Garden Court Restaurant
Inside Sofitel Sydney Wentworth
61 - 101 Phillip St
Sydney CBD
Garden Court is inside the Sofitel Wentworth, that iconic hotel that we all know in the CBD. It's a landmark building, for good reasons, and its been without a signature restaurant like this for a little while - so they've fixed that with Garden Court. Perched up on level 5 it looks out over a leafy green outdoor area and further on to the high rise buildings nearby. It's like a green oasis in the concrete city and has plenty of light and colour.
We were there to try their lunch time Partager menu - or sharing menu - another creation of their talented Executive Chef Boris Cuzon. It's hard to accurately describe just how pretty this place is - with a distinct French influence. For just $39 you get the sharing board and a main course - and this is a massive serving. For an extra $10 you also get French pastries for dessert. It's a bargain as it's great food in big sized servings. We of course started with a glass of wine and a basket bread of crusty bread with butter arrived.
The sharing board we started with was nothing short of amazing. This was such a huge, tasty and beautifully presented platter with so much variety. There are several versions but we had what was the combo - or Signature Sharing Board. It had cold cuts of cured meats, chorizo, salmon rillettes, smoked salmon, marinated char grilled eggplant, tomatoes in basil pesto, zucchini, carrots, pickled onions and two "pots" of dips, all to be eaten with that lovely crusty bread (which they even topped up). This was a dish that would have satisfied us on its own!
Our main courses turned out to be just as good. We had two great dishes - the Milly Hill lamb shank and the boeuf tartare. The lamb shank was so tender with the meat falling off the bone, and it looked so colourful on the plate with the greens and tomatoes popping. It was a big, bold, tasty dish. The boeuf tartare was simply divine. This beautiful meat was so delicately delicious and brought back fond food memories of many a trip to Paris. It was that good!
We also had some delicious sides as well - such as the duck fat chips (fat, fluffy and full of flavour), the shoestring fries (beautifully crisp and crunchy) and the grilled asparagus (so nice served with a balsamic glaze and topped with grana padano cheese). We struggled to eat it all but couldn't stop picking.
Finally it was time for dessert. This is a part of the meal that shouldn't be missed. The French pastries were simply art on a plate - but art that tasted amazing too. There were four beautiful pastries each, that looked and tasted so wonderful. We'd come here for dessert and coffee alone - and as they also do high tea we can well guess how good that would be. We may well give that a go soon!
Garden Court Restaurant is a taste of Paris, a hint of Sydney and an oasis in Sydney CBD. It ticks all the boxes and is certainly worth visiting. You wont leave hungry or disappointed - they really look after you too.
Sir and Count N dined as guests of Garden Court Restaurant and the Sofitel Wentworth Hotel. Thanks to Alexandre for looking after us so well. Thanks also to Executive Chef Boris Cuzon for chatting with us and explaining his food philosophies and vision. Special thanks to Emma Wilson from Sofitel Sydney Wentworth for inviting us and arranging our visit.