Le Simpatic O, Lane Cove

My work colleague mentions a lovely evening at a French restaurant in Lane Cove called Le Simpatic O. So I decide to check it out myself.

I got a groupon voucher where the 7 course degustation is normally $180 (for two people) and I paid $90 (for two people). I wasn't sure what to expect given I had essentially paid $45 per person. 

The first dish was a shot of soup with a side of bread and truffle butter. That butter was quite nice. My friend insists that bread doesn't count as the first dish but I'm guessing it was.

The second dish (above) was a fresh slice of raw salmon on cream cheese. It was a classic flavour combination. It's a light way to start the meal. The cured salmon is lightly seasoned with citrus. 

Below is the highlight of the degustation, the pork belly with a side of beans. The skin on top is nice and crunchy. The pork belly is delicious and cooked well. It's so lovely to eat.

Next up is the fourth dish, cream filled zucchini flower with balsamic vinegar on a small bed of corn. This fourth dish was quite delightful to eat. I thought that crumb on the outside was quite light and nice. I'm really enjoying the degustation so far.

It's now that the next dish that confuses me, the next dish is a palette cleanser which is an lemon sorbet. This is the fifth dish. I'm wondering if that means that dessert is next.

The sixth dish is a seared duck with sweet potato crisps and fig. The duck is nice but the previous dish had me ready for dessert. The fig sweetens the duck and the crisps are a nice point of difference in texture. However I struggle to eat the rest of the duck.

The seventh and final dish is dessert which is a chocolate layered pastry stack with a side of raspberry sorbet. The pastry is quite dense and as is the chocolate so it wasn't very enjoyable to eat. I had a few bites then left the rest.

Highlights: Overall, I had a nice experience at Le Simpatic O. I was happy with my experience for $45 but I would question the value and quality if it was $90 given you can go to Nel or Dragoncello for a similar price point but at a vastly better experience.

The highlights were definitely the pork belly and zucchini flower. So delicious. 

Suggested Improvements: I think they should provide the degustation menu up front so customers know what they are expecting. I don't know if I got the lemon sorbet in the wrong order but if it's before the duck then I would move it afterwards. I wasn't a fan of the duck or the dessert.

Price: $90 normally, $45 with my groupon voucher.

Location: 94 Longueville Rd, Lane Cove

Opening Hours: 12pm to 3pm lunch Tuesday to Saturday and from 6pm Tuesday to Saturday

Summary: Lisa's Rating: Check it out if you can get the groupon voucher. The rating is reflective of my experience based on $45. 

Food: 7/10 for casual dining 

Customer Service: 7/10

Atmosphere: 7/10
Value: 7/10