Bistrot 916
Features
Bistrot 916 is a neo-French bistro helmed by three of Sydney’s most exciting young hospitality players.
There's Dan Pepperell, whose clever, contemporary takes on Italian and French cuisines at Restaurant Hubert, Alberto’s Lounge and 10 William Street garnered acclaim. Then there's Michael Clift, whose career has taken him around the world. He worked in the development kitchen at Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck in England, followed by a stint as executive chef of the Kempinski Hotel in Turkey, before returning to Australia for an eight-year tenure at Rockpool Dining Group.
Rounding out the team is sommelier Andy Tyson, who arrived at Bistrot 916 directly from his role as group sommelier at Swillhouse Group, where he worked with Pepperell at Hubert and Alberto’s Lounge.
The seafood-centric menu riffs off French-bistro classics, imbued with the creativity and innovation you’d expect of Pepperell and Clift. One notable dish is the boudin noir (blood sausage) spring rolls. They're wrapped in brik pastry and fried, then served with lettuce, fresh herbs and an apple-cider dipping sauce. Of course, there are plenty of French standards, such as shucked oysters, chicken-liver parfait and steak au poivre with duck frites. But also expect a few reinventions of stalwarts, including a playful reboot of classic escargots: handmade pasta dressed with snails and a garlicky butter.
Other highlights include a silky tuna tartare; a confit duck leg with duck sauce; and a sinfully rich twist of gratin dauphinois smothered in brown butter, capers, lemon and parsley, and topped with scallop floss.
Located on Challis Avenue, in the former home of Merivale’s Lotus (and its year-long Lotus 2.0 pop up), Bistrot 916 echos the decor of new-wave Parisian bistros to bring a cool, understated elegance to the site.
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