The weather outside is newly cold and the rain clouds threaten up above. We’re driving through the city and jittery. It seems in one stretch of the road, people have lost all sense and we see a car coming right towards us going the wrong way in a one way road. A fat raindrop plops on the windscreen and some streets are closed off for a marathon or some sort of event. All I want is to be indoors and not to be threatened by the presence of pedestrians or drivers with a deathwish.

I arrive at Baroque just as a light rain falls down and take a seat in a warm bistro where the smell of bread and warm Winter food soothes me. Sometimes that’s all you need to right the day. Mr NQN joins me shortly afterwards after scoring a nearby park and the day suddenly looks much calmer and better.

We’re here to try out the Winter menu at Baroque Bistro and to taste the new season’s macarons in flavours such as chestnut and pear, black truffle and chai. The last time I was here I was making macarons with patissier Jean-Michel Raynaud. Today there is a macaron class in progress but this time we will eating. After a start like this morning’s I don’t think my nerves could have taken on macaron making.

Fricasse of calamari saffron cracker, crab cream

The calamari at first looking fat like it might be Israeli couscous is tender and the dish is restrained and delicate flavours from the lightly fragrant creamy crab soup to the very the saffron cracker which is thin and bubbly, like a very thin prawn cracker texture but with that unmistakable honeyed saffron flavour (and there are visible strands of the saffron dotted through it).

Confit bangalow pork neck, mussel and lovage emulsion, garlic, charred leek

The pork neck is a soft, melting slice of pork neck accompanied by three chargrilled leeks, a mussel emulsion and sweet baked garlic. The mussel emulsion is interesting, in fact it tastes more of mustard and the herb lovage than mussels but it is a lovely creamy accompaniment. They’re being generous with the leeks but really one or two leeks would have done proportion wise and I even enjoy pairing mouthfuls of the pork neck, the emulsion and the garlic without the leek. Interestingly this is based on a popular staff meal at Baroque (please form an orderly queue to work there!) with variations made of a pot of mussels with bacon, garlic, leek, celery and parsley. They use lovage which they grow themselves which is a celery tasting herb which like celery can overwhelm other flavours.

Barramundi, vadouvan, heirloom carrot, soubise, chicken vinaigrette

Have you ever heard of vadouvan? It’s what they consider a French curry and when they set down the barramundi in front of us the distinct but unexpected aroma of curry. The vadouvan which is dusted on top of the barramundi means that the barramundi needs a touch more seasoning as the skin s quite crispy but hard to cut against the moist fish underenath. It is paired with purple and orange heirloom carrots and a chicken vinaigrette which is quite mild. Piling the plate with chips gives it that saltiness.

Confit leg of Llandilo duck, glazed parsnip, roast onion, wood sorrel

Click here to read the full story

“I could give birth any minute now” Christie says to me as she picks me up outside of my house. My eyes widen in slight panic. I’m on my learners driver’s license and can only drive supervised. Besides which, I have very little to no experience in childbirth so I’m fairly useless in this situation. “Please don’t give birth right now! ” I say to her as we drive Northside towards Pymble.

We are headed towards Pymble to try out Dietmar Sawyere’s bistro called Ad Lib. He is of course famous for being the chef at Berowra Waters Inn and former chef of Forty One and this is said to be a more affordable nod to French Bistro food. Indeed from looking at the menu some mains can be had for less than $30 which is somewhat of a minor miracle in Sydney. The menu is broken up into three sections, hors d’oeuvres, seasonal specialities and mains. It’s a hard task deciding what to order as there are some dishes that seem a little Berowra Waters Inn and then there are some tempting French classics.

Duck Liver parfait with onion marmalade $17

We start with a dish that comes to us from the chef which thoughtfully makes ordering a bit easier. It’s the duck liver parfait with onion marmalade. It comes with some thinly sliced but still slightly soft (I don’t enjoy it when the toast is too hard) pieces of toast and in presented very well, so well that others next to us coo over the presentation and it turns out that we are sitting next to other bloggers too! The parfait is airy and moussey with a layer of liquidey fat on top. I unclip the jar and dig in. It’s fantastic, mild with liver and especially good when paired with the red onion marmalade which has an ever so slight touch of chilli which was serendipitous.

Steak Tartare $19

OK it’s time to get serious now and we need to order. Ever since I visited Montreal, it rekindled my love for steak tartare. I order a small version of this for my entree. Sometimes it comes pre mixed and sometimes it comes with the condiments separately and you need to mix them together yourself. Here it us all done for you. I take a bite and the meat is gloriously soft, just the right texture and it is perfectly seasoned with a hint of mustard, very finely diced onion, chives and a dash of Tabasco. I would imagine that you would need to know what you’re doing when seasoning this for if you let the customer mix it up themselves, then they can do what they like and the seasoning is left up to them. I’m pleased to see the salad is dressed with a lovely slightly sweet dressing and there are also some lovely grilled mushroom quarters in it.

Tarte Flamiche of leeks and gruyere, tomato, olive and shallot salad $16

Christie’s dish is the tart flamiche with leeks and gruyere. The pastry is snappily crisp and there is a thick layer of finely sauteed leeks and gruyere. The leeks are sauteed until translucent but not caramelised so that they don’t become sweet. Interestingly it is served cold whereas we both prefer pastry warm. It is served with a tomato, olive and shallot salad.

Snowy Mountains trout fillet, yabbie tails, lemon, capers, parsley $38

Click here to read the full story