Bécasse
By Franz Scheurer
With so many brilliant young chefs coming out of Liam Tomlin’s Banc kitchen, doing marvellous food all over Sydney, it was never a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’ one of them would equal the master at his own game. Justin North at the new Bécasse has just achieved this. After what seems to be an eternity of boredom in the city’s dining scene it is suddenly all happening. Chefs are changing jobs, restaurants are changing hands and new and exciting places are opening up everywhere. I wonder what they’ve put into chef’s weet-bix lately?
What used to be one of the most controversial rooms in the city is now one of the most comfortable and comforting. Lots of soothing, earthy notes, attractive, noise-dampening wall drapes, great tableware and glassware and low-hanging, circular lights (reminiscent of the transporter rings in Star Gate), are matched with dexterous, professional and friendly service.
The menu is an appetising read that immediately strikes a chord. It’s hard to decide what not to order. The wine list… ahh… it’s sublime, a work of art actually! Every page surprises and any restaurant serving wine by the glass could learn from the selection at Bécasse. Every wine is carefully chosen, appropriate to Justin’s food, with so many gems amongst the already great selection, it is unequalled in Sydney.
We tried the ‘Confit of smoked Petuna ocean trout with a cauliflower pannacotta, horseradish and cucumber’, the ‘Fricassee of Spring Bay scallops and rouget with oxtail jus’ and the ‘Mosaic of confit pigs head with granny smith fondants and sauce gribiche’ from the entrée selection. Each and every dish was better than any of us imagined it could be and the pigs’ head was sensational. This is a beautifully executed dish where finesse and elegance of flavour meet bold textures. Although not at all a fusion dish, it is worthy of admiration by both East (for the texture) and West (for the flavour).
For mains we enjoyed the ‘Pan-fried mulloway with roasted parsnips and shallots, red wine sauce and thyme butter’, the ‘Roast breast and confit leg of Glenloth squab with a mushroom raviolo, pancetta and Armagnac sauce', and the ‘Pied de Cochon’. The mulloway was perfectly cooked augmented by the rich sauce and the wonderful tiny parsnips, but it was the touch of thyme that made the difference. The squab was sublime and the raviolo will stay in my taste memory forever. The deboned pigs trotter, stuffed with caramelised calves sweetbreads and lyonnaise onions then slowly braised in Madeira jus and served with an unctuous mash loaded with morels, showed Justin’s mastery with reductions. A side dish of ‘Green beans with garlic butter’ was perfect, now that is rare! This is intelligent comfort food, brilliantly executed, perfectly presented with precision timing and served with a smile. They also offer a degustation menu for $ 110 per person.
I am not sure how we managed it, but we did order three desserts and demolish them all. We ordered the ‘Coupe of quince and honey comb trifle with cinnamon anglaise and chocolate sable’, the ‘Salad of papaya, mandarin, young coconut and Vietnamese mint with mandarin sorbet’ and the ‘Tart fine of honey pear and almond frangipane with caramel ice cream’. All of them were superb with the coupe stealing the show. This is not a place that gets let down by the last dish on the menu, that’s for sure, and I must say that the petit fours offered with coffee were, in my opinion, Sydney’s best at the moment.
I would like to congratulate Justin and Georgia North and their team for creating one of Sydney’s best restaurants.
I can’t wait to go back!
Score: 9/10
For more information or bookings:
Bécasse
204 Clarence Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Tel.: 02 9283 3440