Bistrot 916, Potts Point, Sydney

You do not have to leave Sydney and go to France to have delicious French cuisine. We have a great selection of French restaurants in our city. This includes one of my favourites, Hubert. Speaking of Hubert, their ex-head chef Dan Pepperell has opened a new restaurant in Potts Point called Bistrot 916. Yep, it’s the same dude that created all those dishes we fell in love with when Hubert first opened. 

Bistrot 916 is named after the fact that it’s a Bistro and that the phone number of the restaurant starts with 916. It’s located in the heart of Potts Point right where Lotus and The Fish Shop by Merivale used to be. The space has a moody contemporary Parisian vibe. It’s a casual restaurant but in the higher end of the spectrum and food prices are quite decent for its category. I went to visit the restaurant a few weeks ago with one of my best homies, Chocolatesuze.

 

We started with the lamb’s brains with smoked eel mayo ($18). This sounded daunting at first as I’m not a brain kinda guy but if it’s chef Dan’s creation, then it has to be good right? As expected, it was so amazing. So the brain was cooked like a croquette where the inside was fluffy (I honestly can’t think of a better description haha) with a golden-crisped coating. The smoked eel mayonnaise was thick and bursting with umami! Hack: leave some mayo aside if you order any dishes with chips/fries.

 

Then came out the Tuna tartare & beef fat fried potato ($26). This was probably my favourite dish during our visit. There was so much umami from both the tuna and potatoes. The potato was soft inside and loved the crispy caramelised bits on the outer layer.

 

The duck frites ($44) was delicious. The skin was slightly crisped, and the meat was juicy. The meat didn’t taste gamey, but it could also be due to the sauce that if came with, which masked it. The chips were crisped and perfectly seasoned.

 

I do prefer the steak frites ($56) to the duck though. The well-seasoned steak was cooked medium rare and was also packed with umami especially around caramelised bits. I would have preferred a thicket cut steak but nonetheless, this was delicious.

 

We were quite full so we didn’t end up trying any dessert. I would definitely come back to have the tuna tartarte with beef fat fried potato and lamb brain with smoked eel mayo. The lobster frites sounds good too!

 

Bistrot 916

22 Challis Avenue

Potts Point NSW

Website: https://www.bistrot916.com/

 

Restaurant Hubert, Sydney

The most visited and recommended restaurant this year has got to be Hubert. Based on social media praises and great reviews, it seems like they are not far off from being crowned "best Sydney restaurant" in 2016.

I paid them a visit a couple of months ago.  From the stairs leading down to the restaurant and upon entering the restaurant and bar premises, two things came to mind: grand and magical. The space and fit out is like a bar/club/restaurant straight out of a 1920s Paris period piece film setting. Just like what my dining companion Suze said "The fitout of Hubert is like nothing I've seen in Sydney". Head chef Dan Pepperell (ex-10 William St) is behind the food that has received raving reviews from many punters. We went to try their bar menu (see Suze’s blog post of their restaurant menu offerings) because of our mission: to try the Normandy burger.

Malakoff

One of the most popular dishes here is their Malakoff ($14), which is a half sphere shaped fried gruyere with mustard and pickle. We decided to order two of these because it’s that damn good that we didn’t want to share! From the crisped tasty shell down to the melted stretchy innards it was nothing short of amazing. The sharpness of mustard complimented the cheese well.

The steak frites ($28) is a classic steak and fries dish that consists of a beautifully cooked medium rare 200grams grilled Rangers Valley flank with bordelaise butter and French fries. It was phenomenal! It has to be the best steak and fries I’ve had to date. The bordelaise butter with its red wine and bone marrow goodness was perfect for the steak. The generous amount of thin hand cut fries was crunch and perfectly seasoned.

Normandy Burger

There are many great burgers in Sydney at the moment and Hubert’s Normandy burger ($24 with fries) is one of them. It’s a gourmet cheeseburger with grilled dry aged beef patty, melted gruyere cheese, generous amount of tangy and creamy sauce Hubert in a light brioche bun. It also came with dill pickles on the side. The beef patty was juicy and smoky with a caramelised crust that added extra umami to the burger. The soft light brioche bun used for the burger was the perfect vessel. The whole burger handled well too.

You can also order desserts at the bar area.

The crème caramel ($18) was good and flawless in technique but didn’t quite get there for me. I liked the bitter caramel and how smooth the egg custard was, but I would have preferred if the custard was a little bit sweeter. That way, you would get a nice contrast between the egg custard and caramel.

The melon en surprise ($22) was amazing and refreshing! I forgot take a photo of its innards but underneath the top layer of coconut sorbet you’ll find balls of Santa Claus melon, which has a similar taste to honeydew with pieces of sorrel jelly and finger lime. You need to order this when in Hubert.

Believe the hype! Restaurant Hubert is as great as everyone says it is. I will definitely be back for a sit down session at their restaurant area.

Restaurant Hubert

15 Bligh Street

Sydney NSW 2000

Operating hours:

Monday to Saturday 5pm-1am.

Maslows, Naremburn

Self-actualisation is at the top of Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs pyramid. To quote Abraham about self-actualisation, he said: "What a man can be, must be". Speaking of Maslow's, Chef Jack New (Ex-Pier, Cafe Sydney, Sokyo & Edition) and crew has recently re-opened Maslows at a new location in Naremburn. 

I really dig their new space. The interior has a clean, slightly Scandinavian and contemporary minimalist approach. Seatings for 2, groups of 4 and 6 are available inside and outside the cafe. There are also single seatings by the brew bar and the long wall-mounted table. The style of food can be classified as Modern Australian but is also an accumulation of all of Jack's culinary experiences as chef and lover of food. Expect anything from French to Japanese.

They still source their beans for espresso from Melbourne's beloved roaster Seven Seeds. For filter they use single origins from Drop Coffee. Tommy's brewing game is strong and I knew that we're in for a treat:

Latte 

Piccolo latte

We had a latte ($4) and piccolo latte ($4) with Seven Seeds seasonal blend. Milk texture and temperature were on point. I especially loved the sweet plum and floral notes from the blend.

Filter coffee

I had a V60 pour over filter coffee ($5) of Ethiopia Wote by Drop Coffee. It's good for up to two servings. It was citrusy and not heavy on the palate with a floral aroma.

Now down to the food! We ordered two pork based dishes because: 1) We love pork and 2) Jack does wonders with pork.

Mr. Pig

The new and improved version of Mr. Pig ($12 - available all-day) has braised pork, onsen egg and herb salad in brioche bun. The pork may appear like it was pulled but it's actually super tender pork that just fell apart in the process. It was also flavoursome with hints of sweetness. The beautiful onsen egg with runny yolk was perfectly cooked and the herb salad acted like a slaw. The buttery soft brioche held the whole dish well.

3 Little Pigs

Besides being seductively plated dish, the 3 Little Pigs ($24 - available from 11am) was delicious! It had three glorious shards of pork crackling, 2 chunks roast pork belly, sour cream caramel and charred vegetables. The pork crackling were nothing short of awesome. The roast pork were fatty and tasty that had a nice caramelised finish. The charred veggies went well with the pork. I've never had caramel with pork but Jack's sour cream caramel sauce works just as well as apple sauce or chilli jam with pork belly.

I was already a fan of Jack and Tom's work to start with. My experience at the new Maslows has left me still in awe with this duo. I look forward to going back to try other dishes like lotus root carbonara ($18) which consists of lotus root, edamame, speck & egg yolk and the Tokyo schnitzel ($21) which has nori crumbed chicken, fennel slaw, white bread and kewpie.

Maslows

286 Willoughby Rd,

Naremburn NSW 2065

Opening hours:

Monday – Friday: 7:30am - 4:30pm

Weekends: 8am - 3pm

Ramen at Blancharu, Elizabeth Bay

My search for amazing ramen goes on. I'malways on the lookout for places that serves what I refer to as perfection in abowl. But sometimes, receiving recommendations are much easier than searching.Thanks to a recommendation from Josh and Ai (The Milk Bar by Cafe Ish), I havefound another joint that will satisfy my ramen cravings. This time, my journeytook me to Blancharu.

Blancharu is an award winningcontemporary French-Japanese bistro located in quiet Elizabeth Bay Road,Elizabeth Bay. For years, Blancharu has been known for its mouth-wateringdishes prepared and cooked using French and Japanese cooking methods. But whatI really came here for was their ramen lunchtime special. From Monday toThursday, 12:00pm-2:00pm only ramen with paitan based broth and soy based brothare served.

Love Pokka's sparkling Fuji apple drink!

Paitan soup ramen with wood ear, eggs, and nori

I tried their ramen with a paitan based broth or also known as tonkotsu broth (normally $9.50 but it comes to $12.50 withextra wood ears, eggs and nori). Paitan basically means milky soup. The soup becomes milky due to the collagen produced by the chicken bones. The broth has a slightly milky flavour and an almost potent meaty taste. But the star in this dish was its’ al dente noodles. The noodles were made in the premises by Chef Haru Inukai himself. The slices of pork meat, bamboo shoots, wood ears,seaweed, soft-boiled egg, sesame seeds and scallions gave nice textures andadded flavour that brought the whole dish into harmony. This is a must try for all ramen lovers out there!

Aburi slowly cooked pork

We also ordered slices of Aburi slowed cooked pork ($7) on theside. The pork was thinly sliced and very tender. It had a caramely roastflavour. It was drizzled with roast garlic like dressing and mayo.

I would definitely make my way back toBlancharu the next chance I get for another ramen fix! A ramen with intenseflavoured broth, supreme quality egg noodles and toppings has won my vote!Their ramen is so good that I heard even Chef Mori of Gumshara visits to havetheir ramen. I have found another happy place!

Blancharu

Shop 1, 21 Elizabeth Bay Road,

Elizabeth Bay NSW 2011

Phone: 02 9360 3555

www.blancharu.com.au

Ramen special: Monday - Thursday only.12:00pm to 2:00pm