A decade is a long time in any industry, let alone the fickle world of Sydney restaurants. So it was high time Matthew Kemp did something with his flagship restaurant, Balzac, which enjoyed its inauguration alongside the Olympics.
Thankfully, Kemp has decided to rebrand and refocus his Randwick stalwart rather than sell up, and Sydney is graced with his considered and precise cooking for a little while longer.
As one of the many successful Banc alum, Kemp forged his name cooking refined French food, so naming his latest diner after a city in the south of France should come as no surprise. What might raise an eyebrow or two is that this Montpellier Public House serves food closer to British gastro-pub fare than Gallic haute cuisine.
Expect to see Yorkshire puds, ploughman's platters, eel pie, offal and all other bastions of hearty English fare; however, what separates Montpellier from other gastro-pubs is the underpinning of Kemp's French sensibilities - moderation when it's required and decadence when it's not.
Said decadence rears its head particularly in the 'puds' section of the menu (otherwise known as dessert, for the cockney-challenged): Knickerbocker glory, Eton mess and spotted dick with warm vanilla custard all make their presence known when they arrive on the table. It's warm, uncomplicated and exactly what you want at the end of a meal here.
Nick Eggert
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