Simon Food Favourites: Duck

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17 July 2013

Bistro Papillon: French Bastille Day Menu, CBD Sydney (13 July 2013)

98 Clarence Street, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.bistropapillon.com.au

La Fête Nationale in Sydney

It's been over 2 years and 9 months since I first dined at Bistro Papillon and it's great to see they're still going strong in this very competitive restaurant market in Sydney. Of course the friendly and professional French service and intimate cosy decor with nice background music is a drawcard but I'm sure their rustic comfort dishes are a big winner in the equation. The Bastille Day 5 course menu ($85 per person) included a welcome drink, amuse-bouche, entree, palate cleanser, main and dessert which I thought was quite good value considering there were a few choices on the menu to keep everyone happy. I chose the Kir Royale served with white wine rather than champagne which still sort of worked but was missing the palate refreshing bubbles you'd expect. A wooden platter of salmon tartare and beef tartare on toasted baguette for the amuse-bouche had nice flavours and was easy to eat. We ordered a bottle of 2011 Chateau Lamothe Vincent ($55) which ended up being a great choice with enjoyable flavour and soft tannins.

My Escargots de Bourgogne were tender with a good hit of flavour from the garlic and parsley butter. A crowd pleasing dish loved by the table. The Assiette de Charcuterie Maison had an enjoyable selection of chicken liver parfait, cured ham and venison terrine. I've never had a palate cleanser served with vodka but I'd be happy to have it again. Went well with the Lime & Lemon Sorbet. My Confit of Duck Leg was cooked well with a crisp skin and tender meat served with white beans, vegetables and fresh herbs underneath. I thought the sauce could have benefitted from a bit more robust flavour with extra seasoning. The Fish and Seafood Stew looked good with a nice flavoured broth although I would have loved to see more seafood and less potato like the bouillabaisse at Uncorked in North Sydney. Pan Fried Grain Fed Beef Fillet was tender and flavoursome with a lovely béarnaise sauce. Roasted Quail Breasts wrapped in Pancetta were very good sitting in a tasty porcini mushroom and green peppercorn sauce.

For dessert the Classic Crème Brulée was a winner. Served in a shallow dish made for a good ratio of custard and perfect caramel topping with each spoonful. The French imported cheeses plate was quality rather than quantity but by then the rich dishes were more than enough to feel satisfied. I tried Chartreuse ($12) straight up for the first time. With 55% alcohol it's not for mere mortals. Lots of herbal aroma and flavour with a lethal kick reminded me of schnapps. It'll burn your nose hairs if you breathe it in. Our service was friendly and professional which made the night so pleasant along with the good food. Leg room can get a bit tight around the small tables but other than that its left fond memories of another visit. The naked woman and snail lamps around the room are quite eye-catching and were recently bought from the Beaujolais Bistro Bar in Bath UK which closed its doors after 40 successful years. Let's hope Bistro Papillon will continue the French dining experience in Sydney for just as long.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Friendly, down-to-earth and professional service, Enjoyable dishes, Nice decor and atmosphere, Quality wines

CONS: Avoid parking in the city unless you're willing to pay,

MUST TRY: Escargots de Bourgogne, Classic Crème Brulée, Chartreuse (if you can handle the lethal kick)

VERDICT: A very enjoyable experience overall that tempts me to return for a lunch time visit to try more of the menu.

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Bastille Day Menu ($85 pp, 5 courses)

Complimentary welcome drink of Champagne and Kir Royale (with white wine) — nice start

Amuse bouche of salmon tartare and beef tartare on toasted baguette — both nice flavour and easy to eat

2011 Chateau Lamothe Vincent, Bordeaux Rouge, Bordeau, France ($55 bottle) — very enjoyable with lovely soft tannins

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Tasting notes

Escargots de Bourgogne: Burgundy snails baked in a garlic and parsley butter, toasted baguette — tender, good flavour

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Assiette de Charcuterie Maison: Chicken liver parfait, cured ham, venison terrine and saucisson sec condiments and baguette — good and enjoyable

Trou Normand: Palate Cleanser with Lime & Lemon Sorbet served with Vodka

Canard Confit en Cocotte: Confit of Duck Leg with White Beans, Vegetables and Fresh Herbs — nicely cooked duck

Beans and sauce in quite a light sauce

Nage de Poissons et Crustacés Façon Bouillabaisse - Fish and Seafood Stew with Kipler Potatoes, Grilled Bread and Sauce Rouille - flavour good

Filet de Boeuf Sauce Béarnaise: Pan Fried Grain Fed Beef Fillet and Béarnaise Sauce (cooked medium) — tender and flavoursome

Suprêmes de Caille aux Cèpes: Roasted Quail Breasts wrapped in Pancetta with a Porcini Mushroom and Green Peppercorn sauce — nice sauce and meat cooked well

Dauphinois Potato Gratin — nice, would have loved thinner slices of layered potato

Crisp Green Salad ($6) — fresh and nice dressing

Mixed Buttered Vegetables

Fries

Extra bread and olive oil ($6)

Classic Crème Brulée — nice flavours, excellent caramel top, shallow dish making it a good ratio of custard and caramel

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

French imported cheeses plate with pear chutney and organic sourdough — soft cheese very nice, smallish pieces but quality and distinctive flavour

Chartreuse ($12) — very herbal notes and lethally strong at 55%

WORTH TRYING :-)

Real men sip Chartreuse right ;-)

Bill $459 for 4, friendly and professional service, cosy decor, table leg room a bit tight, nice background music and setting

Cosy and intimate setting for a romantic night

Service and kitchen team plus a passionate supportive customer

There's always room for a few naked woman and snail lamps bought from Beaujolais Bistro Bar, Bath UK

Waiting area outside toilets

Very small but well looked after toilet. Gentleman, be sure to lock the door behind you otherwise there's no way someone is going to be able to use that sink right next to the urinal

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10 July 2012

Cloudy Bay Duck & Pinot Trail Launch: Progressive Lunch, Sydney (6 June 2012)

http://www.facebook.com/cloudybay
http://www.cloudybay.co.nz

Pinot Noir off a duck's back

Thanks to Caitlin Dennehy from This Is Mango for inviting me to a preview of the Cloudy Bay Duck & Pinot Trail which runs through July 2012 across six restaurants in Sydney and 28 restaurants in total from Australia and New Zealand. A progressive lunch was organised of three participating venues that started at Toko, then Bistrode CBD and finished at Golden Century Seafood Restaurant. It was a lot of ducking around but the private cars on stand by made for a timely adventure. Toko served up two starter entrees of Seared beef, pickled onions, mizuna, garlic chips ($17.80) and Unagi, torched foie gras, umeboshi ($15.80 per two pieces) which were both very good — I'd happily order these again on my next visit. Their menu item of Duck breast, sansho pepper, pickled nashi pear ($28.80) was a favourite duck dish of the day for me. The duck was tender, flavoursome and easy to eat with chopsticks, and of course went well with the pinot noir.

With no time to lose it was off to Bistrode CBD for their half-sized sampler dish of Warm Duck Salad ($39 with pinot noir). The duck was served 3 ways which had enjoyable flavours although I wished it came with some sort of puree or dressing to help pull it a bit more together on the palate. Chef Jeremy Strode ventured out of his kitchen to explain the dish and I noticed the dining room was pretty full of lunch diners which was good to see. Next stop was Golden Century in Haymarket for an interesting starter entrée of Marinated duck chin which came with some lethal garlic-infused cucumber. Interesting texture but I probably wouldn’t really have it again as a personal preference. By this time most of the guests were getting pretty full but there was always going to be room for some Peking Duck ($66, 8 pieces, 2 courses). Generous pieces of skin with a bit of meat still intact was served as the first course. I was hoping for a more super crispy skin but the flavours were good, especially with the addition of some extra fresh chilli I requested. Second course was served as a Gold Coin Duck. Quite rich and quite heavy on the palate and probably best eaten in moderation but perhaps by this time I was pretty ducked out to really fully appreciate. I probably would have preferred something lighter like a duck stir fry with noodles instead if that's an option.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Duck is well-matched to pinot noir, A good chance to enjoy duck with Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir at participating restaurants, Duck lovers are spoilt for choice

CONS: Promotion only runs during July, Trying to consume three lunches of duck is probably over doing it, Pricing of all the dishes available seems hard to find online

MUST TRY: Seared beef and duck breast at Toko with Cloudy Bay pinot noir

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#1 Toko

490 Crown Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010

http://www.toko.com.au