Dear Sainte Éloise
4 November 2021, 6.15pm
“Dear Sainte Éloise, if you exist, please send me some money. I don’t ask for much – just enough to buy some bread and a bottle of wine and get my strength back. Three or four francs would do.” – George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London, 1933
Well – Sainte Éloise certainly delivers the goods at this delightful neighbourhood spot in Potts Point’s home of hidden gems, Llankelly Place. Enjoying a strong foundation as part of the ever-successful Love Tilly Group, do yourself a favour and wander on over to Dear Sainte Éloise sometime soon.
We arrived at our 6.15pm reservation wondering whether we’d skipped ahead a few days and it was in fact Saturday, not Thursday.
The place was packed, and the buzz undeniable – those seated outdoors watching the world go by, those at the bar chatting to the bartender, and those around the communal table already lifelong friends. You could come with your in-laws, be seated next to your boss, and run into your ex all at the same time yet be sure of an atmosphere lively enough to carry the conversation.
Our ears filled with the dulcet sounds of jazz and the fading daylight swiftly replaced by candlelight, we decided to embrace the true wine bar experience and order small bites rather than a full meal. No compromising on the wine though – we thoroughly enjoyed the friendly and attentive waiter’s recommendation, so relished in a few more glasses than we would usually allow.
First up, we ordered the Focaccia and Romesco dip with fried capers and boy was it a strong start. Put simply, the romesco was PERFECT. It was beautifully seasoned, with a kick of warm spice that enhanced rather than overpowered the capsicum flavour and turned this traditionally sweeter dip into a deeply savoury one.
Not to mention the crunchy capers, which epitomised everything we love about frying stuff in oil and effortlessly balanced out the richness of the other ingredients.
Next, we each tried a Taleggio croquette with tamarind. With a crisp batter and oozy filling, I’ll admit this was everything one wants and needs out of a croquette. But, with my palette still reeling from the romesco, I felt it was missing a touch of salt. I’m writing “I” and “me” here because the other of us disagreed – “That is 10/10”, he excitedly remarked as he ate the whole thing in one bite.
The tamarind jam sitting underneath the croquette also wasn’t my favourite, but it was nevertheless a clever element – fruit pairing so heavenly with cheese, I’m sure the chef knew they were onto a winner with this addition to the menu.
It would have been remiss of us not to order the Angelachu anchovy with brioche and pickles, the most popular dish at DSE.
This was a bloody SUPERIOR snack, and we could have inhaled about 10 of them. It was, in essence, an umami bomb – with salty anchovies, sweet & sour pickles, and olive oil-soaked brioche. It was also – and bear with me here – a Big Mac in fancy disguise, each mouthful of greasy goodness spiking us with enough dopamine to last another lockdown. When (not if) you visit, make sure you order one (or 10) of these.
For our ‘mains which weren’t really mains’, we had the Ox-heart tomatoes with strawberry vinaigrette, a Bottle squid skewer with roasted chilli and squid ink each, and (obviously) the Frites.
The tomatoes were nice, but (being critical) there were a few issues. Texturally, they were a tad mushy; flavour-wise, a bit watery. They could have done with a spritz of acid – which we assume was the intention of the strawberry. But we found that the vinaigrette had sunk to the bottom of the plate rather than into the tomatoes, and when we tried a spoonful, we felt it was a touch too sour.
The smattering of capers was delicious (capers are really having a moment, aren’t they?), but they could have been crisped up to provide some bite to the dish (we don’t think anyone would complain about fried capers topping both the romesco and the tomatoes). There was also something herby in there that we liked. Was it parsley? Maybe chives? We don’t know, we’re not professionals, but it was good.
The skewers were fantastic – make sure to slide off the squid pieces and mix them up in the sauce for a superb eating experience. There was a gorgeous smokiness to the dish, and in a perfect world we would rather them to have rolled with this theme instead of introducing the heat of the roasted chilli as well. But – we cannot look past that the calamari was expertly cooked, and the squid ink sauce rich and decadent.
Not much to say on the chips – other than that they were excellent, smothered in an irresistible BBQ-esque seasoning, and that you should get them.
After all this, we felt that the food had been served just a bit too fast and the polite prompt to leave was imminent. However, our nerves of being rushed were instantly quashed when the waiter told us to sit back and enjoy our wines for a while, until and if we wanted to order dessert.
We did indeed want to order dessert, and chose the Flan with bitter yuzu caramel. This was SO YUMMY and the description that follows will not do it justice.
The flan was light in taste, and silky creamy in texture. The yuzu caramel was otherworldly, with the caramel taken right to the bittersweet edge and the yuzu flavour so refreshingly unique in its deep, fragrant tartness (closer to a grapefruit than the tangy sourness of a lemon). It was a mature dessert – perfect to close the meal of two not-so-mature, vino-influenced diners.
Lasting impressions, you ask?
In all the right ways, DSE leaves you wanting more. The inviting menu makes us curious to see what’s next, and the moreish food means we can’t wait to go back.
We were surprised at the price considering we didn’t order mains, but we suppose the small bits & pieces add up (no doubt related to the quality of the ingredients) and the wine wouldn’t have helped either.
Overall, you might pay more than three or four francs, but you absolutely get more than simply bread and a bottle of wine.
