Sebastien Lutaud brought a soupçon of Paris to Sydney’s Lavender Bay late last year with the opening of Loulou Bistro, Boulangerie & Traiteur. Now the culinary director has set his sights on the CBD, with The Charles Grand Brasserie & Bar and Tiva basement lounge set to open on the corner of King and York in late October.
While Loulou is all about lighter French fare, traditional charcuterie and fresh baguettes (baked four times a day, no less), The Charles will be catering for the upscale corporate crowd, offering a more lavish, Mediterranean-style menu.
“At Loulou, we like to keep things casual,” Lutaud says. “The Charles will have more grandness to it. We’ll be bringing back some old-school service.”
Roast beef will be carved at the table, a roaming dessert trolley will tempt diners with petits fours, and in the kitchen, a duck press will squeeze out every last precious drop of liquid from carved duck carcasses to add rich flavour and extra thickness to the accompanying sauce.
“This will be done to every duck we carve,” Lutaud says. “When I was growing up in France, every brasserie had its own specialty. The duck press will be our speciality at The Charles.”
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THE CHARLES HOUSE TERRINE
SERVES 6-8
Begin this recipe a day ahead. You’ll need a meat thermometer.
600g good-quality pork belly, minced (ask200g skinless chicken thigh fillets (from butchers), cut into 2cm cubes100g chicken livers (from butchers), white sinew trimmed, roughly chopped1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley1 bunch chives, finely chopped¼ cup finely chopped thyme leaves80g shelled pistachios2 eschalots, finely chopped100ml white wine2½ tsp (18g) salt flakes1¼ tsp (5g) ground white pepper400g streaky bacon rashers (you’ll need about 20 rashers)Extra virgin olive oil, for greasing3 eggsCornichons, Dijon mustard, pickled onions, caperberries, picked watercress and sliced baguette, to serve
