Review: La Brasserie

A bunch of us were invited to Daryl’s birthday dinner, which was held at La Brasserie in Darlinghurst. Googling its website, as I always do before heading to a restaurant, here’s what is written:

“Welcome to La Brasserie, Sydney’s most authentic Parisian brasserie dining experience. Situated in the lively, cosmopolitan restaurant scene of Crown Street, Darlinghurst, La Brasserie offers you superb traditional French cuisine, a comprehensive and affordable selection of fine French and Australian wines and an extensive bar that brims with rare and exotic spirits from around the world…And all this in the warm, relaxed, sophisticated atmosphere we’ve created for you.”

The place is pretty quaint and intimate, sitting probably no more than 60?

Most of the staff are French I think. When we finally managed to get their attention, a server came over and proceeded to rattle of their specials, scribbled on a mirror in white. Not the most legible combination. Plus, he was rattling off so quickly in French most of us just nodded towards the mirror with gaping jaws.

We reverted quickly to the menus in our hands and everyone ordered a variety of appetizers. Most popular among all seem to be the escargots. (I was debating really hard between the French Onion Soup and Escargots. Ah well, I caved.)

Escargots à la Bourguignonne: 6 or 12 snails baked in their shells with garlic parsley butter & sliced baguette ($11 / $19).

It’s the first time I’m eating escargot direct from the shells! So far, they’ve always come in the escargot ramekins and I’ve never had to fiddle with the clamp. In Julia Roberts’ words in the movie ‘Pretty Woman’ – slippery little suckers! Thank goodness I didn’t commit a faux pax like her, with the shell flying through mid-air, but it was a bit of a struggle. The escargots were a little off-the-mark. Very small! Not enough garlic, and too oily. So-so. Fun experience with the clamps though!

As it happens in every restaurant we go to, Thad has to order the foie gras if he sees it on the menu.

Foie gras: Caramelised Alsace foie gras on brioche with spiced fruit compote ($28).

Oh this was really disappointing, especially with that price-tag. And Thad has eaten A LOT of foie gras. It wasn’t ‘bad’; there just wasn’t much taste! And coming from me, that says a lot, because I’m usually very sensitive to the taste of foie gras (I’m not a big fan, and on occasions react rather adversely). Not smooth on the palate either.

These were ordered by our fellow diners, who so patiently allowed me to take pictures before digging in. Thanks guys!

Soufflé au Fromage: Twice baked gruyere soufflé with cauliflower & salsify ($16).

Asperge avec Oeuf de Canard: Steamed asparagus topped with duck egg ($12).

Away with the appetizers, and here comes the entrees.

Thad and I decided to “share” a platter for two. Ahem.

Côte de Boeuf Bordelaise (for 2): 500g dry aged, grain fed Yearling Rib Eye with pomme dauphinoise, shallots, bone marrow & red wine jus ($65).

It was -okay-. It arrived at our table a little cold, which I think had something to do with making sure everyone’s dishes were ready to be served. I didn’t have much of the meat (according to Thad, it was so-so… and well, he’s had A LOT of meat), but the potatoes were good with the sauce.

Anyway, I was rather embarrassed about taking photos at this point, so I only snapped a quick picture of Yiming’s, who was sitting opposite me.

Confit de Canard: Crisp Maryland duck confit with carrot cumin puree, orange glazed endive & sauce rouennaise ($30).

And of course, any meal wouldn’t be complete without dessert.

Thad’s chocolate fondant was gorgeous!

Fondant au Chocolat: Soft centre dark chocolate pudding with coffee foam & pistachio ice cream ($15).

Ooh the dark chocolate pudding came piping hot and fluffy, and combined with the cold pistachio ice cream, was just yummee. Very nice.

Crème Brûlée: Caramelised orange blossom scented custard with cassis & apple crumble ($15)

I was rather nonplussed when I saw my crème brûlée. Crème Brûlées should always come in ramekins! I’m guessing they were trying to be funky, but nah-uh, ramekins ramekins ramekins. From a very practical point of view, it keeps the dessert warm when it arrives at the table, which this clearly wasn’t. Or maybe that was the point, I don’t know.

Profiteroles Glacées: Choux pastry buns with vanilla ice cream & hot chocolate sauce ($16).

Daryl’s profiteroles look pretty good, with a jug of hot chocolate sauce by the side. They were nice and puffy, with a good amount of ice cream in between. But ever since a friend explained to me the origins of profiteroles and explained that they were the easiest things to make, I’ve always made it a point not to order it at restaurants. Heh.

Tarte au Citron: Lemon tart with white peach tea sorbet ($13).

That's the boss!

La Brasserie
Address: 118-126 Crown Street, Darlinghurst – NSW 2010
Telephone: (02) 9358 1222
Website: http://www.labrasserie.com.au/ (Entire menu available online)
Email: info@labrasserie.com.au