

Owners: Nikki Lore and Cindy Goodwin

Chef: Rob Oliver

Vegetarian: Some good options

Noise: No problem