Renovations at Bistro Moncur

March 2007

By Franz Scheurer

Designers of corporate logos long ago worked out how to modify the existing corporate image, bringing it into the present, without losing the company’s identity; after all there’s no point in alienating all the goodwill acquired over many years by a drastic visual change. This is exactly what Damien Pignolet and his partners at Bistro Moncur have successfully done with their recent renovations. When you first walk in and take your seat you mightn’t even notice the changes, although it won’t be long before you do. They’re as effective as they are subtle.

Gone is the low, flat ceiling, in its place a beautiful, tall, semi-circular roof with light wooden slats, incorporating the lights and service channels as black feature dividers. The air conditioning returns are at the side, running the full length of the room, part of a thin, metal strip that you won’t even notice. This gives the whole restaurant a feeling of spaciousness, it suddenly feels much bigger, due to the huge amount of sound-dampening material out of sight above the ceiling, however, the noise level has been brought down substantially despite the newly finished, hard-surfaced wooden floorboards. Every bit of wood at the bar has also been refinished and all the lighting is new and wonderfully effective. For the customer this means an even more relaxed dining experience, while the kitchen has also been revamped, with a raised floor level, new equipment and air conditioning making the chefs’ lives a little easier.

What has not changed is the fabulous food, French bistro-style dishes that belie their complexity by appearing simple. Damien serves without a doubt the best ‘Entrecôte Café de Paris’ and chips in Sydney and his rillettes are rustic and sensational. His calf’s liver is perhaps the best I’ve ever eaten, the quality of the liver itself simply perfect, no sinew or flaws, cut to perfect thickness, and cooked wonderfully rare (as requested); a sublime experience indeed.

Damien Pignolet is not only a talented chef and craftsman but also an intuitive judge of what the Sydney dining public wants. Bistro Moncur’s menu is a great read, which makes it hard to decide what to order, add to this the list of daily specials and you’ll find yourself promising to return as often as it takes to eat your way through the entire menu. With efficient, knowledgeable and friendly service an interesting and appropriate wine list, the space is packed every lunch and dinner. So, as they don’t accept bookings, it’s worth arriving early.

We are indeed lucky to have someone in Sydney like Damien Pignolet concentrating his efforts on bistro-food. He might be overqualified for the task, but who’s complaining?

Score: 9/10

For more information:

Bistro Moncur

116 Queen Street

Woollahra NSW 2025

Tel: 02 9363 2519