Bistro Papillon: French, CBD Sydney (1 Oct 2010)

98 Clarence Street, Sydney NSW 2000
http://www.bistropapillon.com.au

A slice of France in Sydney

There seems to be a good range of French restaurants now in Sydney and Bistro Papillon would have to be one of the favourites I've come across so far where it's hard to pick a meal from the menu because they all sound so good and authentic. Quench your thirst with a French Kroenbourg beer ($8) or quaffable and reasonably priced French 2009 Gros Manseng Sauvignon Blanc ($8) and 2005 Chateau Riotor Rose ($7). Substantial sized Grilled Goats Cheese Toast with a Walnut and Pear Salad ($14) is easy to share as an entree or the smooth Homemade Chicken Liver Pate, Cornichons, Red Capsicum Relish and Baguette ($15) although I find it unusual to see a side salad of tomato, lettuce, egg and the capsicum relish. A hearty yet high priced Roasted Confit of Duck Leg with a White Bean Cassoulet ($35) has nice flavours and there's no shortage of prawns in the Fresh Egg Linguine, Green Prawns, Tomatoes, Baby Spinach, Garlic, Chilli and Olive Oil ($29). The dish envy of the night went to the Braised Rabbit Papadelle [Pappardelle] with Mushroom, Pancetta, Herbs and Preserved Lemon ($30) with lovely citrus notes to help cut through the dish. I'm always tempted to try the Coq au Vin ($33) from the menu which comes in a hearty red wine sauce which I order with some decently cooked fries as my included side.

For dessert the Mousse au Chocolat ($12) is served with Grand Marnier Créme Anglaise which you self-pour on top and is one of the better ones I've had around town. I can't resist ordering the Classic Crème Brûlée ($11) and thankfully it comes with a perfectly crunchy caramelised topping although was a lot more custardy than I've had before and I usually prefer it with more vanilla bean. The French service was friendly and welcoming and managed the restaurant as efficiently as possible although they probably could have done with an extra hand to help attend to customers needs. There's attention to detail with nice thick paper towels in the toilet and French posters scattered amongst the walls and even a humorous beret on the coffee machine. The decor was cosy and atmospheric and I'd happily return to try other dishes from the menu when I get the chance.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Authentic French dishes, Centrally located in the city, Friendly and passionate service, Nice decor, Good selection of affordable wines

CONS: French cooking means a lot of butter, Service can be a little slow when busy

MUST TRY: Braised Rabbit Papadelle, Crème Brûlée

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Salad de Chevre Chaud: Grilled Goats Cheese Toast with a Walnut and Pear Salad ($14)

Pate de Foie de Volaille: Homemade Chicken Liver Pate, Cornichons, Red Capsicum Relish and Baguette ($15)

Cassoulet de Canard Confit: Roasted Confit of Duck Leg with a White Bean Cassoulet ($35)

Pates Fraiches aux Gambas: Fresh Egg Linguine, Green Prawns, Tomatoes, Baby Spinach, Garlic, Chilli and Olive Oil ($29)

Papadelle au Lapin Façon Chasseur: Braised Rabbit Papadelle with Mushroom, Pancetta, Herbs and Preserved Lemon ($30)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Coq au Vin: A French Classic, Corn Fed Chicken Casserole cooked in Red wine with Bacon, Mushroom, Onion and Thyme ($33) with side of fries

Classic Crème Brûlée ($11)

Mousse au Chocolat served with Grand Marnier Créme Anglaise ($12)

Kroenbourg beer ($8)

2009 Gros Manseng Sauvignon Blanc, Alain Brumont, France ($8)

2005 Chateau Riotor Rose, Cote de Provence, France ($7)

Bill $214 for 4 people

Posters from France

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Duke Bistro: Share Plates, Darlinghurst (20 Nov 2010)

Level 1, 63 Flinders Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
http://www.dukebistro.com.au

The art of sharing little dishes

Pulling together British colonial style with an all star food and drinks crew featuring Thomas Lim (ex-Tetsuya's), Mitch Orr (2010 Young Chef) on the pots and pans, with Charles Aidnsbury, Andy Penney and Joel Amos taking care of liquid refreshment. Expect seasonal produce, a left-of-centre approach to gastronomy and most of all good times at this late-night dining experience.

As you enter the side door to the Duke Bistro and walk up the dimly lit stairwell you start to realise the decor is a lot more sophisticated than the downstairs eclectic dive bar yet thankfully you still find highlights of the fun and quirky humour. The decor is cosy and I love how the tea lights are held in the tilted teacup — a good way to light up the dishes when photographing them too. The menu looks very tempting but like Berta you're at a loss to know how a dish will be prepared and cooked because the descriptions are kept very minimal and only the main ingredients are identified. To start with a thirst quencher the Duke Cocktail ($15) is a duo of Orange, Maraschino Liqueur and Bubbles, finished with a Lemon twist and the Champagne Cocktail ($14) has Cognac, Angostura Bitters soaked Sugar cube and Bubbles. Both are served in an old fashioned champagne glass. They're noticeably alcoholic which is a good thing but they're also noticeably small as well — quality not quantity applies I guess.

I wanted to try everything on the menu and our table of 4 nearly did although the servings are fairly small so it can start getting a little pricey to start feeling full. The delightful looking School Prawns Spiced Tea Butter, Croutons ($6 for 2 pieces) are bite sized and too quickly eaten to appreciate. The Octopus, Hops, Chilli, Orange ($8) reminds me of a dish you might find at Universal. The octopus is tender and the dish flavoursome and I wished there was more of it to share. Fried Chicken Wings, Coleslaw Milk, Hot Sauce ($10) gets you 4 petit pieces of tasty chicken although they're not like your more filling mamak variety, but still yummy. The Egg, Seasonal Mushrooms, Almonds ($15) looked a little like a science experiment with the beaker of consommé you self pour. The flavours were good with the interesting mushroom textures. I thought the flavours in the Lamb Belly, Cumin, Eggplant, Pearl Onions ($16) went well together as did the pricier Wagyu, Herb Dressing, Roast Gem Lettuce ($24) which was maybe a little over seasoned with salt but I didn't mind it. The smokey scented roast lettuce was something different and I think complimented the dish nicely.

I enjoyed the Tater Tots, Duke Gravy, Edamame ($15) which were cooked to a crunchy shell perfection but being only bite sized morsels they were inhaled in seconds. I first tried burrata cheese at Kingsleys which was more creamier than the Tomato, Strawberry, Burrata, Shiso ($18) but it was interesting having it with strawberry. The Baby and watermelon radish, cooked in dashi stock and beurre monté ($18) was one of the table favourites mainly because it was served with oven warmed buns to fill us up. We received one bun for each person so I'm not sure how it works — if we had eight people at the table would everyone get a bun for the same price of the dish? The Pork Neck, Purple Kale, Bread Sauce ($18) sitting on the side of the plate sort of summed up the share dining experience — smallish yet flavoursome, although the pork was very salty this time around. The 2010 Earth's End Sauvignon Blanc ($35) from Marlborough was nicely quaffable as expected and both the Gin and Fever Tree Tonic Water with Lime ($10) and Lemon Lime & Bitters ($3.50) came with huge single piece ice cubes.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Quality ingredients, Interesting flavours, Nice decor, Friendly staff, Better suited for dining in couples I think

CONS: Smallish dishes, Can get expensive and might not be filling, Some dishes are harder to share than others making it fiddly, Some dishes were quite salty

MUST TRY: Everything at least once if you have the money

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Menu

School Prawns Spiced Tea Butter, Croutons ($6)

Octopus, Hops, Chilli, Orange ($8)

Fried Chicken Wings, Coleslaw Milk, Hot Sauce ($10 for 4 pieces)

Sriracha Chilli Sauce to go with the chicken wings

Egg, Seasonal Mushrooms, Almonds ($15)

Lamb Belly, Cumin, Eggplant, Pearl Onions ($16)

Wagyu, Herb Dressing, Roast Gem Lettuce ($24)

Tater Tots, Duke Gravy, Edamame ($15)

Tomato, Strawberry, Burrata, Shiso ($18)

Baby and watermelon radish, cooked in dashi stock and beurre monté. Served with oven warmed buns ($18)

Pork Neck, Purple Kale, Bread Sauce ($18) — Big plate, little serving :-(

Champagne Cocktail: Cognac, Angostura Bitters soaked Sugar cube and Bubbles ($14)

Duke Cocktail: Duo of Orange, Maraschino Liqueur and Bubbles, finished with a Lemon twist ($15)

2010 Earth's End Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, NZ ($35/bottle)

Gin and Fever Tree Tonic Water with Lime ($10), Lemon Lime & Bitters ($3.50) — check out the size of those single ice cubes

Dining area

Bar area

Balcony with a street view — only 2 tables if you're lucky

Table napkin and the best use of a tea cup as candle holder I've ever seen — good for directly light onto your food for photographing I soon learnt.

Private dining room of 10 seats — very nice

Stairwell bottle chandelier — very cool and quirky

Mr Boar Head — someone has a sense of quirky humor. I wonder what's the story behind this one?

Waiting area in the toilets

Aesop hand soap in the toilets — so Darlinghurst/Surry Hills

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