We are seated in the simple, unaffected dining room off the courtyard and, with seamless ease, drinks are ordered, delivered and warm bread rolls are suddenly being torn and slathered with deliciously soft thyme and smoke-infused butter.
A ballotine of quail, topped with a disc of herbed butter, slivers of black truffle and, although it sounds strange, a croissant sauce, was immaculate in its presentation and nothing short of delectable in the eating. The buttery, biscuit-like essence of croissant was a clever way to tease comfort into any dish.
The spanner crab with barley risotto is lively and fresh with the surprise of a scoop of mustard sorbet a stroke of pure genius. How does Wright come up with these combinations?
On the face of it, Wright's main dishes are not that challenging and in the past I've been attracted to the confit of duck, a staple of his, and the rack of lamb but, tonight, it's time for me to embrace new things so I opt for the vegetarian dish of spiced eggplant.
The waiter advises me to close my eyes for the first mouthful and, being obedient and because every other idea he's had (exquisitely matched wine choices and advice on how to live well) has proved to be sound, I comply. Immediately, my taste buds travel across the Middle East with the flavour of exotic spices, cooling yoghurt, the sweetness of dates and the high hit of baby mint leaves scattered liberally and brightly over the dish.
Soft eggplant is contrasted with crispy chickpeas that have been transformed from everyday food to spheres of wondrous, light, crunchy delightfulness. Roasted cauliflower is nutty and chickpea beignets complete this dish, making it one of the most magical I've tasted.
Meanwhile, a perfectly cooked fillet of snapper is demolished. It is paired with succulent pieces of butter-poached crayfish and green beans, all resting in a light broth. Even the dusting of ground iberico ham doesn't put the vegetarian off - much.
After our mains, we are served beautiful, small glasses of layered mandarin granita to cleanse our palates. With our final dish, a toffee apple parfait to share, Wright again extracts maximum impact by loading in nostalgia in the form of the toffee apple topping, a blackberry gelato and vanilla cream. You are back at a fairground or anywhere else that conjures up feelings of pure happiness.
Dining here you feel as though you are a guest at someone's house; people chat, bread rolls are dropped, you know what you've ordered but really can't guess what will come out on the plate. Each time it exceeds your expectation. The French Cafe is perfect, masterful - a treasure in our midst.
From the menu: Spanner crab $22, Quail ballotine $26, Spiced eggplant $46, Snapper $46, Toffee apple $20, Caramel chocolate pot $8
Drinks: Fully licensed
- VIVA
