L’Heritage is possibly home to the most beautiful dining table in Sydney. The table for two is draped in a white tablecloth with soft and buttery leather seats, positioned right by the window overlooking the azure ocean and pristine Chowder Bay. It looks like it’s been plucked from the pages of a fancy home magazine, or really, the south of France.
Don’t worry if you don’t get that table, though. I reckon there’s not a bad seat in the rustic, farmhouse chic dining room, which features wooden floorboards, glittering chandeliers, antique fixtures and pretty florals. The French bistro is housed in a heritage-listed former army drill hall that was built in the 1890s, so charm oozes out of the restaurant just like the twice-baked gruyère and caramelised onion soufflé.
Speaking of food, the menu is headed up by French-born Audibert-Lebon, who cooks the things he loves to eat at his favourite Parisian bistros. So all the classics are there: escargots with garlic and parsley butter, steak frites with a pepper sauce, and duck à l'orange. There’s also a solid selection of fresh seafood, which makes sense when you’re so close to the water you can smell the salt in the breeze. Audibert-Lebon’s signature dish is the bouillabaisse, which bursts with seafood flavour and plump prawns, mussels, scallops, salmon and barramundi. It’s served with a side of rouille, a garlicky mayo-like sauce that’s delicious. The best bit? If you don’t share, you can double dip as you please.
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Pair your meal with a glass of Champagne, vino from Europe or a bottle from a top Aussie winery. For dessert, you could finish on a silky crème caramel, tarte tatin or a selection of French cheese. Or go to town and order it all – I promise we won’t tell anyone.
L’Heritage spells romance with a capital R. So if you’re an admirer of fine French fare and are looking for your next place to take your hot date, Chowder Bay’s bistro will deliver.
Time Out tip: There is parking available nearby L’Heritage, but if you would like to enjoy a glass or two, Uber or a Taxi is a safe bet.
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