Tucked away down two flights of stairs and with an arthouse cinema to boot, Restaurant Hubert is definitely a unique and distinct dining experience in Sydney. The combination of classic French dishes, soft live jazz music and endless bottles of wine on display give Hubert a charm and ambience you would be hard pressed to find in Sydney.

Location: 15 Bligh St, Sydney NSW 2000
Price: $384, including drinks for 4 people
Website: https://www.swillhouse.com/venues/restaurant-hubert
Social: https://www.instagram.com/restauranthubert/?hl=en

Melissa: 4 out of 5 – there’s a reason it’s so tough to secure a booking

This was my second visit to Restaurant Hubert and again they delivered in terms of food quality, service and ambience. All of the entrees we ordered were delicious, with the escargots in XO oil being the highlight for me. Definitely a must order on the menu. It comes with a basket of warm bread which you can eat with the oil (and will most definitely fill you up quickly given how rich the sauce is, so be warned). There are honestly very few things as delicious as that oil, which I could probably eat on its own with two baskets of bread.

The duck parfait was very smooth and balanced well with the sweet maple jelly on top. However, it ended up being too rich and was difficult to finish comfortably between four people. I would recommend ordering this amongst more people, otherwise you will overload on the pate and bread and potentially be too full to enjoy the other dishes. Next up we ordered the prime beef tartare, which was well balanced with the healthy serving of crispy mini fries. Again a solid dish.

Finally, the main of the night – the rib eye steak. Cooked to perfection and fat nicely rendered, it was a delicious steak. A whole head of roasted garlic on the side which was a better pairing for the steak than the sauce that came with it. Slightly on the expensive side but delicious nonetheless. We wanted to try the whole roasted chicken, or the duck l’orange, but the waiter pre-emptively warned us that we would likely not have room for it (he was right, so points for the service).

Overall a beautifully appointed restaurant, with live jazz music on most nights adding to the ambience and cosiness of the restaurant. The audio levels were also played so gently that you could hold a conversation in normal tones, which I thought was well thought out. Restaurant Hubert definitely has a lot going for it that sets it apart from other restaurants in Sydney (of similar price points). I can see myself coming back again to try some of the other mains we did not order.

James: 3.5 out of 5 – Beef tartare and steak were stand out dishes, but I didn’t love the other entrees.

This was the first time visiting Restaurant Hubert for me and I’ve heard a lot about how good it was. While it didn’t completely live up to my expectations, I’m keen to try other items on the menu that sound really good.

First up, the duck parfait. For loyal followers of Feeds, you might know that I don’t love duck liver in general so this was always gonna be hit or miss. The parfait itself was quite rich and creamy as expected so definitely needed bread and butter to balance. While I didn’t mind this, I wouldn’t order it again personally. A fairly large portion, get this to share with a few others. The Escargot XO was a must try having never had snail before, and while again not bad overall, this didn’t win me over. I didn’t mind as much that it was snail and the texture was quite decent however taste was heavy on the oil and XO which others would like more.

A highlight for me was the prime beef tartare, delicious raw beef topped with french fries (like the ones in the packet). This was the perfect balance of texture, with the soft, wagyu beef mixed with the salty and crunchy fries. One of the best beef tartares I’ve had and would highly recommend.

Finally the main attraction, Cote de Beouf steak, a 1KG Rangers Valley rib eye which was another stand out. The steak was cooked perfectly, mostly melting in the mouth and with plenty of garlic flavour and seasoning. There was plenty of fat from the steak which went perfectly with the long and thick pre-sliced cuts of meat. This came with a bearnaise sauce that honestly didn’t need it and was better with the fries anyway. Overall a great steak although a bit pricey looking back but that’s just how it is these days I guess with cost of living soaring (but that’s a whole another conversation).