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Good Food hat15/20

Poodle Bar & Bistro

Updated ,first published

Baked oysters.
1 / 12Baked oysters.Supplied.
Staff prepare the dining room.
2 / 12Staff prepare the dining room.Paul Jeffers
Hanger steak with mustard fruit sauce.
3 / 12Hanger steak with mustard fruit sauce.Supplied
Pork neck skewers with smoked orange butter.
4 / 12Pork neck skewers with smoked orange butter.Supplied
Caviar crumpets are a speciality.
5 / 12Caviar crumpets are a speciality.Supplied
Roast duck, orange reduction and raddichio.
6 / 12Roast duck, orange reduction and raddichio.Supplied
Perfect for sharing.
7 / 12Perfect for sharing.Supplied
A green marble bar dominates the entry.
8 / 12A green marble bar dominates the entry.Supplied
Baked oysters a la Poodle.
9 / 12Baked oysters a la Poodle.Paul Jeffers
Profiteroles with spanner crab and cod roe.
10 / 12Profiteroles with spanner crab and cod roe.Paul Jeffers
Chargrilled duck hearts wrapped in guanciale.
11 / 12Chargrilled duck hearts wrapped in guanciale.Paul Jeffers
Hapuka fillet with greens and buttery leek chimichurri.
12 / 12Hapuka fillet with greens and buttery leek chimichurri.Paul Jeffers
Good Food hat15/20

Poodle

Contemporary$$

Radiating youthful energy and vintage glamour.

A great French restaurant isn’t just about the menu: it should feel made for intimate, mysterious liaisons. Here you’ll get just that - low lights, hidden leather booths, velvet accents and harlequin floors. The expertly mixed mini martinis are ice-cold; the kitchen pumps out no shortage of steak and frites.

Nostalgia is delivered with a cheeky wink and of-the-moment touches. A towering prawn cocktail vol-au-vent practically poses for the camera, with a dramatic king prawn crowning lush avocado cream and glistening salmon roe perched on buttery pastry.

The mostly Oz-French wine list is stacked with Victorian numbers, but also offers more obscure drops like the spicy pineau d’Aunis - a light-yet-complex red to add frisson to perfectly pink duck breast served on grilled radicchio. Desserts keep things retro and picturesque: go for ginger creme with torched meringue, best eaten a deux.

Must-order: Prawn cocktail vol-au-vent.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

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