LOCATION
Located in East Sydney’s Riley Street at the William Street end.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
Take a restaurant from French colonial Saigon and mix it up with Sydney spunk and you have La Mint. Sitting at the end of a narrow col de sac, just a few metres shy of busy William Street, this Vietnamese French fusion restaurant captures a touch of colonialism, a dash of French “oh la la” and a whole lot of Vietnamese spirit. Residing in a heritage-listed warehouse, it is decked out in earthy tones – wood tables and floors, beige cushions and grey tiles – with furniture of various heights imported from Saigon herself. A few cheeky vintage French artworks adorn the walls lending a relaxed charm and making La Mint a rare Sydney find – a Vietnamese restaurant that finds a balance between fine and casual dining.
The cuisine follows in stride with an elegant French-influenced Vietnamese menu that changes every three months to introduce new tastes to the palates of its guests. Among more inventive dishes are entrees like the “papillotes aux deux fromages” (crispy wontons filled with Camembert and cream cheese) and ”escargots a La Mint” (snails baked in their shells with a touch of mint, tomato, chilli and baguette). For the second course it is hard to resist the signature dish of ”pave de porc” – a melt-in-your-mouth pork belly that spends six hours slowly cooking before it hits your table, although the slightly more hands-on “campfire beef” (which requires diners to assemble their own rice paper rolls) is a delicious, and authentic, selection. Alternatively on Tuesdays La Mint offers another irresistible treat – a seven-course degustation menu for $49. If you can’t get enough you may also like to enquire about the in-house cooking classes. There is even talk of an overseas cooking experience, so stay tuned…
Agnes Gajewska
DETAILS
Tucked away in the heart of the East Sydney restaurant precinct, this little gem has quietly emerged as an impressive addition to the area. With its ambient lighting, evocative music and French colonial décor, La Mint is the place to dine and rendezvous.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE
La Mint, Sydney’s original French/Vietnamese seafood restaurant in Riley Street, East Sydney, is celebrating the release of Chef George Lai’s new blackboard menu, and the launch of its inaugural Sunday afternoon cooking classes starting this November. Patrons of La Mint will be able to try their hand at mastering some of George’s new dishes, with the launch of La Mint Cooking Classes. On the last Sunday of every month, George will share his recipes with a select group of devotees. Over a leisurely afternoon, participants will not only learn how to prepare one of George’s classic entrées, main courses and desserts, they will be invited to enjoy their creations with complementary wine and beer for just $95.00.
La Mint’s menu already evokes the tantalising fusion of French sophistication with the exotic and spicy flavours of Vietnam, with dishes such as enoki boeuf a la béarnaise; flambé Wagyu boeuf with shitake mushrooms and cognac; pave de porc; Franco-Viet lobster tail grilled with café de Paris butter; and salmon carpaccio with Dijon mustard and soy. New additions to the menu include pate with cognac on baguette with mint, coriander and chili; five spice duck with a French cherry glaze and flambéed bananas.