Le Gourmet

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS
Entering Le Gourmet you immediately feel as though you’ve stepped into owners Erich and Barbara Mohr’s personal, formal dining room. Claret coloured walls give off a relaxed warmth while the twice laid linen-clad tables with their formal settings let you know that you’re in for a dining treat. Large bay windows look out onto the evergreen Fitzroy Gardens, while behind the glass-panelled swinging wooden doors comes the chop and sizzle of the kitchen.

Erich Mohr resides in the kitchen, his home away from home the past 25 years, creating a French influenced menu filled with European inspiration. Start with the crispy salt and pepper quail, boned and served on a mango and chilli salsa, or perhaps the terrine of pork hock and vegetables in Riesling and herb jelly with cucumber and radishes. For main sample the roasted crisp-skinned duck with leek gratin and wild mushroom sauté, or the vegetarian tempte: quenelles of eggplant, pecorino, raisins and pine nuts on tomato ragout with grilled zucchini. Make sure you save room for the crepes Suzette flamed with Cointreau and served with a vanilla-bean ice-cream or the Salzburger Nockerl: hot Austrian soufflé with hazelnuts and chocolate chips, served with ice-cream, fruit and a hot chocolate sauce. Enjoy the extensive wine list ranging from light Australian varieties to hearty Bordeaux’s.

Veda Wickens