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Monopole

20 Curtin Place, Sydney NSW 2000
Phone
(02) 8080 9144
Website
bentleyrestaurantgroup.com.au
Instagram
@monopole_sydney

Read time 3 Mins

Posted 13 Nov 2024

By
Matty Hirsch

Monopole has become one of Sydney's best French restaurants

This wine-focused Sydney fixture from a formidable pair of restaurateurs flies the flag for all things French at the table, with classic Gallic hits on the plate and in the glass.

The facade of Monopole in Sydney
Why you goMonopole may have started its life as a (very) dark and (seriously) moody inner-city wine bar in 2012, but it’s now an entirely different beast more than a decade on. A 2020 move to a light-drenched CBD hideaway livened things up substantially, but the middle of 2024 marked the biggest shake-up yet: its conversion to a full-blown French restaurant. In the hands of ordinary operators, this metamorphosis might’ve been cause for concern, but chef Brent Savage and sommelier Nick Hildebrandt have proven their mettle time and again as the restaurateurs behind some of Sydney’s major movers and shakers (including Bentley Restaurant & Bar, as well as King Clarence, both nearby). With Monopole 3.0, the duo has struck gold yet again, interpreting the greatest Gallic hits with all the professionalism and precision you’d expect – and assembling a corker of a cellar to go along with them.
What drink to orderWine is why you’re here, no doubt, but muscling through the staggering selection – 30 by the glass and carafe; 800-ish by the bottle! – might require something stiff to start. And to that end, look no further than the Yellow Cocktail, which offsets the warming sweetness of Yellow Chartreuse and gentian liqueur with the sting of gin and lemon juice. Now that you’re steady, you can tackle the mammoth list head-on. But where to start? Vintage grower Champagne? Piercing riesling from the legendary Maison Trimbach? Something crisp and mineral-licked from the Loire Valley? France’s power-broker regions are the major focus, but all corners of the country are thoroughly covered, along with a healthy dose of Australian takes on old-world styles by marquee players (Mount Mary, Cullen) and rising stars (Joshua Cooper).
A tray of Martinis at Monopole in Sydney
One of the standout dishes from the French-inspired menu at Monopole
What to eatLeave your kilojoule count at the door and give yourself over to the rich, the creamy, the bold and the saucy. The menu doesn’t shy away from the classics – duck-liver parfait, rustic pot-au-feu beef stew, chocolate mousse – but unexpected zigs and zags add considerable excitement to the line-up. A patty made from duck offcuts stars in a ripper of a burger, layered with Comté cheese, cornichons and house hot sauce, while a bang-on baba sponge gets soaked in Calvados apple brandy rather than the usual rum. Subtle it ain’t, but a brilliant plate of French-style preserved vegetables proves you can find light among the shade.
Regular’s tipAt $55 and $70, Monopole’s two- and three-course “prix-fixe” set menus are a total steal, but they’re only available for lunch or pre-6:00pm dinner reservations, so book early to maximise your buck. Simply put, you won’t find better value for money in town at this level (or a finer justification for spending a bit more on wine).
Don’t leave withoutHave a nip of Chartreuse for the road. Nick Hildebrandt has amassed an astonishing collection of the increasingly rare herbaceous French liqueur, likely unmatched anywhere in the country. Not only does it make for a dynamite digestif, but given the running theme here, it’d also be pretty rude not to.
A table of food and wine at Monopole in Sydney
Authour image
Matty HirschMatty Hirsch is a Sydney-based writer, critic and editor whose work has appeared in Time Out, Delicious and Gourmet Traveller.
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