This was a revisit after 3 long years to one of Sydney’s French classic, Hubert, but unfortunately this dining experience was shat. The food was still as delicious as the first time in 2019 (LINK) but the service was quite obnoxious.
entrée
The duck parfait of duck liver mousse, maple syrup jelly and Hubert baguette was as smooth, buttery and flavourful as the last time. The tiniest differences we could see was that they used more salt and the price had increased from $23 to $26.
They renamed their petite barque to roe boat with sea urchin, trout roe & Avruga caviar tart for $16 each. These were still a wonderfully delicious and freshly salty bite 😍.
Our only issue was one of the boats arrived with trout roe missing. An entire third of the boat had a missing ingredient. This was not acceptable because the kitchen is supposed to check all items before they leave, but also the servers are supposed to do one final check before placing the dish on the table. When we told the server, he was like “what are you on about?” before we literally pointed it out to him 🤨🤨.
Our only issue was one of the boats arrived with trout roe missing. An entire third of the boat had a missing ingredient. This was not acceptable because the kitchen is supposed to check all items before they leave, but also the servers are supposed to do one final check before placing the dish on the table. When we told the server, he was like “what are you on about?” before we literally pointed it out to him 🤨🤨.
This was crabe et espelette; a spanner crab with espelette, mayonnaise, and brioche for $37. It was served cold. The sweetness of the spanner crab was mixed sparingly amongst the creamy mayonnaise. And the espelette pepper added a vibrant smokiness and mild hotness to the bite, enhancing the crab’s sweetness.
The prime beef tartare was visually a lot less appealing than what it used to look like in 2019. This $32 dish of wagyu topside with classic condiments was still creamy and delicious. The wagyu was finely diced (although not perfectly squared) and pre-mixed with egg yolk, accompanied by crispy thin fries.
This was their Hubert baguette with butter for $10. It had an enjoyable crunchy crust and fluffy interior bed. The salted butter was simple and good.
main course
We decided to try different main dishes this visit. This was the duck à l’orange for $66; a succulent pan-fried Wollemi duck breast drenched in orange sauce. It was very juicy for a breast cut, with a silky smooth and tender mouthfeel. We devoured this really fast.
They didn’t have any cod fish this night so they replaced our murray cod à la Hubert with another white fish. It didn’t matter too much as they cooked the fish perfectly. It had a light and tender meaty center, with a nice and fine charred skin. The protein was soaked in brown butter, capers and lemon for an extra zing. The portion was a little small for $58.
We wanted to order a salad for ~ b a l a n c e ~ but somehow the waitress got their most popular dish, Pommes Anna $17. This was a layered potato with miso beurre blanc (wine). Apologies for the blurry photo but it’s always the bad takes that turn out the most delicious.
This was the most creamiest potato we’ve had. It was like Hubert had smashed down soft, white potatoes and then built it back up, layer by layer, to give a compact and flavourful starchy bite. We did not regret getting the wrong order.
This was the most creamiest potato we’ve had. It was like Hubert had smashed down soft, white potatoes and then built it back up, layer by layer, to give a compact and flavourful starchy bite. We did not regret getting the wrong order.
We ordered the kimchi gratin (spicy cabbage and sweet onion gratin) again for $17. This was as good and balanced as the first time. The spice was more of a gochujang flavour. It had a very mushy mouthfeel contrasted by the soft, crunchy gratin (crust).
Dessert
For desserts we got the Mille-Feuille aux Pommes, a layered pastry with apple and tonka beans cream for $26. The pastry was light and flaky, coated in powdered sugar. The apple and cream were moderately sweet. It was enjoyable but did get a little dry towards the centre. It needed more fruits to refresh the palate.
The Hubert’s Gâteau au Chocolat was our favourite. This was a decadent hazelnut crumb, chocolate mousse, almond biscuit for $26. It was so smooth, with the fluffiest yet creamiest layers. Absolutely delicious 🤤. I licked my plate clean.
Service
We’re not sure if we went on a bad night but we were very confused by the service, in particular with one waiter. He kept knocking into our table (not sure if he even felt the bumps) and removing plates with food on them. He was also very pushy, placing utensils and plates down quite abruptly. But not once did he tell us to hurry up… if he simply informed us we needed to eat faster, we would have stopped our conversations to focus on the food 🤷. He ruined our dining experience.
The sommelier was also odd. He seemed disinterested in helping us. We asked him for a wine recommendation based on Hubert’s flavours, however he kept referring to their selection by price point. We really wanted a wine that would pair well with their food 🤷.
In addition we had missing ingredients in our dishes (read above). And the live music was too loud for those sitting centre stage… like why did the singer need to sing into the microphone? We walked around to the far side of the restaurant and we could hear her fine without the mic. As nice as it was for the live music to set the vibe, it defeated the purpose of dinner (a moment where people catch up and talk over food).
Finally with Hubert’s rising popularity over the last few years, it has become increasingly difficult to book a table. This reservation was made 7 weeks in advanced because we wanted a Saturday night however when we checked for a week night, it was booked out 3 weeks in advance. C’est la vie 🤷.
The sommelier was also odd. He seemed disinterested in helping us. We asked him for a wine recommendation based on Hubert’s flavours, however he kept referring to their selection by price point. We really wanted a wine that would pair well with their food 🤷.
In addition we had missing ingredients in our dishes (read above). And the live music was too loud for those sitting centre stage… like why did the singer need to sing into the microphone? We walked around to the far side of the restaurant and we could hear her fine without the mic. As nice as it was for the live music to set the vibe, it defeated the purpose of dinner (a moment where people catch up and talk over food).
Finally with Hubert’s rising popularity over the last few years, it has become increasingly difficult to book a table. This reservation was made 7 weeks in advanced because we wanted a Saturday night however when we checked for a week night, it was booked out 3 weeks in advance. C’est la vie 🤷.
Review
Even though the food was fantastic, the service and reservation system has put a sour taste in our mouths. We recommend Hubert for first timers but for those more adventurous, there are plenty of upcoming French restaurants to try in Sydney.
Thanks for reading. Happy eating!
Thanks for reading. Happy eating!
