The Butler123 Victoria St
Potts Point, Sydney
The Butler is the most recent addition to the growing empire of Applejack Hospitality - the gang behind The Botanist at Kirribilli, So Cal in Neutral Bay and Bondi Hardware. They're obviously doing a lot of "somethings" very right!
The Butler has a kind of French/Aussie fusion thing going on - Fraussie perhaps? It's a nice blend of culture and food which also flows through to the wine list as well - with each opening page revealing Aussie on one side and French on the other!
The place has been fitted out in a really chic way - but the absolute highlight was undoubtedly the huge indoor/outdoor area and balcony out the back that looked onto the CBD. We sat there gazing out with Centrepoint Tower in the distance reaching skyward. Lovely.
Of course in such a lovely environment, drinks are needed! Sir had a cocktail called The Rummy Affair made from Pampero Especial rum, ciroc coconut vodka, Coco Lepez, lime, ginger, pineapple, mandarin and a dash of orange bitters. It was tropical, fruity, tangy and so delicious. Mlady went for a more traditional but nicely refreshing Batlow cloudy apple cider which was perfect for the sunny evening!
We love to start a meal with a few fresh oysters - not dozens of them but enough just to get the taste.
The freshly shucked Sydney rock oysters here come as they are, you simply add a squeeze of fresh lemon if you want - or just have them as they come.
We decided to start with just one each - loved them - and wished we'd had more. Oh well!
We adore croquettes. We're soon to eat our way through Europe again and our trip through Portugal and Spain will be full of croquettes.The salted cod croquettes with curried mayo were delicious.
The croquettes themselves were great but the curried mayo they had with them took the whole dish to another level. We could have kept eating these tasty treats all night!
Another favourite of ours is a really good mixed platter.Here at The Butler we had a lovely one of cured meats, rillettes, pate, pickles and toast.
It was colourful and appetising and the different components were great individually and also together.
Everything tasted so good.
Sir loves duck. He eats it a lot - here in Australia and always when in Paris. We're in Paris soon and it will be duckfest for him again! The duck sausage, confit leg, pickled beetroot and celery was another simple combination done really well to create another lovely fresh and healthy dish that also tasted delicious as well.
The duck, in fact the dish, was nicely presented and wonderfully flavoursome.
Do you like octopus? How about an octopus salad? The grilled octopus, white beans and sherried vinegar was such a fresh, vibrant and refreshing salad.
The sherried vinegar gave it an edge that lifted it even more. The squid was nicely cooked and we loved the fact that they used beans with this.
We decided we needed something a bit green to have with our meal. The grilled zucchini with goats cheese and basil ticked a lot of boxes for us.
Yes, it was green. Then it had goats cheese which we both love. Finally, it had basil which is again a favourite of ours. It all combined really well into a simple but effective dish that was extremely tasty.
How spectacular was this dessert?
It was a cherry trifle with mascarpone - at least that was the description in the menu - but in reality this wording didn't do it justice.
It was a cherry trifle with mascarpone - at least that was the description in the menu - but in reality this wording didn't do it justice.
Presentation was the key to this dish. It came served in a glass so you could see everything.
There were plenty of layers clearly visible, whole cherries and apple.
The finale was a lovely colourful garnish of fresh flowers on top of the trifle.
It was a simple touch that capped off such a vivid dessert.
There were plenty of layers clearly visible, whole cherries and apple.
The finale was a lovely colourful garnish of fresh flowers on top of the trifle.
It was a simple touch that capped off such a vivid dessert.
Our final dessert was a lovely yoghurt and honey panna cotta with raspberry coulis and passionfruit.
As with the previous dessert, colour was a key feature yet again. The pale panna cotta was offset with the vivid raspberry coulis that was dotted with bright passionfruit.
Fortunately it not only looked good, it tasted good too!
As with the previous dessert, colour was a key feature yet again. The pale panna cotta was offset with the vivid raspberry coulis that was dotted with bright passionfruit.
Fortunately it not only looked good, it tasted good too!
The Butler is a pretty, chic place. Great atmosphere, great decor, great drinks and great food - all served with a smile. However, that view - wow - it's a killer and combined with everything else The Butler is so memorable.
Sir and Mlady dined as guests of The Butler. Special thanks to Applejack Hospitality and to Luke, Farah and Helena for looking after us. A big thanks also to Olivia Warne of Pendulum Communications for arranging our visit.
Sir and Mlady dined as guests of The Butler. Special thanks to Applejack Hospitality and to Luke, Farah and Helena for looking after us. A big thanks also to Olivia Warne of Pendulum Communications for arranging our visit.
