Over the years there have been some very fine eateries in Maclay Street, Potts Point. You could slip out of the sleaze of Kings Cross walking down Darlinghurst Road to arrive in the style of Potts Point, eat something delicious and then wind your way back to one of the many late night dens for a nightcap. Today with Kings Cross transformed into its cleaner blander form, Potts Point has a different edge. Here there are now numerous small smart bars and restaurants all offering something smart and fresh.
One of the latest to arrive is ‘Parlar’ which is right next door to it’s sister restaurant Franca (a smart French-Mediterranean styled brasserie). Parlar focuses on Catalan cuisine, head chef José Saulog has created a menu designed to share with a range of dishes that range from small snacks, larger plates and main courses.
What to Eat
The Catalan seafood platter looks visually stunning but make sure you order it when you book as it is only available on pre-order. ($225 for 2 people) It includes the Spanner Crab Spanish Omelette, Salmon Roe · Whole Lobster, Smoked Samfaina · Scampi, Sobrassada · Kingfish Collar, Paprika Beurre Blanc · Calamari & Fennel.
This is a restaurant where you can snack or get serious, the snacks such as the Spanner Crab Omlette ($40) which is amazing, Kingfish Crudo with caviar, orange slices and smoked praprika oil – delicious ($36) and Manchego “Stracciatella”, Heirloom Tomato, Hazelnut Salsa – a perfect combination of flavours with a wonderful crunch from the hazelnuts, the presentation of this dish was more functional over finessed – not pretty but very tasty ($21).
There are few people who visit Parlar and don’t have the black rice, which has now become the icon dish, not because it looks great which it does, in a dark inky way but because it tastes phenomenal. ($30 or $40 for a large).
We had one main between us selecting the Barramundi with Catalan beans ($42) it was also a hit perhaps not quite as visually pleasing as the earlier dishes but none the less an excellent dish, the sauce was extremely moorish and needed bread to soak it up and chase the end around the plate.
Desert
There are four deserts offered, the Crema Catalana with caramelised white chocolate is clearly very popular, but we chose the Crêpe Cake ($25) and the Tarta de Santiago made with buttermilk and lemon – something akin to a baked basque cheese cake but Catalan – so not burned ($20) I loved this but I have always been a sucker for baked cheesecake.
The wine list recognised with two ‘glasses’ at the Australian Wine List of The Year Awards is substantial, focused on European varietals, you will find some lovely wines from France, Spain and Italy. I would have appreciated a few more lighter wine options they didn’t have a Pinot Noir on the list and there were not any lighter Nebbiolos either.
To Drink
We started with a glass of Albillo (a new varietal for me) from Bodega Marañones ‘Picarana’ 2019 ($21 per glass) which was delicious once it warmed up (served slightly too cold) The Picarana is straight Albillo, it’s textural, relatively low in acid and carries gentle aromas of white florals, like honeysuckle and jasmine. There’s freshness to the wine, but no sign of searing acidity; just gently structured and beautifully granitic, with pear, ripe lemon and a rich creamy finish.
Next we progressed to red as mentioned above we were looking for something a little lighter, and while there were some excellent Rioja Tempranillo and Grenache wines, our Sommelier recommended the Munjebel Etna Rosso 2020 from Frank Cornelissen. It was a wine that needed a little time to breathe in order to properly open its aromas, but it once it had a good decant and time in the glass, the nose became a rich red currant – at first it was almost cough syrup but this richness quickly subsides and the leather and tobacco tannins balance the wine and layers of complexity emerge, the length on the palate increases as well. There is a lovely integration of flavour and no faults observed – we rated the wine 94/100 points.
Parlar is a very smart restaurant, chairs are comfortable, the tables are Giallo Sienna marble, on the walls tapestries from artist Andrew Calder. This is a place designed to make you feel comfortable and special, the service is careful and detailed with only 55 seats it feels like you are in a private club lounge or a parlour.
Open | Tu – Th (dinner 5-12pm) Fri – Sa (lunch & dinner 12pm – late)
Licensed | Fully Licensed
BYO | No
Wine Markup | 1.85x
Food | 17/20
Service | 17/20
Wine | 17/20
Atmosphere | 18/20