One of Australia's most celebrated chefs, Dietmar Sawyere - whose credits include the perennial favourite fine diner Berowra Waters Inn, and the much-missed Forty One - opens a new chapter with his French-flavoured, seasonal Australian produce-driven, north shore "neighbourhood bistro", Ad Lib Bistro.
Francophiles are sure to lick their lips with glee over starters like duck liver parfait, onion soup au gratin and pigs trotter, ear and tail croquette; mains such as fish fillet meuniere, croustillant of duck confit and steak tartare; and desserts like raspberry creme brulee and dark chocolate mousse. Indeed, you may feel inclined to ad lib with superlatives to describe your dining experience here.
Adam Bub
Open
m
t
w
t
f
s
s
Breakfast
Lunch
O
O
O
O
O
Dinner
O
O
O
O
O
O
Late
Mon-Fri noon-2.30pm Mon-Sat 5pm-10pm
French
Signature dish: Shellfish platter on ice - oysters, prawns, scallops, mussels and yabbies
Entree: $10-$22
Mains: $15-$38
Dessert: $3-$12
Degustation menu:
7 courses
Set menu:
3 courses,
$85
Payment accepted: MasterCard, Visa, American Express and EFTPOS
Licensed with bar. Wine is available by the glass. BYO (wine only) $15 corkage per bottle. BYO available Mon-Thu only (not available for bookings of 10 or more guests)
Children's menu
This venue accepts bookings. It is essential to make a reservation ahead of time. Group bookings are supported. Online booking available
Seats 90
No wheelchair access
but wheelchair-accessible toilets available
Gourmet Traveller Feature Review - "With Ad Lib, Dietmar Sawyere brings another class act to the upper north shore, writes Pat Nourse. It's clever French cooking without the bistro cliches. "
Find more info on this restaurant with Bing Search
All reviews and ratings are the expressed opinions of our users, and in no way reflects the opinions of yourRestaurants, its staff and its affiliates.
Posted by:
Gourmet Tam
|
29 March 2012, 11.01pm
Another North Shore Foodie
Typical French Bistro fare - pretty good on the whole but not sure it's really worth the hype. For being so highly acclaimed I would have expected maybe a more interesting menu, but I have to say it was simple french food done technically very well. A little (well more than a little, really) disappointed that the online menu posted on their website from May 2011 is exactly what was on the menu tonight 10 months later. Finally, if you read this Ad Lib, please please please don't ever put boiling water into green/herbal tea. Huge faux pas. 70-80 deg tops. Test and see. Tell your restaurant buddies - sick of going to good restaurants and having to fight through bitter tea at the end.
Food:
Visit: Thu 29 March 2012
Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:
Posted by:
pjredit
|
30 November 2011, 10.20pm
Just the right amount of fancy!
Took my dad here for lunch recently and it did not disappoint. It's basically all classic French bistro dishes, just very well executed. Even the baguette (with a thin, almost crumbly crust) was perfect. Both the prosciutto and pan fried prawn entrees were lovely; the mains - boudin noir with caramalised pear (mine) and veal liver with mushrooms and potato rosti (Dad's) were excellent. Come to think of it, the rosti was superb - beautifully seasoned and not at all greasy. The desserts were also excellent - a raspberry creme brulee and an apple tarte tatin. The pastry was on the tarte tatin was a teensy bit under done, but I'm quibbling - the flavour was spot on.
All in all it was a great meal - it won't blow your socks off, but it pretty much ticks all the boxes for satisfaction. And the different pour sizes of the wines is much appreciated.
It's formal enough to feel special, but casual enough not to be stuffy.Thanks Dietmar - we walked out of there feeling great. Just the right amount of fancy!!!
Food:
Visit: Wed 16 November 2011
Mealtime: lunch
Service:
Atmosphere:
Posted by:
NorShore Foodie
|
26 April 2010, 6.44pm
NorShore Foodie
It was with great anticipation that my family and I had dinner at Ad Lib Bistro on Friday last. It had big shoes to fill, replacing Tables as the best restaurant in the Upper North Shore. First the details...dinner for four with one bottle of wine was $300. OK if its good...and it was, mostly. The food was great, especially the French Onion soup. The mains were also very good, as was the dessert my son ordered (dark chocolate mousse) The service was attentive and professional. The down side...no BYO allowed and the wine list was confused and not a good selection of varietals. It needs a revamp. It was also noisy and rather unimaginative as a venue. We were seated in a back corner...maybe just unlucky!!
Food:
Visit: Fri 23 April 2010
Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:
Write a review about Ad Lib Bistro
Email a friend
Email this page to a friend and start planning your night out:
Feedback
If you have found something incorrect, missing or would like to add some information, let us know!
You're not a registered user. If you would like a response, please include your email address in the feedback description or register/login to your account.
Community
4 Favourites
8 Wishlists
