A big moutful indeed!

The scrumptious mahi mahi fish with delicate strands of sampfire

When dining in a French restaurant there is always the uncomfortable expectation that the portions are going to be small. This is where La Grande Bouffe bucks that trend. Owned and operated by David and Meredith Poirier, La Grande Bouffe marries the elegant techniques of French cuisine with the appetites of its devoted patrons through beautifully presented, but more importantly generous portions.

My group is a tough crowd. We all work at Essential Ingredient Rozelle, so we know a thing or two about fabulous food. From all the ingredients and cookbooks and kitchenware we see on a daily basis we appreciate when something is done right, so our expectations were high. We were not disappointed.

Liver to live (and die) by

Our menu consisted of seven main course dishes. All the bases were covered from calves liver to duck four ways and a delicious vegetarian option, which unfortunately none of us meat lovers ordered. I chose the 'Poisson du jour' partly because i adore saying "poisson" to attractive French waiters, but mostly because of the gorgeous description. Today's poisson was a mahi mahi fish served with turned potatoes, mussels, a delicate white wine and garlic sauce and garnished with sampfire (thin strands of bean like seaweed). The fish was tender with sufficient flakiness and a rich flavour, which was complimented by the delicate sauce and the saltiness of the sampfire.

Duck four ways

Chef Rob Hodgson has really invigorated the menu with an ambitious mix of traditional French and contemporary Australian cuisine. When dining at La Grande Bouffe you get the sense that the dedication is more to great food as opposed to a holistic French experience. There are of course the icons of French fair like steak tartar and crème brulee, the wine list is populated by mostly French wines and the waiters are efficient with an air of superiority, which to anyone who has travelled through France only adds to the charm. But Hodgson, like the pioneers of French colonialism, has looked further afield for his ingredients and placed many uncommon foods into the discipline of French cuisine and come up with something truly unique.

Steak tartar

You might imagine the food to be quite fatty as many have come to expect from this particular regional cuisine and this was certainly true of the calves liver, but the majority of dishes looked fresh and inviting. Most obvious of these was the pork chop that despite having a generous layer of fat was garnished with a fresh and delicate salad. The salmon was similarly treated with a bed of fresh peas and the duck, which is notorious for being overdone was subdued by four different preparations that combined to make and ample yet not overpowering meal.

There is and always has been a clear social and language barrier between waitstaff and patrons at this restaurant and this is something the owners could work on, but it seems to be a bit of a ‘when in Rome’ scenario where arrogance is to be somewhat expected. I personally believe this to be a healthy pre-dinner sparing match between staff and patrons, which really is a pleasant change from the insipid and forced style of service that has become standard in Sydney restaurants