Sid at The French Café Impresses with Stunning Spring Menu

The dish team sample Sid at The French Café's new spring menu. 

Take a walk down Symonds Street in Auckland and you might just miss the humble ‘shop front’ of Sid at The French Café - the minimal signage, black tiles and opaque windows suggest nothing of the goings-on behind its closed doors. Ironically, I think this very ordinary outward appearance helps maintain a certain feeling of exclusivity, like a speakeasy hidden in plain sight, you almost need to be in the know. Fortunately, there are no secret knocks or passwords, all you need is a desire to enjoy top-class dining and you’ll be warmly welcomed inside.  

Behind the doors of the French Café, the interior transitions into a bright, open space with only a hint of black reserved for the dining chairs. Light comes flooding in from the very impressive, vine-covered courtyard, which I can only imagine is a hive of activity during the warmer seasons. Across the way, there is The French Kitchen, a unique private dining space, which uses the freshest of ingredients. How can I be certain of this? I witnessed with my own eyes one of the chefs picking herbs from the courtyard garden. It doesn’t get any fresher than that. 

The French Kitchen, Sid at The French Café's private dining area 

Inside the main dining area, the dish team and I had clear sight lines of the action inside the kitchen, which greeted us with a delicious Shiitake broth to warm up - a welcome delight on a miserable, wet evening.  

To kickstart our 5-course culinary journey through The French Café's spring menu, we began with canapés of Wagyu Beef Croquettes with Smoked Cheddar and Truffle emulsion as well as a Snapper Rillette and Yuzu Kosho inside a nori sheet. The croquette virtually melted in your mouth on contact, while the Snapper and Yuzu lit up the tastebuds with rich umami and citrus flavours.  

Sid at The French Café's main dining area

Bread for the table is standard for fine dining restaurants, but there was nothing standard about the Brioche and Miso Butter with Duck Liver Parfait and Burnt Onion Jam. The bread was so delicately soft and rich that I would have been content with eating the bread alone, but the Duck Liver Parfait continued to add layer upon layer of decadence with its creamy texture and rich flavour. If there was ever an example of gilding the lily, this was it. 

Our appetites thoroughly whet, we sampled the first of the five dishes in our tasting menu, expertly paired with matching wines. First up, the Ruakaka Kingfish with Seaweed Oil, Chorizo and Pickled Daikon, which took your tastebuds on a rollercoaster ride of textural sensations and flavours. At first, you experience the light, fresh flavours of the fish before the granita drops you down into icy depths only to be brought back up again by the warming, smooth coconut cream, contrasted with a subtle bite from the pickled daikon. Our matching Bordeaux Rose wine added the exclamation point, highlighting the freshness and bold, bright flavours of the dish. 

Canapés from the new spring menu

Shifting gears, we moved to a more spice-infused palate with the Fish of the Day with Kokum, Fennel and Fenugreek oil. Unlike the Kingfish, which was firm, the market fish was beautifully tender and fell apart with ease, almost submitting to the spice-laden sauce, which was smooth but sharp, piercing the tongue with glorious spices as they lingered ever so delicately on the palate. Like a hot poker stoking the flames, our matching Chardonnay complemented the spice, adding a subtle nuttiness into the equation with a touch of ginger.  

The dish I was most intrigued by was the Quail, Egg Yolk, Leek and Macadamia. Not least of all because the egg yolk, which was actually a smoked egg yolk sauce, took 10 days to make. Let me tell you that it is well worth the wait because, for me, it was one of those tastes where the magic of it can only truly be experienced the first time. You’ll seek it out, you might even find the same dish, but you will forever be chasing the high of that moment. In the simplest of terms, it’s like a super-charged version of bacon and eggs, but at its most complex it is simply indescribable. The richness of the sauce in combination with the moist, tender meat has so many layers of depth to it, you could almost drown in its divinity. My life and my taste buds have forever been changed. 

Ruakaka Kingfish with Seaweed Oil, Chorizo and Pickled Daikon

That’s not to dismiss the quality of the proceeding dishes, they too lived in their own stratospheres. The Wagyu Short Rib for example, which requires a mere two days of cooking, splintered apart under the pressure of my fork, handing itself over without resistance. Coated in an intensely sweet and zingy Korean BBQ glaze, it performs a tightrope act of delicate textures and sharp flavours, which are placed in perfect balance by the oakiness of the matching Harmoine du Soir wine… or in English, Evening Harmony.  

Our tasting menu came to a resounding crescendo with a bright, tropical feast of coconut ice cream and bold pineapple with passionfruit shards. The brightness and freshness of this dish was in stark contrast to not only the rest of the menu but the gloomy conditions outside, and I know it will be even better served on a pleasant spring evening with the sweet passionfruit and pineapple flavours of the L’Ora Felice La Tosa wine, which elevates this dish to its full potential. 

Passionfruit Shards with Coconut Ice Cream

Don’t let the façade fool you, there is much more than meets the eye to Sid at The French Café. I almost feel like I’m spilling a secret by bringing attention to it, but behind its understated exterior this restaurant has been doing incredible things for many years. Things which I highly recommend you enjoy for yourself this spring.  

Sid at The French Café is located at 210 Symonds Street, Eden Terrace and is open for dinner Tuesday to Friday from 5.30pm to 11pm as well as lunch and dinner from 12pm to 11pm Saturdays. Menu is subject to change.  

For private dining and event options, visit sidatthefrenchcafe.co.nz