The Bistro is Back - Bistro Bruno doing it as it should be

Anyone who's lived in Balmain over the past 20 years will have spent at least some time at 3 Beattie Street, just off Loyalty Square on Darling Street (behind the Unity Hall).  When i first moved to Balmain in the mid 90s, it was Pepe's.  It then transformed into Bistro Stock and i can't fathom the calories and litres of liquor I may have personally consumed.  It was the go-to local venue for catch-ups, celebrations, commiserations, and everything in between.  And then, the magic disappeared.  new owners, new menus, and nothing was quite as it should have been.  

But, miracles do happen.  This stylish two-storey venue has a new owner, a new menu, and a new lease of life.  This is bistro dining as it's supposed to be.  Real, honest, seasonal with flair and all reasonably priced.  Under the guidance of the charming Eres Gordon (a seasoned icon in the melbourne dining scene), the wine flows, the food is perfect, and the ambiance everything it should be.


Our virgin visit is a balmy Sydney Saturday.  It's hot outside, very hot and the lunch menu is perfectly pitched.  My two entrees, tasty english style fishcakes and a buttery rich pastry nest cradling just carmelised shallots and goats cheese are sensational.  The fish cakes take me back to my Nan's - you can taste the fish and the seasoning underscores the delicate blend.  I can't eat three but only because i know i also want to leave room for my entree as main tart.

The tart is just as finely balanced.  buttery, crispy pastery, gooey unctuous shallots, slightly tart goats cheese and the peppery salad.  At $12 it seems wrong for something so good to cost almost as much as my parking on Darling Street ;)

P.'s choice of quail and minute steak is just as successful.  The quail is brilliantly cooked and full of flavour, cradled on top of a surprizingly light puy lentil and buttered cabbage combo.  It's $14.

One of my biggest bugbears (ok well, one of many) is soggy mushrooms.  Mushrooms, even button mushrooms can shine if they're treated with love and one of my favourite ways of devouring them is sauteed.  The mushrooms served with the just cooked minute steak are just right. 

And just because i cant believe my luck that we finally have a decent, affordable and exciting bistro option back in Balmain, i go back for seconds.


And, guess what, it doesn't disappoint.  In fact, at dinner, Bistro Bruno shines even brighter.  This is another perfectly paced dining experience


Our mains of Mulloway with saffron potatoes and bisque ($29.50) and Spatchcock cooked two ways on slow-cooked potato and fennel, with an exclamation mark of olive tapenade ($29) reflect a commitment to the best possible ingredients, cooked with care and flair.  

The wine list is diverse and very reasonably priced and, speaking from experience, Eres and his team make a mean Negroni!

Bistro Bruno is at 3 Beattie Street and open for lunch and dinner tuesday to saturday.  Visit www.bistrobruno.com.au to get your taste buds dancing, and by the time you hit Bruno's you'll be drooling in anticipation.