Overview
Celebrity chef Manu Feildel is best known through his prime-time tenure judging My Kitchen Rules. Flipping the script, Sydneysiders now have the chance to judge Feildel's skills on the pans at his charming Inner West bistro.
Occupying the upper level of the 196-year-old Red Lion Hotel in Rozelle, the restaurant is the centrepiece of a $1.5-million top-to-bottom renovation that took eight months to complete. For his return to a professional kitchen following a four-year hiatus, Fieldel—a sixth-generation chef—has created a menu of rustic French fare, including treasured recipes passed down through his family.
Manu made the decision to return to the pass at the suggestion of his long-time friend and Laundy Hotels Group Executive Chef Jamie Gannon (pictured above). "I've worked with Jaime for a long time and I'd been saying to him for a while, if anything comes up that you think would work for us, let me know. Well, when the Red Lion renovation was being planned, he asked me what I thought about it, and I thought it would be the perfect place for this kind of bistro," Feildel tells Concrete Playground. "Plus, you know, I'm a sixth-generation chef — I've done a lot of things in between, a lot of amazing experiences, but I've missed it. I've missed this — being in the kitchen."
Feildel's vision for the menu shuns flashy platings and chefy bells and whistles. "I want to make tasty food. Not stuff that just looks good, that you want to put on your Instagram, but food that tastes great. There's a lot of restaurants now that are so worried about the looks, they forget the pinch of salt on it, you know?"
In addition to a handful of Fieldel family recipes, including his father's country terrine, diners will also find dishes from the chef's back catalogue, including the scallop boudin that was a firm favourite amongst regulars at Fieldel's Paddington bistro L'Etoile, which closed in 2014. However, the chef's greatest priority has been creating an offering that has crowd-pleasing appeal.
France's greatest comfort foods feature prominently, including a double-baked comté cheese soufflé designed for sharing and a quintessential French onion soup, served with the obligatory gruyère-topped croutons. Carnivores are well served with hunger-busting mains such as the pork tomahawk, chargrilled and served with braised fennel and silky mustard sauce and of course, steaks — here, you can carve into a butcher's cut of beef accompanied by pommes dauphine and house-made sauces including peppercorn, mushroom and blue cheese.
There are also riffs on the classics. Rather than the traditional duck, confit chicken ("Because everyone loves chicken," Fieldel explains) is served on a bed of cannellini beans with and kale fricasée and a citrusy jus gras that adds a sparkling foil to the richness of the meat. Instead of the expected crêpes, flambéed canelés — the cork-shaped Bordeaux-famous pastry — get the Suzette treatment, served with vanilla ice cream.
Much like the menu, the 120-seat bistro doesn't aim to wow with opulent decor. Instead, expect the cosy vibes of a humble Parisian bistro. Amidst a muted palette of creams, egg-shell blue, taupe and the rich caramel stain of the extensive wood panelling, pops of colour from modern artworks and other objets d'art add some playful winks that echo the restaurant's relaxed, unpretentious ethos. The restored wrap-around balcony boasts some of the most prized tables in the restaurant, offering year-round al fresco dining overlooking Darling Street — the ideal spot for a long lazy lunch or a group dinner.
Images: Kitti Gould
