Back in February, the doors swung open to Odd Culture’s aptly-named Pleasure Club – the hotly anticipated late-night venue bringing delightfully obscure entertainment and exceptional cocktails to a subterranean space in Newtown. Now, the team behind the boundary-pushing bar (plus other Sydney favourites including The Old Fitz, the Duke of Enmore, and the eponymous Odd Culture Newtown) has announced their latest venture: a French-inspired bistro set to open in Newtown later this month.
Bistro Grenier is set to take over the mezzanine level above the Odd Culture bar, bringing a Euro-style dining experience to what the team describes as an “under-utilised loft space”. The name itself is inspired by the French word for grain store, and the vibe will be appropriately casual, but executed with excellence.
Plates will be curated by James Macdonald, who worked the pans at what is arguably Sydney’s finest French establishment (Hubert) before taking on the role as Odd Culture’s group executive chef. The menu has been described as “relaxed, but refined” with a focus on infusing fermented food into classic and modern French dishes. Though the full menu is yet to be released, highlights are set to include Pisaladièrre (a divinely salty caramelised onion pastry crowned with hand filleted Cantabrian anchovies), Odd Culture’s take on a classic steak frites, and a self-saucing maple syrup pudding finished with buttermilk ice cream (a nod to head chef, Jesse Warkentin’s Canadian heritage).
On the drinks side, things are staying “unapologetically French”. Start with a glass of Picon (a perfectly bittersweet French aperitif) then choose from the très français wine list – which is set to feature vintage drops that have been quietly waiting in Odd Culture’s cellar for their time to shine.
Though Bistro Grenier could be seen as a more serious restaurant compared with the former use of the space (until now, the mezzanine was used as an additional dining area for Odd Culture’s ferment-forward, mod-oz menu), the French-style bistro will maintain the group’s playful, unpretentious energy.
“We decided to break free of the yoke of 'Modern Australian' and try something a bit more familiar for a while. We want to make it really approachable, cosy and warm — but at the same time use the knowledge and library we’ve built of flavour building ferments to put something really special on the plate,” says James Thorpe, Odd Culture CEO (and one of Time Out Sydney’s Future Shapers for 2024).
Odd Culture’s much-adored wine bar will remain unchanged on the ground floor, with Bistro Grenier bringing big Euro energy to the upstairs space. In the meantime, here's our list of Sydney's best French restaurants for your fix of soufflé.
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