Dining review: Hemingway’s in Manly turns French

Manly’s original hipster haven has a new identity. Hemingway’s is going French.

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Manly’s original hipster haven is changing. Walk past Hemingway’s and the red-painted facade still looks the same.

The Di Gabriel coffee from Willoughby hasn’t changed. That eclectic small bar meets country house library interior hasn’t changed. The picture of the Nobel prize-winning author himself is still there.

Classic bistro food: Steak with garlic and herb butter and frites. Picture: Troy Snook

It’s been 16 months since Emmanuel Deleuze and his wife Sonia took over from George McLean, Ben Pichon and Paul Fraser.

It’s the food that’s undergoing a renaissance. The food has gone French.

Not completely French, more of a slow introduction to bistro classics, says not-so-new owner Emmanuel Deleuze, who is introducing a new menu little by little to ease any culture shock.

Hipster favourites from old school Hemingway’s remain. There’s still roasted mushrooms, ricotta, tomato pesto and truffle oil for brekkie and pulled pork burgers for lunch. They sit alongside croque monsieur and croque madame — French-style toasties to you and me — and, since the start of summer, a small but unmistakably French dinner menu.

The Deleuzes are no strangers to the industry. They’ve already got three restaurants in the French ski resort of Val Thorens including the 16-seater Michelin-starred eatery L’Epicurean. But Hemingway’s is their first sea level Antipodean venture.

Moules marinieres at Hemingway's. Picture: Troy Snook

They’re not going for Michelin stars a the beach. Mais non, just rustic French fare. Steak tartare, made to Deleuze’s family recipe, is a little different — there’s no raw yolk here, instead it’s made with minced sirloin, parsley, mayonnaise and shallots and plated up with a bit of greenery. It should satisfy the love-it-raw crowd.

Or there’s moules marinieres, or steak topped with garlic and herb butter and shoe string chips, or that classic salad — Niçoise.

One dish that is a little different is the French style pizza. Taste flambee hails from eastern France, near the German border. It’s a thinly rolled dough base topped with soft, sweet onions and bacon. It’s not a bad way to start the night paired with a glass of red. French of course. Go for the $13 a glass Côtes du Rhone Reserve Mont Redon.

The bar at Hemingway's. Picture: Troy Snook

Deleuze has even introduced a little bit of Manly to the French Alps over the winter ski season. Hemingway’s chicken nuggets are being served as a takeaway option at his brasserie. Hungry skiers are loving them, he says.

Will surfers be quite so passionate about steak tartare?

Twitter: @beverley_hudec

ESSENTIALS

Hemingway’s

48 North Steyne, Manly, 9976 3030

Open: Daily, from 7am until late

Go for: French bistro food including steak tartare, frites and salad, $27;

tarte flambee, $15

Coffee: Di Gabriel

Vibe: Bistro meets the beach