EAT > Le Foote, Sydney

Editors Note (25/8/24): We are saddened to hear the recent media reports and claims about Swillhouse venues. The accusations are extremely disturbing. As a result we are removing the review rating we gave for the venue.

It seems that every new exciting restaurant in Sydney is either a Merrivale or Swillhouse venture. And Le Foote is no exception. It is down in Sydney’s Rocks district in a large heritage listed venue that rambles between numerous different bar and dining areas.

Swillhouse venues (Restaurant Hubert and Alberto Lounge) are both excellent and wonderfully original in the way they have created new spaces and new ways to dine in Sydney. Swillhouse is also famed for its outstanding cocktail bars Baxters, Shadey Pines, the now closed Frankies Pizza and their latest venue the Caterpillar Club. While each of those venues actually created something entirely new and different to the Sydney dining and drinking scene, Le Foote actually seems to celebrate what made fine dining in Sydney in the 1980s.

The food is approachable (slightly posh) European classics everything is tasty and comes out smartly, without any need for foams or gels. By contrast there is a good amount of olive oil, meat with ‘a jus’ and some smartly baked potato pies. This is a place for comfort food with a group of friends.

FOOD >

Our food started with a cheese pie ($26) which was not really a pie, more like a saganki with honey but very nice. Octopus, potatoes, macadamia and Aleppo pepper ($32) and then Cone Bay barramundi, black olives, beurre noisette ($65) and Stockyard gold angus sirloin ($64) with sides of the Roast cabbage, skordalia, pepitas ($15) and the famed Potato en croute, the pie ($15).

We finished the meal with a panna cotta ($20) which was a very nice desert but not particularly memorable.

My feeling was the food was ok, but way over priced for what I would normally expect to pay for a similar meal. I note that they currently have a hat from the SMH Good Food Guide and perhaps that adds to the price in Sydney?

Image Credit | Le Foote

WINE >

With a substantial wine list and plenty of premium expensive wines to choose, I was delighted to find a bottle of Thymiopoulos Xinomavro a wonderful light red wine from Greece for $80 which was an ideal complement to our meal.

CONCLUSION >

Like all of the Swillhouse venues, you walk in and you feel there is something special about this place. I love the way the rooms link and you have a sense of moving between venues inside the venue. The sandstone walls and rough floors, sections of inside and outside dining do tend to make this quite a cool (cold) venue in the middle of a very cold Sydney winter but it would be fantastic in Summer.

The food for me was not good enough for the price. The bar and wine list and the venue itself are all wonderful however so next time I am likely to be back for drinks and snacks.

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