La Grande Bouffe

This time we were in the heart of winter so, I thought, the perfect choice would be a french restaurant. Word had spread of our restaurant club and this time my fellow diners were again, Brenda and Kim as well as Paul, Elaine and her boyfriend and Gavin. After finding out that my restaurant of choice had closed down after being there for over 20 years we settled on La Grande Bouffe located on Darling Street at Rozelle but almost close enough to be in Balmain.

The restaurant was very quaint and came complete with sidewalk chairs and tables located under heaters with very cute (and much needed at that time of the year) colourful blankets draped over the back of the cane chairs. We opted to dine indoors!

The menu wasn't vast with just 6 entrees and 6 mains and between the 7 of us we only ate 3 of each. I am not criticising the size of the menu because it was perfect for the size of the restaurant. It would only seat about 40 people indoors and about 16 outside. I was hoping for a provincial french restaurant with deep rich interiors and open fire places but this was modern and minimalist. At first I was disappointed that there were no snails on the menu but then we were each served a warm snail in a delicious garlic oil. Enough to get us a taste and more than enough for some of my fellow diners. I personally like snails.... I think they are just a delivery mechanism for the garlic and oil. The oil was then well used to soak into the crusty fresh baked bread that was also brought out.

So, the three entrees that were chosen were the onion soup, the seared scallops with a trio of sauces, and the confit of aubergine and tomato, goat cheese honey and sherry viniagrette. I had the onion soup and it was hot, beefy, thick and served with the perfect large crouton covered in gruyere cheese. It wasn't spectacular but it was wholesome and comforting. The scallops were an absolute visual treat. the three sauces (from memory a red capsicum, a white flavoured cream and a black squids ink) were poured over each other and spider webbed out from the centre of the plate and the scallops located perfectly at the points. The scallops were plump, fesh and juicy. The confit was a spectacle of culinary engineering. It was all piled spectacularly high. The dressing, I am told, was divine. The sherry, despite being sweet itself, cut the sweetness of the honey and played a nice contrast to the acidity of the vegetables and cheese.

The mains ordered were Seared Wild Barramundi Fillet, Carrot and Ginger Sauce, Poached Plums, Green Onion Petals, Roast Lamb Rack, Rustic Sweet Potato Puree, Port and Anis Jus and Duo of Beef, Seared Tenderloin and Braised Cheek, Cannelini Bean Puree, Brunoise de Legume, Sauce Bordelaise. Those who had the Barramundi were disappointed as they said it was overcooked and (as I have noted in other blogs) was a tad floury. They also said the sauce was too busy. The lamb, my order, was nice. The lamb was pink and tender and the combination of the aniseed and port sauce with the sweet potato almost tasted oriental. It was very interesting. Those who had the beef said the beef was cooked perfectly and that the cannelini bean puree was a great contrast to the beef. However, they too said it was nice but not spectacular. We also ordered sides of pomme frits (chips) and legume de jour which were fresh crunchy beans in butter.

For desserts the orders were crepe suzette, creme brulee and the cheese platter. The crepe suzettes, my order, sadly were not made at the table with flaming pans but came ready served on the plate. They were lovely though and the bitterness of the alcohol cut the sweetness of the orange very nicely. The vanilla icecream was rich and smooth. The cheese platter, I think, was the pick of the desserts. There were 4 cheeses - a blue cheese, a soft cheese and 2 hard cheeses served with small poppy seed crackers. The cheeses were very well selected and accompanied each other well. The creme brulee was traditional and crunchy on top.

So that was dinner. The food was nice. It wasn't amazing but some of it was visually delightful. That said, it was a great evening. The restaurant is very conducive to a social gathering. The wait staff weren't obtrusive and the conversation flowed really well! The service was uneventful. There was certainly nothing to complain about which was perfect for the evening because we were just there to enjoy each others company and try new food. In that regard the restaurant excelled. We all had a fantastic evening and the group is going to get bigger as word spreads of what a good time we have.

The restaurant was not expensive. I'm sorry but I can't tell you what the bill came too but I'm pretty sure it didn't get over $80 a head and we had some very nice wines with dinner. The restaurant would make a good local restaurant. It's also a restaurant that you would go to where the food was not the primary objective. The food was good. It was great value but it was not the restaurant that you would go to for that special night out.