Bordeaux Night

This August, step into the laneway for an evening steeped in the decadence of Bordeaux. You will taste from a wine lineup that elegantly traverses Right Bank and Left, while leaning into a set menu ($95) that calls to mind the classic brasseries of France's wine capital. Moody red claret and golden doughnuts plump with duck liver parfait beckon...

Although celebrated for its wine, Bordeaux is also renowned for its food; its markets and brasseries, its Arcachon Bay oysters, duck, lamb, à la Bordelaise sauce and pastries. It’s with this in mind, along with memories of his own trip to Saint-Émilion, that Head Chef Tom Cleland has devised a splendid set menu ($95 per person) for the night.

To begin, ‘Oysters & Crépinette’ – a Sydney Rock oyster, served with a little pork, truffle and duck liver sausage, wrapped in lacy crépine, or caul fat; a Full Proof doughnut filled with duck liver parfait and persimmon; and a confit duck croquette with white bean puree. Next, pressed lamb belly with walnuts; and mushrooms à la Bordelaise - a rich red wine jus, flecked with bone marrow – on sourdough. Enjoy magret de canard - dry aged Maremma duck breast served simply with salted plums and a leaf salad. Finalement! A rum-infused caramelised canelé.

To drink, there will be a stellar lineup of five exemplary expressions of wines from Bordeaux. Try a crisp Château Thieuley Semillon Sauvignon 2023; Le Petit Comptoir ‘Blanc’ 2024, an aromatic, organic white; the Mingot family’s Domaine des Marechaux Bordeaux Supérieur 2023; an elegant Petit Corbin-Despagne Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2021; and the Château le Crock Saint-Estèphe Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel 2019. These are available by the glass or bottle, or selected as a five-glass pairing with the menu ($95).

Bookings are enthusiastically encouraged, and walk-ins are welcome.