Yes, it was one of those days – horrendous rain and gusty winds on a Saturday night. But that didn’t stop us from indulging in some French cuisine! It’s been a while since our last girls’ night out. So there was nothing better than catching up over some Escargots, French crepes and Canard en croute in a dimly lit room, decadent French decor, chandeliers and antiques at Claire’s Kitchen at Le Salon.
The staff were warm and inviting, spoke with beautiful French accents and promptly attended to all our needs. Though I wasn’t too comfortable with where we were sitting. It was situated in between two doors that opened to the staff room, thus we were interrupted every now and then with the staff trying to squeeze in. Service was a little slow at the beginning (or perhaps we were just extremely hungry!) It took a while for the bread to reach the table, but it came together with our entrees. We ordered 2 entrees and 4 mains to share between the four of us. It was a great way to try out a bit of everything!
Complimentary bread
ESCARGOTS BOURGUIGNONS
Traditional French snails in garlic, parsley and Cognac butter
half dozen ($14), dozen ($22)
We couldn’t leave this place without first trying out their Escargots! In my opinion, they were a little bland and smaller than the ones served at The Little Snail. Good thing we only ordered half a dozen!
CREPE BRETONNE AUX CEPES
Vegetarian- entree size $22 / main size $30
French crepe with sauteed Blue Mountains pine and slippery jacks mushrooms
A very light entree. The crepe was very soft, mushrooms were a little bland, but the cheese added a very succulent flavour! It would have tasted better with more sauce.
CANARD EN CROUTE $36
Duck and Pinot Noir pie with melted brie under the puff pastry crust
Highlight of the night. Being labelled the chef’s specialty, it was definitely a must-have dish which did not disappoint. The shredded duck meat was flavoursome and tender, on top of some creamy potato mash. The fluffy and crispy pastry added a very unique texture to the dish. Loved it!
POITRINE DE PORC $34
Braised Limerick free range pork belly served with Puy lentils and drizzled with beetroot reduction
The pork belly was very tender. This skin was very crispy – my friend struggled to cut the skin with her knife, and we could hear the loud crunch in each other’s mouth when it was consumed! I tried to avoid the layer of fat of the pork belly, so that was the only thing left on my plate. The lentils were a little bland. Would have tasted better with more sauce!
COQ AU VIN $34
Thrilmere free range chicken braised in Burgundy wine with pearl onion, speck, button mushroom served with parsley potato
The chicken was very soft and tender. But the portions were very small. I think there were only 3 pieces of chicken in that pot, while the sauce was plentiful.
FILET DE BOEUF $38
Tasmanian grass fed beef fillet with truffled mash and shiraz and star anise jus
Yes, so being intolerant to red meat, I couldn’t enjoy the beef fillet. Such a shame as always! But according to my friends, it was divide and well-cooked. The potato mash, being the only thing I could try out on that plate, was very smooth!
Complimentary petit fours
Unfortunately, were all very full to have dessert. But the staff offered us some complimentary chocolate truffles. So very sweet of them, just like the truffles!
Claire’s Kitchen at Le Salon
35 Oxford Street
Darlinghurst
Sydney NSW 2010
http://www.claireskitchen.com.au/
krispie.kremes. 