It was a picture perfect Sydney Winter’s day last Sunday. We’d spent some time in The Rocks and instead of enjoying the street styled dining of one of the many options in that part of town we decided to live it up a little and try out the recently opened Le Foote (https://swillhouse.com/venues/le-foote).
Le Foote is the latest horse in the Swillhouse stable. It joins some of Sydney’s most recognised names in food, Restaurant Hubert and Alberto’s Lounge, and legendary bars, The Baxter Inn, Shady Pines Saloon, and of course, the infamous, Frankies Pizza (RIP). Hubert’s is my favourite Restaurant in Sydney, having spent several family celebrations in this basement homage to the French bistro, and expectations were high that this new offering would also hit the spot.
With no reservation we rode our luck. Le Foote is really three venues in one, a wine bar right at the front door and upstairs for that Euro wine bar experience, a more causal dining courtyard in the middle, and a much more formal, double linen tablecloth restaurant towards the rear of the space. It’s huge!
We wanted the whole nine yards, and it was the restaurant as our number 1 choice. With no tables available in the main area, we were offered a spot at the bar. If you have never eaten at the bar area at a fine dining restaurant, I’d highly recommend it. It puts you right in the middle of the action. Close to the kitchen to see the chefs in all their chaotic glory, and close to the bar which ensures the best attention from the very busy bartenders. There was only 2 of us so the bar seat offered was perfect. More than 2 you would definitely want a table to make conversation easier but the bar is perfect for 2.
Did I mention the benefits of being close to the bartenders? Before we even looked at the food and wine menus it was an Old Fashioned and Dirty Martini to start. Perfect.
The food offerings have a Mediterranean feel with an Australian flavour. There’s a fancy new grill out front that’s a real centrepiece and provides all the magic. The banquet options looked pretty good value but with only 2 of us it was selections from the menu for us.
Decisions made; orders given. The beef tartare ($26), and the octopus ($30) to begin. The starters menu is extensive, although it’s on the pricey side, but nothing unexpected for this type and quality of venue.
We chose from an extensive wine list. Rather than separated by style the wine list is divided by region, think Italy, Spain, France, Australia/ NZ etc., and then by style. We settled on a 2020 Pinot Noir from The Hermit Ram in New Zealand (www.thehermitram.com), a whole bunch pinot that should go well enough with the beef and pork choices. It’s a solid pinot with blackberry and raspberry so should hold up to the richness of the beef yet not overpower the pork. Wine ranges in price from around $90 a bottle to whatever the hell you want to pay!
Just enough time for a couple of lemon twist martini’s before the food
arrived. Did I say sitting next to the bartenders had advantages?
Yeah, so the food is really good. Expectations were met and exceeded!
The tartare was fresh and light with the egg yolk sitting in the middle ready to be broken into the dish. The octopus was tender, beautifully grilled, with just enough of a char to add that magic grill flavour. The Black Angus, already sliced, had a crispy, charred coating from the grill and the middle was a perfect pink to match our medium rare order. The Pork cotoletta was probably my favourite dish. The pork was moist and so, so tender and the breadcrumb coating was light and perfectly fried. It put my homemade chicken schnitzel to absolute shame. I know I said we had mashed potato, but this is nothing like my mash either! Sensational.
After all that food it was only fair to
finish with something nice. Pedro Ximenez sherry, and a Sazerac (Bulleit Rye/ Bulleit Bourbon/ absinthe) were the choices today. If there is a better sherry than a PX then I’m yet to taste it.
All up this is a very, very good restaurant for a special day or night out. The food was top notch, and the atmosphere nails the busy grill/ bistro feel. The staff were attentive all day whether that was food or drinks. And, as I said, I love the location at the bar where you can have a quick chat to the wait staff and bar staff which I find really adds to the experience. It’s a highly recommended venue from my perspective. It’s not cheap but it’s a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.
Brilliant once again Simon!