LoLuk Bistro, Surry Hills

New kid on the block Loluk Bistro promises to bring authentic French to Surry Hills. I drop by one Saturday for lunch with MW to check out what Loluk brings to the table.

Loluk Bistro is a little restaurant located on Bourke St in Surry Hills. The decore is relaxed with seating available indoors or outdoors. As it's a lovely sunny day, I head outdoors for a seat.

The drinks menu is full of French wines however you'll see a few local wines and beers as well. I settle for a red wine to enjoy with the french meal ahead. I notice on the table the olive oil and ask the owner what's the story.

He tells me that his brother and himself have opened up this little bistro hoping to bring a bit of their home into Australia. The olive oil is home made from France from the Luberon Provence. 

To kick off the meal, MW and I munch on some warm bread with butter - one of life's wonders.

MW and I share a few entrees. The first is the Pissalaidiere en focaccia Maison which is a traditional nicoise tart with house made foccacia ($14). I absolutely love caramelised onion so this dish was a treat for me. The sardine is not overpowering however still makes for strong flavours along with the olive and onion. To neutralise the palette, the salad is there to refresh and cleanse so there is nice balance. I like this dish and would recommend ordering!

Next up is one of MW's favourite dishes - Beef Carpaccio ($19). The beef is thinly sliced with a drizzle of olive oil and cheese on top. There is a small rocket salad in the middle. MW is in heaven. The thinly sliced beef is light and flavoursome. I recommend if you like beef carpaccio.

We also order the Gravlax Salmon, lemon chantilly, beetroot veloute ($21). This entree is interesting and unfamiliar as I've never really had creme with gravlax salmon before. I really enjoyed the first two entrees as they were full of flavour. If you're looking for a more subtle dish then this is the one.

Now it's time for the mains. MW and I share the Fish of the day ($32) - which is a buttery fillet of fish with seasonal vegetables. The barramundi fillet is well cooked - moist and flavoursome. That buttery sauce is incredibly fragrant and I could smell it before I started eating it. It's this buttery sauce that really brings the dish together. This dish is simple but very well executed. I recommend! A must for butter lovers.

My favourite dish is the signature and widely popular dish is the Duck breast with provencal gnocchi ($36). The duck is slightly pink and sits well with the light sauce. The gnocchi is out of this world. The gnocchi is amazingly delicious and I couldn't stop eating it. It's amazing how oddly shaped lumps of potato can blow your mind. I highly recommend the signature main of duck.

Make sure you save room for dessert. MW and I order the profiteroles which is a french choux pastry with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce ($14). You can't really go wrong with this combination of pastry, ice cream and chocolate. The pastry is quite light so you don't feel too heavy afterwards. A definite recommend.

My favourite dessert was the creme brulee with lavender. I love the subtle lavender flavours and thought it was  amazing along with the house made cookie ($14). It's all about that crack. I highly recommend. 

Summary: I am incredibly impressed by the quality of food at Loluk Bistro. All the food was really delicious and the highlights for me were definitely the signature duck with gnocchi as well as the entree of nicoise tart with house made foccacia and that creme brulee. I highly recommend!!

The chefs are also legit french with limited English. Maybe you can test out your french with them

Price: Mains are $30-39ish

Location: 2/411 Bourke St, Surry Hills

Opening Hours: 
Monday - closed
Tues, Wed 6pm to 10pm
Thurs, Fri, Sat - 12pm to 2:30pm, 6pm to 10pm
Sun 10am to 6pm

Weekendfoodescapes dined as guests of Loluk Bistro. All words, opinions and photos are my own.