Sydney's Bouillon L'Entrecôte restaurant is located on Loftus Street in Circular Quay and serves up a range of classic French dishes and a range of steaks butchered daily. There's also a great value new 3 course Saturday lunch special on at the moment that lasts all of winter. What is this prix fixe like and is it worth going to?
It's a chilly but sunny winter's Saturday when Mr NQN and I have our lunch date at Bouillon L'Entrecôte. The restaurant is spread across two levels there's a couple of tables in the downstairs section where the bar sits; however upstairs is where all of the action is. The room is bathed in sunlight and it looks like a classic French brasserie. A giant portrait of Paul Bocuse dominates one wall and the restaurant is quite busy this Saturday. The French waiters are all gorgeous and friendly and nothing is too much trouble.
Bouillon L'Entrecôte is named after the famous Parisian restaurant L'Entrecôte Porte-Maillot that specialises in one dish: a perfectly done steak with fries and a green sauce so steaks are a big thing here. The regular menu has quite a few things that sound fantastic which I mentally bookmark for a future re-visit) but for the moment we concentrate on choosing our selections for the 3 course menu for $69 a person or 2 course for $59 a person. There are 3 choices for entree and main and 2 for dessert.
We start with glasses of Kir Royale, which is one of those retro cocktails that I love but don't see much of any more. Made with champagne and creme de cassis it reminds me of trips overseas and delicious, flirty apertifs before dinner.
The duck liver parfait comes with slices of fresh baguette and caper berries, pickled onions and cornichons. The texture of this parfait is so remarkably light that it is like a mousse. It comes edged with some duck fat and the accompaniments assist in lightening this rich but light parfait.
The other entree choice is garlic butter snails but I want to try the leeks vinaigrette so that I can remake it at home as I have some leeks in the fridge. The leeks are served chilled with a French vinaigrette and fried onion pieces on top. The leeks are buttery soft, the inside layers really easy to cut and the vinaigrette is tangy and seasons the leeks perfectly while the fried onion adds texture to this. I'll definitely be recreating this at home.
When our waiter sets this down, juices seep out of the chicken which he cleans up but when we move the plate, more juices spill out. That's just how damn juicy the chicken breast is. Normally I wouldn't order chicken especially chicken breast but the other choice was barramundi which I am allergic to. I am so glad that we ordered this chicken as it is so moreish. I don't think I've ever really had chicken breast in a restaurant this juicy and tender and the mushroom sauce is the perfect accompaniment to it.
The flank steak is perfectly cooked so that it beautifully pink on the inside. It is served with fine sea salt crystals as well as a delicious herby "green sauce" that is a bit of a secret. At a guess there are a few herbs like parsley and tarragon which is also great to dipping the fries in. The French fries are a bit lukewarm - I should have asked for them to come out piping hot. The mains are paired with a glass of La Bernadine Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2020, a mix of Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre, a beautiful red wine that is very versatile that goes with many dishes.
We added a side of Paris mash with truffle oil to our meal although truthfully we didn't need it. We already had so much food and couldn't finish everything. It's smooth and buttery rich with a light truffle aroma and I wish I could have finished it all.
While we are waiting for dessert the restaurant fills up. There's a table of 5 with two adults and three kids that have arrived carrying armfuls of shopping bags with every French designer brand. They're also getting the 3 course lunch. Mr NQN watches as they bring out plates of escargot to the table. "That's a lot of dessert!" he says eyes widening. I have to tell him that they're the snails.
The crème brûlée is pitch perfect. With a thin, crisp toffee top and a creamy, utterly moreish custard underneath I had all intention to have a couple of spoonfuls and move on to the crepe but suddenly half of it was gone.
But it turns out that I almost have to fight Mr NQN for the crepes with orange sauce. I love crepes and usually Mr NQN doesn't so I usually have them all to myself but not this time. The single crepe folded like a kerchief sits bathing in a delectable orange butter sauce with thin strands of orange zest on top.
By now it's just after 2pm and Mr NQN needs a coffee.
I flag a waiter down and say, "Could I have a cafe au lait?" in my best imitation of a French accent when pronouncing the coffee.
"My name is Robin, like Robin Hood," he answers. Ok that's a clear French accent fail for me. Stifling laughter, Mr NQN orders a coffee, sans accent.
So tell me Dear Reader, do you often go for prix fixe menus? And have you ever been misunderstood when you're trying to speak another language?
Bouillon L'Entrecôte
Gateway Building, 6 Loftus St, Sydney NSW 2000
Hours: Monday to Saturday 11:30 am–11 pm
Sunday closed
https://lentrecotesydney.com.au/bouillon/
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