Located in the cosy alleyways of Chippendale, Sydney, Gavroche is a established French restaurant with dim lights, soft music and a vast selection of red wines to romantacise your taste buds into Paree heaven.
We did a la carte because we saw no value in the set menu ($85pp). Overall we spent $60 per person, including a bottle of wine.
We did a la carte because we saw no value in the set menu ($85pp). Overall we spent $60 per person, including a bottle of wine.
Food
We started off with a tartare de boeuf, a small serving for $25. This was a wagyu beef tartare with condiments, quail egg yolk & croutons. The beef was cut into chunky pieces but still retained a tender mouthfeel – a benefit from using wagyu cuts. It had a good combination of parsley, chives and pickles mixed into the tartare, giving it a savoury and earthy taste. This was complemented by the croutons, which was thin slices of bread turned into hard and crunchy crackers.
We bravely ordered escargots de bourgogne for $25. This was half dozen Burgundy snails served with parsley, garlic butter and baguette. First of all, the bread was soft and fluffy, with a fine crispy exterior. Secondly, the snails – if you can get past the mental image – were chewy and tender. And finally the flavour, ooooft. Garlic butter is the jam! It was like dipping the snail in a warm, oily bath of liquid gold. It was delicious! 🤤
Did you even have French food if you didn’t order pâté de foie de canard for $23? This was duck liver parfait served with pickles and baguettes. This was one of the smoothest and creamiest parfaits we’ve had in Sydney, comparable to Hubert (LINK). The flavour was rich; perhaps too rich for most as no one wanted to eat it on its own, but I had no issues licking the jar clean. I love a rich fatty pate.
The baguqette was fresh, with fluffy insides again, and a crispy, aromatic crust. The pickles had a good balance of sweetness and acidity. They were gobbled up very fast by my friends.
The baguqette was fresh, with fluffy insides again, and a crispy, aromatic crust. The pickles had a good balance of sweetness and acidity. They were gobbled up very fast by my friends.
This soupe à l’oignon à la truffe for $21 was magnifique. It was a savoury and delicious warm broth, with aromatic onions and truffle oil; infused with a melting comté cheese. Paired with the crispy baguette and 😘 *chef’s kiss* it was so good on this cold evening.
For our mains, we tried the canard confit. This was a $42 duck leg confit made in house, served with mashed potatoes & creamy duck sauce. The duck tasted refined and flavourful, with tender flesh and crispy skin. The only downside was the serving. There was only one drumstick for this pricetag. The accompanied mashed potato was a looser consistency. It was well seasoned, garnished with chives.
Our second mains was the moules frites. This was 1kg of mussels with our choice of fermented chilli butter, served with fries for $45.
All the mussels were fresh, with a bit of a bouncy chew to them. The sauce was really good too, elevating the umami through the butter and spice. It did get a little too chilli halfway through so for those with lower tolerances, I highly recommend a different sauce option. And the French fries were perfect: crispy exterior with fluffy fillings.
All the mussels were fresh, with a bit of a bouncy chew to them. The sauce was really good too, elevating the umami through the butter and spice. It did get a little too chilli halfway through so for those with lower tolerances, I highly recommend a different sauce option. And the French fries were perfect: crispy exterior with fluffy fillings.
Service
The service was attentive and on point. We were a little slow. We kept talking and not eating, so they subtly nudged us to hurry along at multiple points throughout our dining session (by clearing plates and offering another drink). This was fine with us because we forgot there was a 2 hour eating window. 🥴
Review
Gavroche was a nice restaurant with the right vibes, service and food for a good dining experience. If I needed an alternative to the overly hyped Hubert, I would come back to this restaurant for its reasonable price tag too. I don’t understand why French cuisine is so expensive in Sydney but alas, the price we pay for pâté.
Thanks for reading. Happy eating!
Thanks for reading. Happy eating!
