sydneycafes.com.au
Modern Australian
Address: 56 Carr Street Coogee Beach
Phone: (02) 9315 8811
Hours: Lunch Wed-Fri 12-3pm, Dinner Wed-Sun 6-10pm, Sat-Sun Brunch 8am-5.30pm, Private Function By Request Mon & Tues
It's not every night you should allow an award-winning author to prepare your dinner, but when the scribe has won the international Julia Child Cookbook Award, fears should quickly abate. They may be rekindled though when the focus of the menu is Australian fauna and flora, journeyed through the looking glass of French cooking styles, or lack thereof - after all, "Skippy Tartare" may be a little too raw for the unadventurous diner.
The dish mentioned above doesn't go under such a disturbing name, but is rather the starting aspect of the more mystical "Kangaroo Evolution", a tasting plate of kangaroo tartare, sweet yam chips, wild lime reduction & capers, with char-grilled kangaroo loin & truffle mash potato, & ravioli of braised kangaroo & parmesan sauce ($35). Who would be so courageous to declare this their signature dish? Well, most appropriately, one of the world's finest pioneers of "la cuisine Australienne" as French master chef Paul Bocuse labelled it, the author of the bush tucker masterpiece "Tukka" (1996), Jean-Paul Bruneteau.
Here's a guy working in a Coogee bistro, albeit with the certain grandeur and ocean views that Mireille Kilgour's Deep Blue Bistro possesses, who is featured on Wikipedia, who won the 1988 Gold Medal for "Most Original Cuisine" at the Second International Cooking Festival in Tokyo, Japan, and yet who visibly cringes when this foodie writer declares meeting him tobe an honour - a sure give-away that this French-born chap really has lived in Australia since the late 1960s. Hey I only said it because the Kangaroo Evolution had massively transformed my appreciation of this indigenous protein beyond all expectation. At that stage I hadn't even read his book, since doing that I'd trade the word "honour" for calling him a "living legend" anytime!
Whether you're a local looking to have your palate re-ignited by the possibilities of truly home-grown ingredients, or an international visitor madly seeking a wow factor that can fill a postcard (or more likely a post-2000 email), then Deep Blue Bistro take Mr Bruneteau's talents one step beyond with the "Outback Degustation" menu, which matches Crocodile Carpaccio with Jansz Premium NV Cuvee, Moreton Bay Bug with a Logan Gewurztraminer, Tasmanian Ocean Trout with a Madfish Chardonnay, Emu l'Orange with an Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir, Seared 'Roo with a Barossa Shiraz Grenache, and a Wattleseed Creme Brulee with a Yalumba Botrytis Viognier. At just $100pp (wine included) it's pretty bloody obvious mate that bookings are essential!!
Having celebrated Deep Blue's points of difference, there's much to be said for the more conventional sides of this bistro. You can enjoy as we did on a recent Sunday a breakfast that's totally typical in price, yet has the added thrill of a sublime beachside view. Or captivated by the seaside ambience you can indulge in Deep Blue's other signature, literally a "Bucket of Prawns" or just as delicious, a "Bucket of Mussels". Their lunch menu evokes the quintessence of casual affordability even while tantalising with Sydney rock oysters, and their vast and well-selected wine and cocktail list will never let you down.
Somewhere in all that we should add the wonderfully precise and yet so friendly service that delighted us on every visit (three so far and counting) and with a capacity for 120 people seated or 200 for a stand-up function, this lovely space is also ideal for weddings or corporate occasions. What we love about Deep Blue also, though, is that the a la carte dinner by virtue of diversity, taste and price, invites you back time after time.
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