When Gerard’s Bistro blew into town it created a dust storm. It represented change by embracing the ideology of the new wave of Australian dining that pulled the double white tablecloths off tables but maintained that focus on great food and wine.
The combination of Gerard’s smart, casual swagger and a Middle Eastern sentiment that weaves throughout the menu makes for quite the dining experience. Owned by the Moubment Group (The Defiant Duck, The APO, Hatch & Co., Laruche), its success can be earmarked to a seamless and satisfying consistency from the kitchen of gun chef Ben Williamson.
Cushions coloured in mustard, paprika and olive add warmth to the chic industrial motif of concrete bar, warm woods and Moroccan tiles. You can dine on high chairs in the bar, in the giant courtyard or the dining room that is anchored by a layered-wood feature wall framing a window view of the kitchen.
Sure, there is an overriding Middle Eastern thread through the contemporary menu, but African and European ingredients add exciting exclamations, too. Start with oysters – natural with a sumac mignonette or steamed in buttermilk and dotted with Aleppo pepper oil. Then crisp bread crowns lamb tartare (Laham nayyeh) that’s given a harissa caress while bright egg yolk brings it all together. Creamy, toothsome squid partners plump mussels in hazelnut milk sprinkled with Turkish kishk (fermented burghul and yoghurt).
Williamson’s food is beautiful. Centred on balance, harmony and downright deliciousness.
Must-eat dish: Laham nayyeh, harissa, preserved lime, shallot, pickled cucumber, egg yolk