Restaurant Hubert Bridge Bon Appetit, Sydney

Bridge Bon Appetit? It's the newest dining space open at Restaurant Hubert, a sophisticated wine bar that runs the length of the mezzanine corridor above the main Beatrix dining room. Diners waiting for tables downstairs are redirected here for drinks but it's a worthwhile dining destination of its own, with a distinct menu separate to both Restaurant Hubert and Bar Pincer.

We arrive so early on a Saturday afternoon that Bridge Bon Appetit isn't even open - their doors are unlocked at 6pm. Instead we're invited to wait downstairs inside Bar Pincer (both Bar Pincer and Restaurant Hubert open at 5pm).


Prime beef tartare $24
Wagyu topside, classic condiments and French fries from Bar Pincer

Pre-dinner drink? We opt for a pre-dinner tartare instead. Because #priorities

The prime beef tartare arrives within five minutes and it's just as good as we remembered. The hand-cut beef is lusciously chewy and zingy with the just the right amount of cornichons. A tumble of skinny French fries provide the hot and salty crunch we're looking for.


Counter dining on the mezzanine Bridge Bon Appetit overlooking the Beatrix Dining Room

We head back on flight of stairs to Bridge Bon Appetit. The mezzanine corridor wasn't originally designed for diners. It was merely a passageway to the private theatre at the end of the corridor. But it works as a wine bar set-up, the corridor flanked by timber beam counters lined with stools.

It's dim and moody up here, with tasselled lamps acting as natural dividers between cosying couples. The muffled din of diners downstairs can be heard, and if you peek over the edge of the railing you can score a flat lay view of everything that people are eating below.



La petit roe boat $18 for 2 pieces
Uni, avruga, salmon roe and cod roe barquette

We start with the la petit roe boat, surely the cleverest play on words we've seen this year. Set sail on a crisp barquette boat loaded with uni sea urchin roe, avrugar caviar and salmon roe on a bed of whipped cod roe.

Four kinds of eggs in one mouthful? Bliss. Every component is superbly plump and fresh. And if you're a party of three, the kitchen will happily tweak the usual serving size from two boats to three.


Saucisson sec and pickles $16
Pork and black pepper salami and pickled vegetables

The saucisson sec makes for an ideal snack pre-, post- or for your dinner. We pick our way through chunky slices of cured fatty-flecked pork salami and the tangy sourness of pickled carrots, celery and cauliflower. The only thing that's missing is a crusty baguette.


Anchois $22 with Hubert baguette and butter $6
Angelachu anchovies with eschalot and brown butter

Housemade baguettes are available. We follow our waiter's advice and order ours with the angelachu anchovies, regarded by many as the best anchovies in the world. The anchovy fillets are pristine, fishes from the Cantabrian Sea in northern Spain and then salted for six to nine months.

We're instructed to make a mini anchovy sandwich here, slathering the baguette with brown butter before layering it with the anchovy fillet, eschalot rings and greens. It's simple but satisfying, and the anchovy fillets are remarkably good, with an earthy saltiness that maintains delicate refinement.


Veal tartare $24
Raw veal, rosemary and pane carasau

Can you have two tartares in one evening? Absolutely. The veal tartare is distinctly different from the version downstairs, its dressing more noticeably tangy along with a hint of chilli. We're not sure that the shards of pane carasau, a Sardinian flat bread, work in this dish, but we do relish the salt bush. And the slightly mouth-tingling seasoning is reminiscent of Japanese shichimi togarashi.


Posson marine $18
Cured fish and native succulent vinaigrette

There's much to like about the cured John Dory too, firm and fresh fish. But it's the native succulent vinaigrette that really steals the show, a vivid green richness that's so tasty we want to lick the plate clean.


Caviar omelette $36
Omelette, creme fraiche and caviar buerre blanc

For maximum luxe, it's hard to go past the caviar omelette drowned in a lake of buerre blanc sauce. The omelette is soft and barely set, like the airiest pillow. We're told the sauce is actually half buerre blanc and half miso. The miso adds an umami complexity to the French butter sauce, marked with popped of caviar and the gentle crunch of chives.


Corn pudding 

Desserts change regularly. We're saddened that the mont blanc is not available but do order the corn pudding, an ode to corn on a plate. The corn pudding is strangely comforting, its silky texture contrasted with a rubble of different tastes and textures, everything from fermented corn kernels to walnuts to white chocolate and fresh tarragon.

The nutty toasted corn kernels will bring you flashbacks of popcorn as your brain tries to process a dessert that's equal parts savoury and sweet. It's different. It's fun. It's so very Restaurant Hubert.






Bridge Bon Appetit at Restaurant Hubert
15 Bligh Street, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9232 0881

Opening hours
Monday to Saturday 6pm-12am


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