A perfect taste of France: Ananas is heaven for Francophiles
THE looming of Bastille Day has us feeling all French-inclined, which is excuse enough to revisit a newish modern Sydney classic.
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THE looming of Bastille Day has us feeling all French-inclined, which is excuse enough to revisit a newish modern Sydney classic.
Opened with enormous fanfare and a little bit of scandal in October 2012 (we’ll get to that later) Ananas is part of the mammoth Urban Purveyor Group (Sake, The Cut, The Argyle etc) and remains one big shimmery, Francophile heaven.
And if you didn’t know that Ananas was French for “pineapple” it’s pretty easy to figure out once you step inside the venue, which is tucked away just inside the main entrance to The Argyle.
There are literally pineapples as far as the eye can see — pineapple light fixtures, paintings and statues, as well as a big pineapple presence on the cocktail list and dessert menu.
On paper it sounds gauche and clunky, but in reality Ananas is, undoubtedly, one of the most visually stunning spaces you can imagine.
It’s fun without being tacky, luxe without being pretentious, traditional without being stuffy. It all just ... works.
Head chef Paul McGrath, who arrived here via Bistro Ortolan, came on board about six months after Ananas first opened with the directive to make the menu more, er, “accessible”.
“My job was to bring it up to what it was intended to be, which was a good quality brasserie rather than a fine-dining establishment,” said McGrath, who also recently brought on board manager Louise Tamoya (Quay, Bec—asse and Bistro Ortolan).
“It wasn’t quite hitting the mark in the beginning so I’ve tried to make it a more casual experience ... the type of place you can come in three times a week and not necessarily just on special occasions.”
McGrath proceeded to, as he describes it, tear the menu apart. Out went the stodgy, cream-laden classics and in came lighter dishes, more seafood options and share servings.
But fear not, the menu is still packed with sexy French belters like steak tartare ($24-$36), pan-roasted pork cutlet ($35) and whole chicken ($37), as well as neat classics like citrus and cognac-cured sal-mon ($19), cassoulet of confit duck ($36) and one kilo of roasted cote de boeuf ($48).
Probably the best thing about the makeover was the new emphasis on the oyster bar, with new additions like Alaskan crab and a handful of lobster options.
However, our visit this week coincided with somewhat of a lobster shortage (sacre bleu!), so we open the ordering with escargot and two giant Alaskan king crab legs (about $14 a pop).
And, from a typically powerhouse French wine list, a carafe of the 2012 Seguinot Bordet Petit Chablis.
For geographical reasons the crab comes in frozen but tastes straight out of the ocean, a feat achieved by buying it green and poaching it in a light court-bouillon of lemon, white wine and salt.
We decide to steer around the obvious second-course options like the prawn cocktail or confit duck leg and instead opt for the duck liver and Armagnac parfait with rabbit rillettes and homemade brioche ($28), which is light, creamy perfection.
Of course a trip to Ananas, or any French restaurant worth its “sel”, requires a serving of the hand-chopped steak tartare, which in this case is made of high-quality creamy sirloin and topped with a quail egg and thin sliced crisps.
The entree serving ($24) is generous and tastes incredibly fresh. Best enjoyed scooped apart with slices of toasted baguette.
For the next course we opt for a glass each of the 2011 Hugel “Tradition” Alsace pinot gris ($17), the perfect accompaniment for another straight-up classic, the whole flounder.
The creme brulee ... Like a Parisian showgirl it adds drama, arriving at the table with a flame tail which proves a major head turner. 
And it is a bonafide whole fish; grilled with lemon, caper and parsley butter.
It’s bulging with flesh and served on pomme puree (mashed potato to you and me) and is an absolute must for fish lovers.
Finally, we split the navarin of roast lamb shoulder, slow-cooked for 36 hours and served in a cast iron pot with crumbed lambs brains, pearl onions, baby turnips and a gremolata – gutsy, rich, decadent and comforting without being creamy or heavy.
If ever there was a perfect Sydney winter dish it’s this
Hence we have room for dessert. Ananas’s original pastry chef, Yves Scherrer, is still in the house, which makes picking a dessert a trial (talk about First World problems).
We mull over the trio of Ananas eclairs, the hazelnuts and milk chocolate tart with Frangelico caramel sauce and Scherrer’s signature Snickers revolution (all $19) and settle on the pistachio and citrus crème brûlée with grapefruit and milk sorbet ($17).
Like a Parisian showgirl it adds drama, arriving at the table with a flame tail which proves a major head turner.
And yes, in reference to the controversy when Ananas opened almost two years ago, the mouth-shaped men’s urinals have been reinstalled despite the initial public outcry and, McGrath says, there was been nary a complaint since.
Looks like Sydney, like this jazzed-up Ananas menu, has finally started to lighten up.
Phone: 02 9259 5668
Web: www.ananas.com.au
Style: French Brasserie:
Lunch, Monday-Friday 12-3pm; dinner, Monday-Thursday 6-10pm; Friday-Saturday 5.30-11pm. Bar: Monday- Friday from 12pm; Saturday from 4pm.
High point: The navarin shoulder of lamb
Low point: The escargot were a little lacking in flavour.
RATING 7.5 OUT OF TEN
Originally published as A perfect taste of France: Ananas is heaven for Francophiles