French fare has come to King Street with the opening of Bistro Grenier, a 92-seat, burgundy-hued bistro hidden in a converted loft space above Odd Culture.

This is where inner west diners will find classic French and French-Canadian dishes done differently, with dishes such as boudin-noir (blood sausage) made with smoked pork jowls, and pudding chomeur with self-saucing maple syrup and buttermilk ice-cream.

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It will be a casual yet elegant affair from the Odd Culture hospitality group, which operates the eponymous wine bar (once a hatted restaurant) downstairs, Spon bottle shop and bar next door, and late-night cocktail bar Pleasure Club down the road.

Group beverage manager Jordan Blackman says it’s a dramatic change as diners walk up the Odd Culture stairs and into the cosy candlelit restaurant.

“We wanted to give the upstairs space its own identity and purpose, and create something unique for Odd Culture and for the area,” Blackman says.

Bistro Grenier will be the only dedicated French restaurant on King Street, though Pistou on south King Street has a French-Mediterranean menu with snacky dishes such as mussels poulette and baked brie with walnuts and honey.

Blackman, a self-professed fan of French wine, has created a drinks list championing forward-thinking winemakers from renowned growing regions such as the Loire Valley, Burgundy and the Jura.

“We have a deep cellar to play with, with rare allocation wines we’ll be drip-feeding into the venue … and about 30 wines available by the glass,” Blackman says.

The wine list has taken inspiration from European restaurants, choosing to feature a decade’s worth of vintages rather than focus on current release wines.

But it’s the cocktail list where things get really fun, with French-themed versions of classic cocktails such as negronis and daiquiris, now made with bitter alpine liqueurs like chartreuse.

There are also French bistro drinks such as Ricard Pastis – the lesser-known cousin of absinthe, an aniseed-flavoured drink once beloved by Ernest Hemingway. It’s served neat, accompanied by a glass carafe of iced water, allowing the drinker to dilute to their tastes.

Group executive chef James MacDonald, who formerly worked at Michelin-starred London restaurant St. John and Swillhouse venue Restaurant Hubert, leads the kitchen.

“We’ve honed our skills to deliver something more refined, elegant and adventurous for our guests,” MacDonald says.

The Odd Culture venue downstairs will become a wine and craft beer bar, with a tighter menu focusing on small signature dishes, such as the chicken liver parfait with chips and fish sauce caramel, alongside a handful of more substantial options.

Bistro Grenier opens Wed 4-11pm, Thu 4pm-midnight, Fri-Sat noon-1am and Sun noon-10pm.

Mezzanine level, enter via 266 King Street, Newtown, oddculture.group/venue/bistro-grenier/