Overview
It was a sad day when Gastro Park closed its doors, and an even sadder day when Grant King's next restaurant in the space, Antipodean, closed after less than a year in operation. After being vacant for over a year, the Potts Point digs have finally been snatched up by chef and hospitality veteran Opel Khan, who has just opened French restaurant Métisse in the Roslyn Street corner spot.
In French, Métisse means "mixed race", a nod to the way the menu blends cuisines and cultures. Khan has Bangladeshi Australian background and was classically trained in France. And he's signed on a team of all-French chefs in the kitchen. These include head chef Benoit Lollichon (from the three-Michelin starred Guy Savoy restaurant) and Khan's 19-year-old daughter Lucinda Khan as sous chef. Khan is no newcomer to the restaurant industry either, having managed and owned 15 Australian restaurants, including the now-closed Surry Hills' French-Indian resto Guru and Beluga.
At Métisse, diners can taste fine-dining French fare without the completely out-of-control prices. All entrées are priced at $18, all sides (including truffled mash) at $10 and mains at $28. Expect beef tartare crostini prepared tableside; foie gras parfait served with brioche and air-dried beetroot 'snow'; and butter and saffron poached salmon with asparagus. A house specialty is the duck a l'orange — layers of crispy duck confit, potato and caramelised orange sauce, paired with a pure gold-dusted quail egg.
Try the lot with the five course degustation dinner, which includes paired wines for a pretty reasonable $100 (and also comes with a vego option). These set menus will be available every night, and exclusively on Fridays and Saturdays.
Metisse is now open at 5–9 Roslyn Street, Potts Point. It's open from 5pm–midnight, Tuesday–Sunday.