345 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
French wave of satisfaction
Onde has been opened for about 14 years and was recommended by a couple of foodie friends so my expectations were high and thankfully it was a good experience. They don't take bookings so was eager to arrive early to secure a table. Most of the customers seemed to come around 7–7.30 pm so arriving before 6.30 pm seemed a good idea. Our friendly waiter Michael was very knowledgeable of the menu.
One of their signature dishes is the Duck Liver Pate which comes with a generous slab of pate and is served with traditional baguette — it's simple, very smooth and buttery and I also enjoyed the cornichon which I now know are gherkins. The fried squid was a light tasting dish which I thought was perhaps overpowered a bit by the distinctive taste of the rocket — yet the squid itself was nice and tender. The Duck confit was nicely cooked with meat falling easily off the bone and went well with the caramelised apple — although I wasn't really sold on the accompanying wilting salad (due to the heat of cooked duck) and crunchy walnuts and prefer the Glass Brasserie combination of ingredients. The Crisp Skinned Chicken dish worked better for me with it's leek and olives. Very much enjoyed all the wine choices.
I seem to be noticing the L'Occitane liquid soap is getting around to a few Darlinghurst restaurant toilets of late which is always a pleasant surprise to find — I wonder why this is? I look forward to my next visit to try other dishes.
Other French restaurants visited:
• Tabou - Surry Hills, 27 June 2010
• Sel e Poirve - Darlinghurst, 1 Dec 2009
• Tabou - Surry Hills, 9 Oct 2009
• Onde - Darlinghurst, 25 Sept 2009
• Chez Pascale Cuisine Francaise - Sans Souci, 8 July 2009
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)
Duck confit with caramelised apple, mesclun and walnuts $27.50
