Monday, June 22, 2009

Bistro Bruno - not so controversial

Bistro Bruno (3 Beattie St, Balmain) has been open for a while now, but we've only just managed to visit. And how's that for timing, with the new Bruno movie opening now as well?

This Bruno is named for its owners (Richard and Lisa Bruno), and it used to house Bistro Stock, a favourite restaurant in Balmain's crowded eating scene. Bistro Bruno has kept the same tried-and-true style of food - Modern Australian done efficiently and well.



Apart from the food, obviously, I think a dining experience is made with the service and atmosphere. Bistro B is darkly intimate but is also popular with tables of friends who want a nice, civilised night out. The service we received was friendly, from Lisa and an Irish waiter.

Starters Seared scallops on roasted aubergine relish, with preserved lemon salad; Chicken rillette with croutes, cornichons, romesco sauce and salad (a very large serve!)

Mains Confit duck leg with potato lyonnaise, beetroot and bourbon apple; Beef and Guinness potted pie with Gruyere-laced mash and watercress salad (a massive pie with beef and mash under pastry).

I made a bit of a mess...

Desserts
Pistachio choc-top ice cream cone with yoghurt date slice; Licorice parfait with chocolate sauce and sugar bark (this was a special and it was fabulous).
All up, it was a pleasant night out. The lighting could have been brighter so that my photos were better, but I don't eat out just for the picture-taking. Or do I???

7 comments:

  1. OOh love their presentation and hee hee at the crumbs :P

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  2. That pie looks amazing! So great for winter as well. And pistachio choc-top - amazing! I want to try one :)

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  3. Hear hear with the pie! I know you're not meant to eat this kind of pie for the pastry but it looks so tasty, I don't even care what's underneath it! :D

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  4. It looks delicious. I really need to get to Balmain more often. So are you going to see Bruno the movie? ;)

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  5. wow the food and presentation looks amazing, a very nice find which I probably would of had no idea about!

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  6. The licorice parfait looks amazing! You're so lucky you live in this area, I wish it was closer to me!

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  7. Hi FFichban – put some food on a big white plate and it automatically looks good! Must try that myself some time...

    Hi Betty – yes, the pie was fantastic, so filling and warming. The choc-top is really cute, isn’t it?

    Hi Gummi Baby – same here, I ate most of the pastry because it was so yummy. The meat and potato inside was nice as well, but the pastry did it for me.

    Hi Lorraine – I don’t know about the Bruno movie... might wait for the dvd to come out so that I can exclaim and gasp at his antics in the privacy of my lounge room!

    Hi Howard – I’m surprised! You seem to eat out so often that I’d be amazed if there is any place you don’t know about!

    Hi Steph – Balmain has some good places (and Zumbo, of course). But you are such a good cook that you could whip up such fabulous dishes yourself! And yes, the licorice parfait was so fab, I need to find the recipe.

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