I love a restaurant that it is true to itself. There are so many “maybe” restaurants out there with confused food orientation. So often I am told that a restaurant is a little Italian with a touch of French Indian and the décor has Asian overtones. Really? So it was with some joy that I sat down to sample the food at Baroque Bistro in the Rocks. I then hosted my wonderful friend Justin Walters from Cuttings NSW on my show – he always brings the best wines and I had the boys from Baroque Bistro who brought in some great food and an assortment of to-die-for macarons.
I am and always have been a very lazy ‘blogger’ I love the radio show, can talk the hind legs of a donkey and fall in and out of love with every chef that comes onto the show. So while I try really hard to update and sometimes am fantastic at it I usually suck at the written information highway. It is therefore good that Baroque has some excellent photos and that every Tom, Dick and Martha is featuring them at the moment. I did enjoy the restaurant experience hence the effort.
Here are a few good reasons to visit Baroque Bistro and Patisserie
The two head chefs are very accomplished. French born Jean Michel Raynaud is a multi award-winning pastry chef who began his incredible career under the tutelage of master patissier, Robert Schicci in Marseille and his exceptional talents for pulling sugar, piping and chocolate carving ensured his meteoric rise to head pastry chef by the age of 20. He has worked in some of the world’s most recognized institutions including famous 3-Michelin starred French restaurant “Le Petit Nice”.
Jean Michel
Peter Robertson has done a stint with French master Tony Bilson. Overseas he enjoyed a spell at Heston Blumenthal’s internationally applauded, 3-Michelin starred restaurant, The Fat Duck, as well as at progressive institution Tom Aikens. Time in Parisian institution Aux Lyonnais under bistro-cooking maestro Alain Ducasse followed, capitalising on Peter’s Bilson’s experience and further consolidated his love for producing top quality French-bistro fare.
Peter
What I loved about both of them was that in my studio they got right into the food and the wine and knew how to have a laugh. In my book a chef has to have a sense of humour and if they can flirt even better. The food is also very reasonably priced which makes a change especially down in the Rocks. My dinner at Baroque consisted of some of the dishes they have just included on their Les Quatre Saisons De Baroque Seasonal Event which took place this week. Baroque Bistro joined with Tscharke wines and the Sydney Youth Orchestra for an inspired evening of food, music and wine. I recently listened to the youth orchestra at the Sydney Town Hall and was blown away by their exquisite music.
My BFF (my 6 year old son recently told me what that means) Janine who is so often my food companion (that is how I keep her loving me, free food) and I were treated to some very good fare. Top quality seasonal ingredients (let me just say that today if a restaurant is not preparing seasonal produce eat somewhere else). The food was balanced and interesting and you got a sense of where Peter had cut his teeth in terms of his technique. I always know that it is a good meal when Janine and I spend most of our night making gooey sounds with intermittent bouts of tears and then peels of laughter.
The décor is right up my alley too, beautiful elements housed in a deconstructed heritage listed building, glass and copper shine and reflect the warm tones highlighting the quirky space. There was overall good attention to detail and the food presentation was impressive. The wine list worked well with the French Bistro cuisine.
The textured dessert was heavenly. Sex on a plate! and the beautiful Macarons were worth their weight in gold and even though I was sure that I was very full I managed to gulp down three. They crack, ooze and have that wonderful slightly chewy bite to them. The Chai flavour was my favourite but I know they have some additional seasonal specials and they are all worth a go.
The restaurant is really worth a visit and the patisserie is fantastic.
Contact Baroque on (02) 9241 4811, for bookings. www.baroquebistro.com.au 88 George Street (cnr of Hickson Road), The Rocks Sydney
