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When Parisian Johan Giausseran met Bordelais Vincent Ventura in Sydney 10 years ago, an innovative partnership was born. They wanted to open a truly authentic French restaurant that would take their customers straight to a night out in France.
In both Bordeaux and Paris, people queue out the front of specialist restaurants to enjoy entrecôte, a thinly cut sirloin, served simply with hand-cut French fries, a green salad and - the reason for especially long queues - a signature sauce. Johan and Vincent knew this was exactly the kind of French restaurant they wanted to bring to the suburbs of Sydney.
And, no mistake, it truly was the suburbs where they opened their first venture, Brasserie l’Entrecôte in 2016. Pymble is located deep within Sydney's upper north shore, far from the usual foodie hotspots centred around the city. But that was entirely the point - this would be a local restaurant, serving perfectly executed dishes to a steady stream of regulars.
Frenchmen Johan Giausseran and Vincent Ventura are all about the steak frites - just don't ask them for their sauce recipe. Source: Supplied
This would be a local restaurant, serving perfectly executed dishes to a steady stream of regulars.
"For me I want our people to walk in and be transported straight away to France," Johan tells SBS Food. "By the music, the French-speaking staff, the smell and the flavours of each dish!"
The restaurant's name gives a nod to the original Le Relais de l’Entrecôte, a famous one dish steakhouse that opened in 1959 in Porte Maillot, Paris. Befitting its traditional namesake, a parade of French classics streams out of Brasserie l’Entrecôtee's kitchen each night. Cheese soufflé, escargots, beef bourguignon, confit duck leg, crème brulée and crêpes Suzette, flambéed with Grand Marnier liqueur.
The dish of the day changes regularly, but it's no surprise that the restaurant's constant is steak frites, always served with a walnut green salad. "Vincent and I have always been passionate about steak and frites, which has been a very classic dish we were fans of since being kids," explains Johan. "I remember always being excited when my dad (who is a chef) was cooking that tender pink steak with homemade frites, always a pure delight and moment of pleasure..."
The steak frites is served over a candle to keep it warm. "People love to pour their chips on the tray mixing it with the sauce!" says Johan. Source: Jessica Hromas
A dish like steak and fries is deceptively simple; it's actually an incredibly complex dish if you want to get it right. When it's your restaurant's signature dish, though, plenty of practice is guaranteed.
I remember always being excited when my dad (who is a chef) was cooking that tender pink steak with homemade frites, always a pure delight and moment of pleasure...
"It is important to get a nice seared on both sides, then to cook your steak to your liking," says Johan. "The one very important thing is to let your steak rest before serving it. [This will] keep your meat juicy and tender. Everyone thinks that your meat will get cold, when actually the temperature inside is rising."
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Steak frites with béarnaise sauce
Once you've perfected the steak, it's all about the sauce. Every Parisian restaurant has its own signature steak sauce and as for the recipe, well, the lips are as well-sealed as the steak.
Johan is equally as guarded about the sauce served at Brasserie l’Entrecôte. "Of course, you would understand that we can't share the recipe of our secret sauce, as people after six years of visiting, weekly, monthly, are still trying to find out what is in this sauce," he says. He only mentions that it contains more than 20 ingredients and the team has a very special way of making it... such a tease.
Though you can't blame a restaurant for protecting its precious namesake, especially when the sauce inspired Johan and Vincent's next venture. In January they opened the doors of Bouillon l'Entrecôte, this time located a little more centrally in Sydney's new Quay Quarter precinct.
Naturally, there's a reason for the new restaurant's name: a bouillon is a broth - or in this case, the team's closely-guarded, very-secret, specially-made sauce. No recipes here: to experience it, you'll have to venture out to Pymble or down the Circular Quay.
"The concept [for our restaurants] is simple," says Johan. "An amazing quality sirloin steak, accompanied by the delicious secret sauce, crispy homemade French fries, a simple salad and a glass of wine. Nothing more, nothing less…"
