tastebound.com

It was Eric’s birthday last week, so we used this as an opportunity to try out a new restaurant. Since we did a gorgeous French meal last year at Tabou, I decided to take up the French theme once again and made a booking for a newish restaurant in an elegant sandstone block building just off of Taylor Square on Bourke Street.

The space itself is just charming, with exposed sandstone walls, hardwood floors, and cramped bistro tables primly clothed in starched white cloth. We were seated at a window table in the rear room, which had an interesting vantage point for viewing the goings-on in the kitchen around the corner, and the pretty courtyard behind the restaurant, which provided an unwelcome source of cigarette smoke later in the meal.

Across the courtyard, a view of the kitchen through the dining room window

All in all, the meal had its highlights, but also had its share of low points, like the overcooked scallops and the intermittent service. We started with a bottle of Chateau Lafitte something-or-other. Since they kept our bottle at the bar, I never did get a good look at the label, after selecting a mid-priced burgundy off the list. Whatever it was, it was lovely, though the wait staff were not attentive in keeping our glasses full during the meal and we ended up with a quarter of the bottle still left over dessert. I’m not sure how I feel about the practice of keeping diners’ wine bottles away from the table. I usually enjoy studying the label a bit, as most often I am ordering a wine I haven’t tried before, as we did that night. In fact, our table was small and the room cramped, so I can see why they do it, but as I looked at the wine and mineral water bottles lined up on the bar, I wondered how often someone gets a top-up from the wrong bottle.

We were among the first guests with a 7pm reservation. The staff were friendly, but obviously overworked, particularly as the evening went on and the restaurant filled. Two different staff alternated during the meal, which felt a bit too casual and ad hoc. For our first course, Eric ordered stuffed zucchini flowers, which were filled with crab and corn and then lightly battered and fried. Very delicious, and quite beautiful on the plate. I chose the duck terrine. This was absolutely wonderful and exploding with flavour, though disappointingly, I was halfway finished before the staff brought bread to the table. By that point, I had given up hope that there would be any bread. What’s a terrine without bread? Possibly you could say it was worth the wait, however, as the bread was crusty, moist and hot, and tasted like it had just come out of the oven. They also dispensed a small dish of intensely flavoured olive oil. It was hard not to gorge on the bread in order to leave room for our mains.

Stuffed Zucchini Florettes

Duck Terrine with Pureed Roasted Garlic and Balsamic Reduction

Fresh Bread served with fruity virgin Olive Oil

My main was satisfying and hearty. I had a panfried kingfish, which was served on a bed of roasted vegetables—baby beets, parsnips and spring onions. Eric ordered the scallops, and as pointed out above, these were disappointingly tough. They were accompanied by some equally overcooked calamari and gritty clams, so the dish was a thorough disappointment for a $40 plate. We were encouraged to order a side, so we got the whipped potatoes.

Kingfish on a bed of Roasted Vegetables

Scallops, Pesto Clams, and Calamari on a bed of Artichoke Hearts, Potatoes, and Mushrooms

Dessert was a highlight, and we shared the chocolat fondant. Not only did we share it, but we couldn’t even finish it, it was so decadent. Maybe next time we’ll just come for dessert. Or maybe just for bread and olive oil.

Chocolate Fondant with Vanilla Ice Cream

Overall, the meal was not French so much as “modern australian” with a french influence. This place seems to have a lot of potential. But given the inattentive service, disappointing main, and wafting cigarette smoke (I guess that was the “French” part), we probably won’t go back.

Le Pelican
Entrées $18-$20
Mains $25-$40
Dessert $12-$13
Licensed, although you can BYO wine with corkage ($10)

Shop 2
411 Bourke St
Surry Hills 2010 NSW
Phone: (02) 9380 2622