Recently, we dined at La Chouette, a French bistro located in a suburban area, Hunters Hill. The heritage house turned into a fine and cozy dining space. Only two persons run the show: a husband and wife. The man is the chef while the wife manages the serving duties. We arrived genuinely excited to see how the kitchen would marry bold ideas with classic French comfort. Lucky, on the day we visited, they just newly launched a few menus like sea urchin and caviar and baked prawns. What followed was a meal full of promise, a few lovely highlights and several surprising missteps.
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| Steak tartare with egg yolk, aioli, anchoiade and pomme frites $35 (small) |
First menu arrived and the evening began on a high with a beautifully seasoned steak tartare. Fresh, lean and mixed with just the right punch of acidity. It was an incredible dish. One of the best steak tartare I had ever eaten actually.
But then came the unexpected letdown, instead of the usual crisp cracker or even a slice of rustic French bread, the tartare arrived with chips. While quirky, it felt out of step with an otherwise elegant dish and took away from the traditional tartare accompaniments. I also overheard the table next to us asking the same thing. The French fries just didn't really match.
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| Sea urchin (cold) with cauliflower mousse, crustacean bisque jelly and black lumpfish caviar $30 |
La Chouette's new menu leans into luxury ingredients, but sometimes the idea outshines the execution. The sea urchin dish was certainly eye-catching. It was plated with intention and priced accordingly. Unfortunately, despite the impressive components, the flavours didn't quite sing together. Instead of a rich, briny harmony, the dish felt a little disjoined, as though the ingredients were standing next to each other rather than working as one.
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| Burgundy snail - served in shell with garlic butter and parsley $26 for half dozen |
We also ordered the snails, which were comforting in their buttery, garlicky sauce. It is classic and satisfying.
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| Pan fried foie gras with seasonal fruits/vegies, sweet corn sauce and poutargue $36 |
The foie grass was smooth and rich, a decadent treat that leaned into the restaurant's French identity.
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| Duck confit served with pickled cabbage, carrot mash, citrus sweet and sour sauce $45 |
For our mains, we ordered the duck confit. It was well-seasoned and hearty with tender meat.
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| Jack's Creek black angus sirloin MB4 $55 |
Both steak dishes were cooked decently - good char, solid flavour. I think their steaks are the best. Nicely cooked, medium rare as we asked for. The sirloin came with bearnaise sauce and some French fries, while the tenderloin was served with some duxelle or minced mushroom and roasted vegies in red wine and black vinegar sauce.
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| Beef tenderloin (Riverain 200g) $50 |
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| Aguna murray cod fillet $55 |
The cod was where things faltered the most. While the flavour was mild and pleasant, the fillet arrived with quite a few bones still attached, making it rather unsafe for a five years old kid to enjoy. And for $55 just for a piece of fish fillet, they definitely went overboard.
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| Creme brulee $18 |
Now, let's move on to their dessert. I like their creme brulee the most. Classic and well executed. The crack of the sugar top was satisfying and the custard underneath was silky and smooth. While the choux was light and not so sweet but the pistachio cream was not standout at all. Not impressed with this. The last dessert we got was the souffle. She recommended this dish and I noticed around other tables, many people ordered this as well. When this arrived on our table, I was impressed with the height. Delicate texture, but the sourness from passionfruit sauce was extremely sour and overpowering. What a pity!
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| Paris brest pistachio $22 |
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| Souffle served with passionfruit coulis and ice cream $22 |
La Chouette is clearly striving for something special - elevated French cuisine in the heart of Hunters Hill - and in several instances, the ambition shows. The tartare, foie gras and desserts all demonstrate what the restaurant can do. But this visit also revealed inconsistancies: mismatched accompaniments, luxury ingredients whose flavours didn't quite harmonise and technical oversights like bones in the cod. With refinement and attention to detail, the restaurant has the potential to be a true gem. Still, we left with full stomachs, as a few memorable bites and curiosity to see how the menu evolves.
54 Alexandra St, Hunters Hill
Ph: +61 2 8084 2428
Open: Dinner Tue - Sat from 5:30pm til late and Sunday lunch from 12pm
