Passionfruit

What better way to plan our next trip to Europe than in a beautiful dining room in Paddington, with the charm of provincial France? French food in Australia was once so cliched to the point of being stale, but modern expressions are anything but dull.

For many years, Guillaume Brahimi has been elevating the cause of French dining in Australia. The wow factor you have from dining in the Opera House is gone, left in the wake of a luxurious part-French, part-Hamptons house. I only tried the Opera House version once; an experience that provided enough great moments to merit today’s Sunday lunch.

Amuse

Sunday lunch is only offered at Guillaume on the first Sunday of each month. There is a five course set menu with a choice of two desserts for $150 a person. The diners here have come for more than just the food, it is a glamorous feeling and there is an atmosphere of excitement.

Kingfish

This feeling in the dining room requires a start of Champagne and Perrier Jouet seems just right. Luckily it goes beautifully with the amuse bouche, which is a delicious diced tuna concoction complete with foam for a bit of pizzazz. Next up is our first course of Kingfish from Bateau Bay with smoked eel, shiso, walnuts and apple. Guillaume spells out where each star ingredient is from, and it shows the care and pride taken in his approach to sourcing. Looking at the size of this dish we take a deep breath knowing we probably should not have eaten breakfast, and a bircher muesli at that! In any case, each bite of the generous portion of kingfish is delicious and the combination with smoked eel works along with the classic apple and walnut flavours, and a gorgeous lemon sauce. If nothing else, a touch more apple for each bite would be good, but this is a fantastic start to the meal.

Hens of the Woods

With that positive start behind us we go on to the “Hens of the Woods” dish of intrigue. Catherine and I had been talking about how we don’t miss the proliferation of egg based dishes during degustation menus on the Friday night. So initially the egg “oeuf mollet” from Bulla in Victoria was not overly exciting. But if any culture can prepare the perfect egg, it is the French, and when adorned with gorgeous mushrooms, truffle, and the crisp layered potato, you have a terrific dish.

KIng George Whiting

By this stage we had moved on to the Paringa chardonnay, which naturally suits the next course. From Port Lincoln in South Australia, the King George Whiting is extremely exciting. This is one of my favourite fishes, but it needs accompaniments that lift it given its subtle flavour. The whiting itself is perfectly cooked, but the accompaniments of celeriac puree, and the sauce, whilst good, was not the quality of the previous dishes. The dish needed texture, but it was a bit fiddly with the crisp bread. There is some work to do.

Beef

The next dish was something else though. The wagyu beef from New England in New South Wales is stunning. Paris mash is served at the table from the fancy saucepan. This mash and the turnip puree are outstanding accompaniments, and the jus is delightful too. Adding to the finesse of the dish is a glorious wine from Saint-Emilion combining merlot and cabernet franc in the best possible way, with just the right age to work with the beef.

Valrhona chocolate

We had to try each of the desserts, so Catherine ordered the passionfruit souffle, and I chose the Valrhona chocolate. The souffle sources passionfruit from Gympie, but the star of any amazing souffle is the technique of the pastry chef. This is no exception. Add some theatre from the pouring of creme anglaise at the table and you have an exemplary performance. The banana and passionfruit sorbet is perfect too, adding refreshment and balance to each taste.

Petit fours

They are both different, but the Valrhona chocolate is the equal of the other dessert. The components of chocolate shards, biscuit, hazelnut cream, and textural chocolate crumb, all combine into a complete and delicious dessert. It doesn’t get more French than some souffle and chocolate for dessert, and we are perfectly fine with that! On top of this the pre-dessert was also beautiful (lychee, mango, coconut featured) and the petit fours we tried of the several offered were all fantastic!

The service is performed by a mainly French staff, adding to the feel of the restaurant. On the whole the operation is seamless, but there are some minor misses, mainly with my Aussie accent, that mean there is still the opportunity to improve. However, on one particular front the staff went above and beyond, meaning small misses can easily be overlooked.

To say this is a pleasant way to spend Sunday afternoon is a dramatic understatement. The servings are generous, the ingredients in the dishes are indulgent, and more importantly, work together in mostly classical ways, but with the right touches to enhance the flavour. Add some elegant wines to the mix, professional service and a dining room to remember, and you have all the hallmarks of what I love in a restaurant.