Armorica — Restaurant in Sydney

Armorica Grand Brasserie is the venue I decided to have dinner at with a few foodie friends for my 40th. When they call it ‘grand’, they’re not wrong! The 150 seat venue is magnificent with its lavish decor, red-leather banquettes, brass fittings, timber ceilings, marble tables and counters, and beautiful art (commissioned to American illustrator David Plunkert).

Named after a Celtic region of France, or at the time, Gaul. It was a location in ancient times between the Seine and the Loire. Today at this restaurant, it feels like you’re in France and not surprising that this is brought to us by the same team of Franca and Parlar in Potts Point, but this venue is in Surry Hills on the site that was once Japanese restaurant Toko.

There’s dozens of staff, a few greet you at the door, there’s a specific member for your table, and alot behind the bar and kitchen, so it’s no wonder they’re efficient with getting the food out to you fast. We like that.

The menu features plenty of opulent options from oysters, lobster and caviar to a towering seafood platter or high grade wagyu and truffle.

From the entrees there’s a few cold options such as foie gras or a very pretty octopus roulade, or the options we went for; coral trout crudo; flavoured with finger lime and chilli in addition to the beef tartare. These were nice and light options to begin and also great for sharing. The entree list does feature hot options too, and our dining party was keen on the duck rigatoni. Whilst it was quite light on the slow roasted duck, it was a tasty option and worked well with the Provençal bread that we used to mop up the excess sauce.

For the larger options they have pastas, made in house - such as spaghetti with scampi. There’s quite a few seafood options and we thought the Murray Cod was exceptional. Light and beautifully cooked, topped with salsa verde and guindilla. On another note, the whole chicken was stunning. Perfectly cooked, moist flesh, and topped with a gravy made from desert lime, chicken skin & thyme.

Following this we had a 1kg steak, cooked medium rare, served sliced, so it was perfect to share. There’s numerous steak options, and also some on the daily specials list. Whether it be Black Angus sirloin, Wagyu Scotch fillet or the xxxxxx we got, undoubtedly the meat here is excellent. It is all served with a choice of bone-marrow butter, béarnaise or mushroom sauce and fries. As we were a large dining party, we ordered quite a few of their sides to share; the leaf salad with jardinière, Champagne vinaigrette, grilled mushrooms with truffle butter, crispy chat potatoes made with duck fat and thyme, Creamed spinach with pine nuts and bullhorn pepper and the tomato gratin that was topped with Provençal crumb. We did order fries (but they never came - as the side dish or with the steak??).

But what inspired me to come here was the “chocolate bullion” that I had seen all over instagram. The pastry chef Travin De Hoedt has created a chocolate bar made from Valrhona chocolate mousse, salted caramel and choc-chip cookie, and sealed with Armorica branding into the chocolate layer. As you put your spoon into it, you can see all the layers and fillings and the caramel just makes this pop! I think the chocolate would be too rich to just have yourself, so sharing it is the perfect option. Whilst there are 5 dessert options, the stand out was something unexpected for me, not something I’d ordinarily order. Their ‘Clafoutis’ is unreal! A warm baked tart, quite cake like, nice and sweet with berries, pistachio praline ice cream and pistachio.

There’s a long wine list and cocktails too. My cocktail was so lovely, but polished off in about 2 sips. It was the ‘Metropolitan’, made with Belvedere Vodka, Davidson plum, lemon aspen, elderflower.

The food was honestly so good, we cannot fault it. The venue is stunning, but we did feel the ambience was all a bit loud. With so many diners, that’s to be expected. Certainly an excellent venue, and best as a group to share...

Buckle up, this one's a ride.

We were really looking forward to Armorica! Chef’s Hat, rave reviews, the whole shebang. We arrived bang on time for our 7:45 birthday dinner (after a few scenic laps of Surry Hills looking for parking), only to be told our table wasn’t ready. We waited over 30 minutes to be seated. This was frustrating, especially considering they cancel your booking if you’re late (with a $50 per person fee)

The hostess was lovely but clearly flustered. She offered us bar seats… which we nearly lost in an awkward standoff when another maître d' tried to give them away to a group of men who arrived after us. Eye contact was made. No one blinked. We won. Barely.

We had to ask twice to be served drinks, and finally got them just before being seated. From there, things looked up. our waiter was warm and helpful (even if he subtly judged how much we ordered). We got the set menu and added a few extras because, you know, celebration.

The fish cakes were delicious. The pasta was comforting. But everything else? Meh. The artichoke & spinach crêpe was dry — my local kebab shop could knock out a better gozleme blindfolded. The tartares (both fish and beef) were forgettable. The steak was chewy and felt like a budget cut. The broccolini was the surprise MVP.

The salad deserves its own Netflix comedy special: a pile of uncut lettuce leafs with a few carrot shavings and a splash of what we think was apple cider vinegar. Fine dining? We didn’t know whether to eat it or take it home and pot it.

The birthday dessert was unexpectedly sweet! A tiny shortbread filled with chantilly cream, about the size of a 20c coin. We split it three ways like it was gold. Honestly, the best thing we ate.

Desserts overall missed the mark. the chocolate bar was forgettable and the crème brûlée was aggressively eggy.

And just when we thought the night was over. SURPRISE! The next day we were hit with a $150 no-show charge. Except… we did show up. We even split a whole biscuit! The person on the phone was rude, offered no apology, and made us feel like we imagined the entire night.

We have no food pics. we're not the "phone eats first" type and honestly, we wouldn’t even be leaving a review (this is my second one ever!) if it weren’t for the guy on the phone. His attitude pushed us from “let it go, it is what it is” to “let’s go public.” In the end, while the waitstaff were lovely and really tried, the disorganisation, underwhelming food, and post-dinner plot twist left a sour taste. Go if you want to drop hundreds to be judged, forgotten, then gaslit. We came for fine dining but instead we got chaos...

24/8/24 - 3 stars

Do have to give credit where it's due, Armorica presents impeccably with well dressed staff and even better dressed decor. Though I would say, despite the intimate lighting and vibes, it was quite loud and noisy which was a little annoying.

I would say though, the waitress that served us was a little underattentive and seemed a bit indifferent. Didn't seem to care about our questions or comments.

But to the more important aspect, the food. This is the first French restaurant I've been to where there's no onion soup which was disappointing. Escargot was not served in shell and in individual trays. Entrees are tiny despite the premium price tag. No sides are served with your mains. I've got to say, this might be the worst French dining experience I've ever had from a food perspective.

Escargot garlic bread Flavour: S+, 8.5/10. Actually pretty tasty with good garlic, herb and butter flavour Texture: S+, 8.5/10. Pretty crispy outside and fluffy inside Escargot: S, 8/10. Tender but not being in-shell does take away a bit from the experience Value: B, 6/10 $24

Pork neck ragout Flavour: B, 6/10. No complexity in flavour at all Texture: B, 6/10. Watery with little bits of shredded pork inside Pasta: B, 6/10. Not even al dente! Was undercooked and could see the starch of the pasta inside when bitten into Value: C, 5/10. $36 is daylight robbery Overall: one of the worst pasta dishes I've ever had. Anyone could make a better one for a fraction of the price.

Swordfish Flavour: S+, 8.5/10. Well cooked and preserves the flavour of the fish. Fennel was a nice addition Texture: A, 7/10. I know it's meant to be rare but kinda took away a bit of the 'meatiness' swordfish is known for Value: B, 6/10. $51 is pretty crazy.

Sirloin (250g) Flavour: SS, 9/10. For all the criticism I've laid down, this steak was genuinely well cooked and delicious Texture: SS, 9/10. Medium rare was spot on Mushroom sauce: A, 7/10. Needed more mushroom flavour Value: B, 6/10. Whilst it was tasty, $47 for just a small piece of meat is not good. You can get equally good steak with sides included elsewhere

Duck fat potatoes Flavour: A, 7/10. Duck fat didn't really elevate the potatoes much Texture: S+, 8.5/10. Quite crispy Value: B, 6/10. $16 is crazy

Signature chocolate bar Flavour: S, 8/10. Full flavoured milk chocolate but not really exceptional Texture: S, 8/10. I do like the crunchy outside and mousse inside but they were both just average. Not special Value: C+, 5.5/10. $29 is not...