Hotel brand QT is known for creating in-house restaurants that are destinations in their own right, not just for hotel guests, and its latest fits the brief. Neo-French Bistro Parlour opened this September and, though it’s housed in QT Sydney on the CBD’s Market Street, will no doubt be frequented by Sydneysiders having after work drinks, on date nights, or catching up with friends.
The hotel bills itself as a pocket of Paris, with low-light and a playlist of French rock and funk from the ‘60s, blended with Caribbean reggae and American jazz. Chef Sean Connolly, who’s also behind QT Sydney’s other restaurant Gowings, as well as Esther at QT Auckland, is the creative mind behind Parlour’s menu.
“I get shivers talking about the technicality of French cooking — its thought,” says Connolly. “Its thoughtful food that takes three days to get to the plate. The venue feels like an evening in Paris.”
Connolly says that to create the menu, he delved into his vast knowledge of French cuisine from his European travels and cooking history. He also tapped into what he’d learnt from working with chefs who have dedicated their lives to the art of French cooking over the years.
His dishes feature local ingredients and, wherever possible, fresh, seasonal vegetables sourced from the Sydney Markets in Flemington, daily. Seafood comes fresh from the Sydney Fish Markets in Pyrmont.
“Then…