Saturday Evening at Ad Lib, Pymble

Chris immediately reflected on his recent visit to the Vue de Monde located along Melbourne's Little Collins Street..

"Definitely different, in terms of the food and the ambiance." We were chatting in a place called the Ad Lib.

French inspired in cuisine and with a Sydney corporate table feel, the restaurant was busy on the last Saturday evening for September. I could feel the whiff and dash of fellow diners pass me by, together with the purposeful movement of the staff in attending to the clients. There was no occasion to even contemplate about Provence or have any such lavender-like thoughts. At times, I felt I was in the central business district rather than in a upper northern suburb about half an hour by car from the Harbour Bridge. It became noisy as the evening progressed. The Pacific Highway just outside this venue did still have a stream of vehicular traffic.

My group of diners appreciated the friendly customary check of how our food was after the mains were consumed. It had taken persistence and patience by Cindy and Charmaine to even get a booking in the preceding months. Were my expectations raised, even if I had asked opinions from friends in the neighbouring suburb of St. Ives.

I was fascinated with the croquette of pig's trotter, ear and tail. The description on the brown-papered menu had not spared us the truth of what went to fill up the otherwise delectable bite. I had chosen this over my initial preference for starters of the sweet green pea risotto, accompanied by pea shoot salad and crisp pancetta. There was no regret on my part, especially after I found the croquette melting in my mouth. Charmaine had tried the onion soup gratinee, which was equally rewarding.

The pleasant staff member attending to our table had double-checked with me on whether I had preferred my roast duck breast to be served medium-rare. I had then found it was too pink tender for my taste, and then inevitably I compared it (albeit unfairly) with the Austrian-German duck confit I had at Kaiser Stu'ben in Terry Hills. Cindy's selection of the steak tartare looked more to my preferred cooking intensity. I was however more than satisfied with the sides of gratin dauphinoise potato and a separate dish of green beans.

My best choice for this particular visit to the Ad Lib was the raspberry soufle, providing me with the right touch of sweetness and perhaps making up for my gap in expectations from the main course. At this juncture, I must admit that I am a dessert person. For a possible next visit, I have already eyed the Pear Tarte Tarin with white chocolate ice cream.

Oh ya, Chris also mentioned about the unique restaurants in Orange NSW that made much use of their local produce and prepared it with a French-inspired flair and tradition.

Post Note:

A few days later, at Lee and Me's in Wollongong CBD, with Shibani and Kristin, I was fully satisfied with my lunch selection of fritters made with golden corn, topped by a poached egg and garnished by all the right trappings. It was just right for lunch, appetising and not over the top. Highly recommended.