Tabou, Surry Hills

Deciding where to dine with another food blogger is never straight forward.

After many messages back and forth with Nut, it was decided we shall be going to Tabou, a classic French bistro located on Surry Hills' Crown Street. 

During last month's SIFF Let's Do Lunch event, they had duck leg confit on the menu and I was hoping and praying that tonight they have duck on the menu.

Alas...no duck :( 

Inside Tabou

Baguette & Beurre Conviette $5.00

The baguette were has a nice thin crust and soft texture inside, though it is a tad cold and the cold butter didn't help making it easy to spread onto the bread. 

Tourte Lapin Escargots
rabbit, snail, puff pastry, carrot puree

If there is rabbit on the menu, then I must order it :) They actually had a special rabbit main the night we went, but I thought rabbit for entree and main would be overkill.

This rabbit and snail pie was so very good ! The rabbit was tender and the snail was thankfully not chewy. It was cooked in this butter sauce that I suppose made it even better.

The pastry was perfect as well, flaky and golden brown.

Oozing butter...mmm...

Terrine Maison
game terrine, foie gras mousse, orange marmalade, madeira jelly

I'm not a fan of game meat as they tend to have a very strong smell which I just can't cope with.

When Nut cut a piece for me to try, I couldn't refuse LOL

To my surprise, it tasted delicious ! It didn't taste gamey at all *phew* 

There was pistachio mixed in with the game meat in the terrine and the orange marmalade and madeira jelly added a touch of sweetness and tartness to the whole dish.

Poulet
ballontine of chicken, new season asparagus, morilles, girolles

The ballontine of chicken breast was served with grilled asparagus, morilles (morel) & girolles (chanterelle) mushrooms. The sauce if I'm not mistaken is a brown butter foam, it has a slighty nutty and caramelized flavour.

Sadly, the chicken was dry and bland, luckily the mushrooms were packed with flavours and the sauce helped a little.

Steak Tartare
classic steak tartare, sourdough toast and accompaniments

Nut had the steak tartare for her main and like the chicken dish I had, it was quite a disappointment. 

Although it has been mixed with the condiments, it still tasted like raw meat to me. 

Very different to the amazing steak tartare I recently had at Kingsleys Steak & Crabhouse, it had more impact and well balanced flavours compared to Tabou's.

Crème Brulée
Vanilla crème brulée

We were quite full after the main so we thought we'll be good and just order one dessert to share.

Who are we kidding ? LOL We were just too greedy to share the one dessert ! Of course we end up ordering a dessert each.

The crème brulée was great, the custard was nicely set and not too firm. The sugar layer was thin and had a nice *crack* when tapped with a spoon. 

Millefeuille A La Mangue
mango parfait, feuilles de brick, fresh mint

I really loved the freshness in this dessert. The mango parfait melts in your mouth, creamy and not too sweet. The feuilles de brick was crispy and sugary, a perfect accompaniment to the parfait. 

A very summery dessert indeed :)

Mariage Fréres Tea - Marco Polo

Overall it was a satisfying dinner at Tabou, the service was friendly and attentive. Although we might skip the mains next time we dine here and just order another entree as the main. Their entree offerings are definitely more interesting than the mains. 

The desserts were nothing fancy, classic French style but well executed. Leave room for desserts when you dined there :)