Bistro Mint
Stolen Rum flamed at the table then liberally applied to a Rum Baba ($14) is just a taste of things to come, explains Sebastien Lutaud, Restaurant Associates’ General Manager of Culinary Services. He hints that a Stolen Rum bar is a likely addition to this already attractive venue, the idea a nod to the building’s history as a wing of Governor Macquarie’s notorious Rum Hospital. As I lap up the Sydney sunshine and a gloriously dry 2013 Triennes Nans les Pins Rose ($81/bottle) on the colonnaded building’s stately balcony, I muse that there are already plenty of reasons to visit. The kitchen’s updated Coq au Vin ($32) with smoked speck, carrot and Shiraz is definitely one of them. Explore their interesting wine list over a series of small share plates, from House Cured and Smoked Meats ($10) to ‘Sot-l’y-laisse’ ($10) – they’re chicken ‘oysters’ for the linguistically challenged – cooked in burnt butter, shallots and crisp sage. Most wines, including the 2012 Ross Hill ‘Shed No 8’ Pinot Gris ($10/$37/$49) from Orange NSW, are sensibly available by glass, carafe and bottle. Portions are appropriate to eating three courses, but if you’re not sold on my early recommendation – the airy rum-soaked-baba – do consider the fluffy cloud of Fromage Blanc Mousse ($13) with its hidden rhubarb surprise.
Bistro Mint
Upstairs, The Mint, 10 Macquarie Street, Sydney
Ph: (02) 9232 2293 bistromint.com.au
Modern French, Wine $$$$
