Bentley Restaurant & Bar

By Franz Scheurer

When chef Brent Savage and sommelier Nick Hildebrandt started Bentley Restaurant & Bar, they had to watch their pennies and it was amazing what they achieved with very little money. It was a hip, funky and happening place but the only downside was noise; Lots of hard surfaces, no sound-dampening materials and a happy crowd made for lots of noise.

Now they have refurbished the restaurant with the help of Melbourne designer Pascale Gomes-McNabb (Andrew McConnell’s business partner and wife, so she knows and understands restaurants) and the result is visually and aurally stunning. They have managed to keep Bentley Restaurant & Bar’s identity but also managed to transform it into something magic.

The bar area is now screened off from the restaurant. The low ceiling and dark tones with a backlit bottle wall behind the bar, comfortable chairs, a great looking and functional marble top make for a winning formula. Bar people who know their cocktails, a great selection of spirits, paired with an appetizing bar menu, which caters for every whim and budget from spiced almonds to caviar, lift this bar from good to great.

The restaurant itself is so much quieter it’s almost eerie. Tables are close but not within ‘privacy sphere’ and the large mural inset into the wine wall at the back lifts the whole dining area. Lighting is still ‘romantic’ but considerably brighter than before. I love the ‘chandeliers’ in the dining area with their odd, twisted, translucent, warm-yellow look. The only thing that has not changes is the superb food, fabulous drink advice and outstanding service.

Brent Savage’s food has always been superb and Nick Hildebrandt’s wine matches are legendary. Together they deliver a culinary experience that has to be one of the best in the world. The food is quirky, captivating, cerebral, dainty yet substantial and it tastes even better than it looks. Hildebrandt’s penchant for finding something special, that small producer that non one else knows, is both interesting and charming but he also makes it work with the food, which makes for the classic 1+1=3.

Last night we highlighted the dishes we were interested in but also left it up to Savage to select what he felt was the most interesting fare of the day. We had the ‘Parmesan Custard’, ’Smoked Eel Parfait’, ‘Beef Tartare’, ‘Kingfish Ceviche’, ‘Black Sausage’, ‘Pork Belly’ and for mains the ‘Potato Nougat’ and the ‘Spatchcock’. Each and every dish was outstanding, a feast for the eyes and an utter delight for the palate. An intricate play on aromas, flavours and textures transported our senses into the culinary Seventh Heaven. The dish of the night had to be the ‘Beef Tartare’ as I have not eaten anything remotely like it in a few decades, when I first ate at Frédy Girardet in Crissier, Switzerland. It had it all; presentation, aroma, flavour and that certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ that remains undefinable.

For dessert we ordered the ‘Hot Ricotta’ dumplings and the ‘Toast Custard’ and they also brought out the ‘Cucumber Sorbet’. Again, absolute ecstasy with the ricotta dumplings stealing the show.

Service was efficient, friendly but never too friendly, unassuming and always there, just at the right moment. The wine list is a work of art, although I can’t stress strongly enough that you need to take advantage of Hildebrandt’s talent for food/wine matching and let him take control.

Average noise level: 78db

Did I like it?: I loved it!

Would I go back?: Every day if I could

Score: 9.5/10

For more information and bookings:

Bentley Restaurant & Bar

320 Crown St
Surry Hills NSW 2010
(02) 9332 2344

http://www.thebentley.com.au/