Felix Bistro and Bar

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Posted 2012-05-09 by Sarah Han ⇒ follow

Tucked away underneath Ivy and occupying the space across from Ash St. Cellar, French bistro Felix is like being transported to a charmingly chic town in France. I'm loving how this little laneway has a European vibe, sending me straight into nostalgia. Even my childhood in Europe still brings back a sense of poetry and whimsy.

I'm feeling quite under-dressed when I enter the dimly lit bistro. The mood lighting is perfect if you're here on a romantic date, but for me it means that my photos are a little bit blurry and off-colour.

Chef Lauren Murdoch has migrated from Ash St Cellar across to pair up with Nathan Johnson. I've also been to Ash St Cellar a few years ago when Murdoch was still in charge of the kitchen. The food here was of an equally superior calibre.

The chicken liver pate, currant relish with cornichons ($16) is my first pick. I have heard and read about this pate prior to this particular date, so I knew I had to try it. And it definitely lives up to its expectations. It's smooth and creamy, with a currant relish that I wish we had more of. Even piling the pate on the chunks of charred bread still leaves a lot of pate left over. We have no choice but to ask for more bread.

We also get a basket of complimentary bread at the start. So at this point the carb overload is starting to take a turn for the worse. I try to save my stomach for the other dishes still to come to our table.

Another pick of mine is the Gruyere soufflé ($20). It's fluffy, eggy and cheesy. I'm glad the three of us decide to share all the dishes because eating this souffle on your own would probably be rather overwhelming.

Luckily we've also ordered something light: the smoked duck, fig, cucumber, pecorino and pinenuts salad ($22). The duck is juicy and the flavours are fresh. Everything is harmonious and my only concern is that it's too small because I want more of it in my belly.

We also order the Braised pork neck, honey, clove, mustard mash and buttered spinach ($32) (on the menu this dish is actually pork cheeks, but tonight they've got pork neck). I can't say I notice any clove flavours, but that doesn't really bother me to be honest. The mustard mash wins us over, so much so that we start devising ways to start making mustard mash at home. The soft carrots on top are a bit overcooked, but that's a personal preference of mine.

For dessert we knew from the moment we laid our eyes on the dark chocolate mousse, peanut parfait and salted peanut caramel ($16) that we were meant to be. The rich chocolate mousse is very yummy, but I find that it's a little bit too grainy for my liking. The peanut parfait is moreish and the salted caramel sauce is divine. The parfait sits on a crunchy chocolate base that we can't get enough of.