La Grande Bouffe

Snog. This café does a very very good omelet. It also serves classic french dishes such as frites, salad au chèvre chaud, and so is the natural place to visit when I feel a little nostalgic for my carefree Paris days. If you feel like a touch of French in your day, you could do far worse than a visit to La Grande Bouffe.

Very good French. I have dined there 3 times. Each time has been well above average. Parking is usually pretty good as the restaurant is away from the main shops. I will happily return.

The name of this bistro is a pun in French. The owner is a French chef. It has been consistently good on multiple visits over several years to the point where it has spawned two other bistros in Sydney by the same owners. It is typical bistro food and covers options from a croissant or baguette through to a full 3 course lunch or dinner. The owner seems to have access to a steady supply of French expats and visitors to man the front of house. There are bistro classics as well as some modern twists and deconstructions. The menu changes regularly and the wine list is good. There are a lot of local patrons.

Only eaten here for dinner and I love it! The staff are very French, yet lovely (snap!), service is prompt but eating takes a few hours. We’ve been a few times for the $ 60 three course special. Steak tartare is to die for, as is the crispy pork shoulder (entrée) and armagnac crème brûlée.
Corkage at $ 15 a bottle is steep, but at least they let me BYO. Having said that, the wine list is half decent too.

Came here on previous recommendations and very happy with the result. They have a $ 60 3 course special (Fri & Sat in after 6.30 and out by 8) which is really good value. No restrictions on the deal other nights. Great French food and a very good wine selection and nothing we didn’t like. One tip is to have the Champagne ($ 16) as the extra $ 4 is worth every cent. Will be back for sure with friends.

This is one of my new favorite places in Sydney.
After reading a great review from a food blogger, I decided to take my Hubby here for a date. We indulged and had the 6 course degustation with matching wines.
Every part of the experience was fantastic.
The food was perfect, the wines were expertly matched, and the waiters were gorgeous (and French!).
I can’t recommend this place highly enough, for a romantic dinner, or a group (which there were a few of the night we went).

Dry is how I would honestly describe the big breakfast. Yes I am self proclaimed judge juror and jailer for a big breakfast and although La Grande Bouffe ticked the boxes on the menu when it came to the plate… my mouth, it opened. The tongue rolled out across the room; the table tops and down the steps to the street. Cacti sprouted and the light grew blindingly bright as I staggered on through the desert.
Water
WATER I gasped sand slowing my staggering steps, sinking to my knees and looking out shielding my eyes from the noon sun, on the horizon I spied an oasis, tomato sauce maybe or a relish? Then I woke up and it was all just a dream.
By Den Bones Age 6

Came here for breakfast on a Saturday morning. Perched a spacious table. Impressed. Very homely feel. The white coffee cups blend in nicely with the chocolate brown table. I went for some French Toast with maple syrup. There were way too many almonds, yet this was one great dish. A great break from bacon, eggs and sausages. My latte was well brewed too.
I am happy. I come here once in a while. It can be busy at times. You just need to take a punt on the busyness factor.
I don’t know what else to say — a French food freeze. French food heaven in Sydney. Thank you so much :)

The only visit to La Grande Bouffe was on a Saturday morning. As the name suggests it is a French café/​restaurant.
The service was not great — bit slow and not enough staff for the number of patrons. It was busy with locals so it must be better some days although there aren’t a lot of cafes on offer in the immediate vicinity.
We were offered a selection of different pastries but once we’d ordered the waiter came back and said they’d run out of what we wanted. In the end we got burnt brioche and a chocolate pistachio muffin which was nice enough but quite doey.
Coffee was just coffee.

I wanted a coffee and a place to sit whilst I reviewed some work I had been slaving away on. I needed somewhere to park myself and to do some revisions.
I was walking home from Balmain and happened upon La Grande Bouffe, which translates, according to the Dashboard translator on my Mac, to «The Large One Which Puffs Out.» (Interesting name for a café/​restaurant.)
I walked inside and sheepishly asked whether there were any seats, the lady looked at me funny and pointed to all the empty seats outside, for some reason I was feeling kind of low and was lacking in self esteem that day and my movements were hesitant and awkward.
I didn’t realise that the seats were empty as they had blankets slung over them and I assumed that this meant people were using them and had just happened to leave their blankets on their chairs whilst they visited the bathroom. (A mass exodus towards the bathroom by a group of people who bring blankets to cafes. A blanket cult.)
I took a seat and a coffee was brought out to me, the coffee was delicious and large and I took out my laptop and read over my script. (Not a great script.)
I left the café and the blanket and journeyed on home, feeling slightly better, now that I was caffeinated, but it was a weird day. The Large One Which Puffs Out was definitely helpful though.