Situated on the water's edge, below the jovial bustle of Darling Harbor revelers, Two Hatted Atelier's relaxed, modern fine dining blends perfectly with French romance.
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While the world of fine dining has been through some things and is entering its next phase of life, studio Since opening in 2017, Sydney's Darling Harbor has been ahead of the curve.
Atelier's approachable, service-oriented ethos brings a sense of ease, sophistication and luxury that most other high-end restaurants still struggle to achieve.
It's a delicate balancing act, tapping into tradition without being stuffy, high-end without being snobbish, elegant without being ostentatious.
Read our full review of the Sofitel Darling Harbor here.
Dinner at Atelier in Darling Harbor
be part of it Sofitel Darling Harboryou expect studio There is a “just another hotel restaurant” vibe, but that's not the case here.
The Atelier dining experience is devoid of any of the usual hotel trappings. It's an independent restaurant that attracts as many non-hotel guests as actual guests, if not more.
That being said – and this was my only reservation at the Atelier – entering the restaurant was a little… strange.
From the maître d' stand at the entrance, you have to walk through a large room full of empty tables and chairs before you get to the Atelier. This is the place where breakfast is served in the hotel, but it feels a little uncomfortable and deserted.
The kitchen is also in the breakfast room which is a shame. These are open kitchens and it would be nice to have more contact with them during dinner.
Yet the food from the far-flung kitchens is delicious and the atmosphere at the Atelier is cozy and convivial.
main course
Choosing an entree at the Atelier can actually be quite challenging; but that's what happens with the paradox of choice. You want it all, but because of that, you can't choose one or the other.
After lengthy negotiations, we settled on charcoal-grilled octopus on the kitchen's special Mibrasa grill, which functions as both a grill and an oven. This specialized Spanish oven can grill, cook and smoke at the same time.
The octopus was butter tender and served with a kind of ratatouille, although the peppers had freshness and crunch and a slight creaminess. It's topped with a wonderfully soft saffron sabayon that slowly collapses on itself, adding richness and umami.
This is a clever dish that can only be made by a kitchen that understands it.
We also ordered the O'Connor Black Angus beef tartare. Christina and I made a deal that if tartare was on the menu, we had to order it. Boy, are we glad we did it this time.
This was quite possibly the best tartare we've ever had, really good. To impress, the steak is plated with baby geranium leaves, parsley and edible flowers. To get that all-important acidity, the kitchen used pickled onion wedges and capers, and the eggs were pickled until slightly gelatinous.
Buried deep inside the tartare is rich mayonnaise, a mildly spiced mayonnaise that brings a tantalizing creaminess to the whole.
We each had a glass from La Comtesse Chardonnay MarchThe De Beaurepaire-based winery is not only rich in entrees, but also has a unique, lovely creamy texture.
power supply
Since the kitchen has a special Mibrasa oven, we obliged and ordered a steak (yes, life is hard, isn't it), which turned out to be a great decision.
Black Angus Tenderloin (medium rare) is a thick cut. The exterior of the Mibrasa is a beautiful crusty charcoal color, while the interior is red and still.
For the sauce, I opted for confit garlic and herb butter – basically a luxurious sauce paris cafe –but honestly, the steak doesn't need it; there's so much flavor and juiciness here. However, it does go well with duck fat roasted Andean sunrise potatoes.
One of the other unique features of Atelier is that the kitchen dry-ages its own ducks. You can see them hanging in the cabinet next to the Mibrasa.
Of course, this influenced our other choice for the main course: dry-aged corn-fed duck breast from the Moorahbull Valley near Geelong.
The duck breast was cooked to perfection: pink as it should be, bronzed everywhere else, like a Greek god. While the meat itself is quite salty, the smooth applesauce is acidic enough to balance everything out to the point of buoyancy.
For the main meal we had a glass of Perceval Pinot Noir from De Beaurepaire and a rich Grenache from another McLaren Vale wine company.
dessert
Somehow our server Gabriela convinced us to add dessert, specifically Vietnamese dark chocolate, coconut, pandan and mint delicacies.
We were worried at first but it turned out to be a lovely dessert. I'm not a fan of pandan, but its delicate floral scent goes well with coconut and mint.
Gabriella also bought us a glass of De Beaurepaire BotrytisPerfectly blended with the rich taste of mint and rich flavor of Vietnamese dark chocolate.
It was an outstanding dining experience, full of romance and delicious food. The Atelier is the ideal place for a romantic dinner or to celebrate a special occasion.
We dined at the Sofitel Darling Harbor as media guests but our experiences and opinions remain our own.
Post Sydney French fine dining restaurant—Atelier by Sofitel first appeared in romantic mr and mrs.
