While Sydney’s restaurant scene has had a long-held love affair with French cuisine, a new crop of contemporary bistro-style eateries is seducing the next gen of Francophiles. To get on the gastronomic bandwagon, jump on the #442 bus bound for Rozelle and follow the scent of shallots sizzling in butter down Darling St to Chez Blue at the Sackville Hotel.

The casual neighbourhood bistro is the sort of place you might find in the 10th arrondissement in Paris. Hoist yourself on to a stool around one of the marble tables in the elegant bar adjacent to the bistro where a few sips of the croissant-washed martini will help make your evening one of high spirits. The aperitif is made using Four Pillars Gin and has a buttery texture with hints of vanilla, allspice and cinnamon.

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Chez Blue is set to be another success story for Solotel, which was founded in 1986 and has had the Sackville Hotel next door since 1999. Solotel is owned by the Solomon family, who have been in the business of pubs since 1910 and operate a total of 27 pubs, bars and restaurants in Sydney and Brisbane. Seven of the venues run by the hospitality group are co-owned by chef Matt Moran. Chez Blue isn’t one of them.

In fact, it’s the first solo venture for the group who have brought executive chef Mark Williamson onboard after six years at the helm of Bistro Moncur in Woollahra.

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Solotel’s in-house design team, led by Ricky James, has upped the style stakes in the 90- seater bar and bistro. It’s warm and welcoming and divided from the main public bar by a stunning stained-glass partition. The interiors at Chez Blue, named after Solotel CEO Elliot Solomon’s first-born son, Archie Blue, are by H&E Architects and feature cosy booths, banquette seating, bentwood chairs, and monochrome mosaic floor tiling.

The interior design firm has embellished the walls with vintage lighting and ooh-la-la artworks sourced from a Parisian brocante (vintage flea market).

We’re off to a cracking start with the chicken liver brûlée spread on to triangles of brioche with house-made marmalade and pickles cutting the porcine richness of the dish. It’s accompanied by a glass of NV Varichon & Clerck Blanc des Blancs, Savoie, high on the list of recommendations by head of beverage and master of wine Annette Lacey.

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Also popular at the bistro is tuna tartare Niçoise served under a crisp disc of potato galette with chopped eggs and green beans. This contemporary spin on a classic is a signature item on the ever-changing menu and one executive chef Williamson is most proud of.

The bustling bistro lends itself to day-and-night dining on weekends and Williamson has aced the menu by including classics such as a saddle of white Pyrenees lamb with a white bean cassoulet and sauce verte.

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The 1kg O’Connor rib eye with bearnaise sauce and whole market fish with clams and a lemon vinaigrette are also crowd-pleasers, nodding to the chef’s tenure at The Tilbury hotel in Woolloomooloo and his love for French cooking and technique.

The wine list is a smart collection of mostly French wines from Provence, Burgundy, Languedoc and the Val de Loire. Local luvvies will appreciate the theatre of the roving dessert trolley where a slice of opera cake and glass of Château Lapinesse Sauternes is a fitting final act.

Disclaimer: The writer dined as a guest of Chez Blue.

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