We checked out the new Louis Bar in Barton on a Saturday night with friends (secured a babysitter woot woot). Headed up by chef Ben Willis (of Aubergine fame) I can’t help but have high expectations. Happy to say it does not disappoint.
I’m glad to see more and more places having a dedicated non-alcoholic menu that doesn’t just list Coca-cola. I see four options including an Altina Pepperberry Shiraz. I ask our waiter if they do other mocktails, and yes they do. ‘What do you like?’ he asks. I prefer something fruity and he goes off with my preference to the bar. I’m given a pineapple and citrus mocktail topped with some foam (egg whites?).
Our waiter tells us the appetisers are very small and suits one per person, so we order one of each.
The chicken liver parfait with fig jam on brioche toast ($9 each), is very generously plied with smooth velvety parfait. If anything, there’s probably too much parfait to toast ratio. The fig jam is perfect in giving that sweet balance to this appetiser. The capsicum panisse is my friend’s pick. Not something I would have ordered, but I think I liked this more than the parfait. The capsicum is surprisingly sweet and the entire item is still very light and well-balanced with a capsicum cream in between.
I thought the prawn beignet with rouille ($12 each) would be a savoury doughnut type appetiser. But I was wrong. It’s more of a tempura style fried prawn. The appetisers are bigger than expected, and we could have shared rather than ordering one of each.
We order an entree each to share amongst the table. The stand out item is the rainbow trout with dill and it was a last minute choice. I figure another seafood dish to round out the four entrees is a good idea. I wonder if it’s cooked via sous vide as it is silky smooth and melts like butter. Outstanding!
The next favourite entree is the calamari with grapefruit salad. It is really fresh and zingy. I am normally not a sour palate person, but this hit the spot and is a superb light and healthy starter.
The spinach gnocchi comes in a creamy cheesy sauce. It’s comfort food levelled up. The duck breast with duck sausage, lentils and beetroot is the earthier and heavier of the four entrees. The four slices of duck breast is easily shared between the four of us. The duck sausage is seasoned really well and stuffed with herbs. Although there’s nothing to fault with this entree, the other three were simply more amazing.
There are two ‘mains’ portions on the menu that evening – single dishes or mains to share between two. We order the two mains to be shared (perfect for sharing between four).
The chicken ballotine is the clear favourite main (we also indulge and get the shaved Terra Preta truffle on top for an additional $21). The chicken medallions are so succulent and the sauce reminds me of a stroganoff with mushrooms. There are also two different buttery sauces on the side each in its own gravy boat. The dish isn’t too heavy and I find myself wanting to keep eating and eating. The sides of parsley potatoes and green beans were probably not necessary as we were so full.
The 700g sirloin served medium rare comes with a gravy boat on the side. I like that it comes thickly sliced and ready to share. This one is the only disappointing dish of the night. Though what I ate seemed fine, the slices towards the middle of the steak become more blue and some of us aren’t comfortable with that. Mr FoodPornJournal mentions his slices have some gristle in them and it’s not a great cut of meat. He thinks we should have ordered the rib eye or one of the other single mains to share instead, and it would have been a lot cheaper.
We are all surprised to see on the dessert menu, under the Fortified Wines and Afters, a $550 single shot of a Remy Martin Louis XIII cognac. No it’s not a typo – we asked.
For dessert, I tell the others that I’ll be ordering the chocolate fondant and fully expect to split it between the four of us as we are seriously so full. Someone says, “Let’s order all four desserts on the menu.” So we do just that.
I think the two outstanding desserts were the ones I would have not even considered ordering – the creme caramel with orange and passionfruit, and the trifle of mandarin, white chocolate and honey. Beautiful light flavours and textures, both packed a punch in flavour.
Though it’s the least aesthetically pleasing dessert, the chocolate fondant is exactly what it should be with gooey chocolate lava oozing out of the middle with a scoop of vanilla gelato on the side. There are no complaints for the pear and caramel tart with cinnamon ice cream. It’s very moist and not overpowered by the caramel. The biggest hit of sweetness comes from the delicious cinnamon ice cream. It just seemed a little dull compared to the creme caramel and trifle.
At only it’s second weekend of opening, this place impressed me and my friends. We would all happily go back. It’s not the cheapest place but we had a fabulous evening with great food, wine and mocktails. We are the last table to leave, actually we are kindly asked to get out, but would have happily stayed a little longer.
Here’s the reel of my experience:
Bookings are essential and can be made online via the Louis Bar website.
Louis
18 National Circuit, Barton, Canberra
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