Bligh Street's Basement French Bistro
Restaurant Hubert on Bligh Street is Swillhouse's basement French — one of the most cinematic interior spaces in Sydney, considered French bistro with the technical depth the format demands, and two SMH Good Food Guide hats.
The cooking is contemporary French bistro at restaurant standards: terrines, sauces reduced for the proper time, slow-cooked meats, and the wider French canon handled with discipline.
What to Order
Terrines from the in-house programme. Steak frites with proper sauce; fish in butter handled with restraint. The cocktail programme is one of the most carefully-considered in the CBD; the wine list rewards a confident French bottle.
The Setting
The basement dining room is dim, candle-lit, and unmistakably French in its register. The cocktail bar handles a long evening on its own merits.
Best Occasion: Anniversary
An anniversary at Hubert is one of Sydney's classic celebration moves. The setting carries the evening; the bistro format provides the structure; the wine programme provides the ascent the occasion deserves.