French restaurants are Sydney’s latest cuisine boom
Which capital city has been swept off its feet by the French? And, how has a Gold Coast suburb become the epicentre of Aussie cafe culture?
For the past decade Sydney has been in the grip of an Italian cuisine boom, with restaurants, wine bars and cafes sliding into high streets, hotels and laneways across the CBD and beyond. But now a rival microtrend has snuck into town, with French food back in a big way. Since Bistrot 916 and Parlar opened glamorously in Potts Point, and Hubert in the CBD, the city has become populated with slickly realised restaurants swinging with buttery leather banquettes, Art Deco chandeliers and steak frites and soufflés aplenty. Crack open the post-pandemic champagne, it’s time for a little Gallic good times.
Armorica
Occupying the Surry Hills location that for years hosted the famed Toko restaurant, Armorica is fashioned as a classic Parisian bistro with leather booths, table lamps, brass fixtures and a menu of classics with a faint mod-Oz accent, from flounder with beurre blanc to prawns with escargot XO sauce.
The Charles
This high-flying CBD brasserie nestles into the Art Deco ACA building on King Street. The Charles is buzzy and fun, a testament to the fact that big-city CBD dining remains a force. Chef Billy Hannigan handles the shortish French menu (steak tartare, lamb with ratatouille, tuna with quail eggs) with flair; stay for head pastry chef Rhiann Mead’s heavenly dessert trolley (the Russian honey cake is the standout).
Clam Bar
Another famous restaurant site, another brasserie. This one was for years Ross Lusted’s fine diner The Bridge Room, and is now occupied by Clam Bar, the latest from the stellar trio of Dan Pepperell, Andy Tyson and Mikey Clift (Pellegrino 2000, Bistrot 916). An ambitious raw bar – three types of caviar, oysters three ways, cold seafood on ice – is followed by a New York brasserie style menu that includes a burger, spaghetti and clams and an enviable steak menu.
Le Foote
New in from the team behind the crazy successful Hubert is Le Foote. Set in a restored historic building in The Rocks, it’s part Parisian wine bar, part “Mediterranean grill”, and in the cheeky tradition of Aussie French restaurants leans into the Italian border probably a little more than most Francophiles would prefer. Never mind; spend time exploring a menu where calamari and pancetta skewers with salmoriglio sit comfortably alongside beef tartare with parmesan, capers and egg. The room is enjoyment enough to go.
Brisbane might pride itself on being Queensland’s dining capital — but the Gold Coast has it covered when it comes to casual dining, particularly cafes. The mild, sunshiny coast was built for al fresco eating and smooth operators have taken the art of the cafe here to the next level. You’ll find great coffee, excellent pastry and big breakfasts to get any heart started. The pick of the locations is Burleigh Heads, at once the coolest and hottest part of the Coast.
Paddock
Getting a parking spot at Paddock on a sparkling Gold Coast day requires a degree of planning and patience. You might need to park in the backstreets around this industrial area of Burleigh Heads (the official address is 20 Hibiscus Haven, bless) because the actual carpark will be full. But once you are in the vicinity, prepare for a treat, because Paddock (pictured above) is like a Disneyland of cafes. Set in an original Queenslander with verandas, patios, lofts and gardens that spill in different directions, this shady, breezy, easy cafe offers soul-quenching food and monster drinks. The extensive menu takes in all sorts of options and will appeal to all comers. Try standards such as a burger or BLT or go for something more adventurous – truffled mushrooms, say, or something called “purple toast”, which is a plate of goodness for veggos. The milk bar shakes are a must, too.
Tarte
Set in a rambling corner store cafe with plenty of curb-side seating and a chi-chi Parisian vibe, this pumping cafe (right) is a little slice of France miraculously relocated to the GC. A counter laden with French pastries is the big drawcard, so try plump danishes, crisp croissants and Instagram-worthy fruit tartlets. The brunch menu also has plenty of punch – you’ll find bagels “New York style, with everything” (think double-smoked streaky bacon, free-range egg, cheese, pickles, gochujang mayo and house barbecue sauce, served with house salt and pepper crisps) or, somewhat boldly, American-style fried chicken with bacon and crumpets. Mornings in the sun have never been so fine.
Palm Springs
Sitting pretty on the Gold Coast Highway is this shiny cafe inspired by, well, guess. There’s a Cali breakfast burrito, a vegan breakfast burrito, a chilli scramble, even brekky tacos. The stark white building is a landmark, and with the crowds out the front, you won’t miss it.
And also consider …
- Bam Bam Bakehouse (Mermaid Beach) for cracking pastries and inventive menu (try the killer nasi goreng).
- Commune (Burleigh Heads), a beachside institution with reputedly the Coast’s best coffee and plenty of good-times vibes.
Pop-ups and residencies are the plat du jour among the world’s top chefs, who have taken to borrowing each other’s restaurants for long periods to show new audiences what they’ve got.
Recently, Daniel Humm of New York’s Eleven Madison Park spent a fortnight occupying Sydney’s harbourside fine diner Aria. Now it’s the turn of the Bathers’ Pavilion in Sydney’s Balmoral to house an interloper, in the form of British chef Simon Rogan.
Rogan’s L’Enclume is a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Cartmel, in England’s northwest, but his fame spreads wide, on the back of exquisitely realised dishes (the likes of seaweed custard with beef broth and bone marrow, caviar and oysters) and a commitment to sustainability that pays more than mere lip service to the idea of ethical and environmentally sound food.
The Bathers’ pop-up has been meticulously prepared, down to the micro-herbs and flowers that will appear on each plate. The eight-course tasting menu, plus snacks and petit fours, is $420, with a choice of wine pairings ($190, $290, $750). It promises to be a very special event. July 19- August 20, lunchtime sittings only.
batherspavilion.com.au/lenclumeresidency