the foodies club

Marque, Surry Hills: June 2009

Our feeding in June, 2009 is at Marque in Surry Hills.

About Marque

Marque Restaurant opened in 2000 and rated as one of the best dining experiences in Australia. It has been awarded 3 hats by the SMH Good Food Guide 2009, as well as receiving praise for its extensive and well chosen wine list. The cuisine is prepared by ‘Chef of the Year’, Mark Best and the ambience is described as intimate and intense. Marque is located on Crown Street in Surry Hills.

About the Chef Mark Best

Profiled by De Groots:
Highly acclaimed executive chef Mark Best is passionate about French food. He began his apprenticeship at the Macleay Street Bistro in Potts Point 1990 and worked there for five years before opening up his own restaurant, Peninsula Bistro, in Balmain. His restaurant was well received by locals, however after a few years Mark decided to further his knowledge of French cuisine in the best way possible, time in Paris. Mark worked at Alain Passard’s three Michelin starred L’Arpege before heading over to the UK for a stint at Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons, Raymond Blanc’s Great Milton hotel/restaurant.

Signature Dish

Dishes are constantly being altered and refined, and the suggested way to experience Marque is through a degustation. Some of the recurring options are:

• almond jelly served with firm crab meat, almond gazpacho, prune oil and sweet corn custard
• caramelised tomato is stuffed with twelve flavours and served with star anise ice-cream

Menu

Marque features French cuisine. The menu can be found on the website. There is an 8 course degustation for $145 per person, $75 extra for matching wines. The a la carter option is $28 for an entrée, $48 for a main and $24 or dessert.
The wine list is extensive and indulgent, featuring wines from around the world and of course, France in particular.

Reviews

SMH describes Marque as “No views, no frills and a smart interior that doesn’t try hard to impress”, instead the high point of the review appears to be “exemplary service and the spectacle of what’s on the plate”.

The Gourmet Traveller review claims that Marque is serving “some of the most interesting food and wine you’re likely to find in Australia right now”. It laments however that the food can be ‘challenging’ and the author does claim to have had a Mr Bean moment where she/he was looking for somewhere to hide a dish that was a little too exotic/innovative.

And of course the most reliable source of all, the topmost review on Eatability claims that the restaurant dining room is “dark, moody, sexy and unpretentious” and the service “impreccable”.

Website

Marque Restaurant

Address

Marque
Shop 4
355 Crown Street
Surry Hills
NSW 2010 Australia
tel: +61 2 9332 2225

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