I'm always taken by the sparking fairy lights at Libertine as I drive into The Barracks on Petrie Terrace at night.
The ambiance of the old building, landscaped courtyard and pergola with it's long bar look particularly inviting, even on a cold night.
Recently I was invited to try Libertine Bar + Restaurant’s
new winter menu, a creative fusion of Vietnamese and French-inspired fare created
by new Head Chef Paul Roets.
According to Libertine owner Andrew Baturo, Paul spent more
than eight weeks carefully sourcing, creating and testing dishes and local
produce before the menu was offered in the restaurant.
Highlights included
- Kingfish and Crab Chao Tom and Mushroom dumplings bursting with flavour, pierced with a sugar cane skewer and served with a distinctive Vietnamese blend of spices to create a sweet and sour dipping sauce
- Mushroom dumplings with a wide selection of mushrooms in each little flavour parcel, including shiitake, king brown, oyster, shimeji , enoki, woodear and swiss brown.
- Vietnamese Braised Beef Short Rib slowly simmered over three hours in unique marinade of French and Vietnamese ingredients.
- Street-inspired Sticky ‘Saigon’ chicken wings, not fried or baked but poached in sugar, fish sauce, birdseye chilli and a lemon grass paste.
And for those who are interested - a large component of
Libertine’s menu is gluten free.
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| Wild pepper leaf roll up with coconut-poached Bay prawns & lime segments, trout pearls |
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| Head Chef Paul Roets with Steamed mushroom dumplings featuring seven types of mushrooms |
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| Mini organic berkshire pork spring rolls with green chilli sauce |
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| Libertine fresh rice paper rolls - traditional pork and prawn with a very spicy yellowbean dipping sauce |
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| Kingfish & crab chao tom with sweet and sour sauce & sugar cane skewers |
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| Banana Beignets served with Crème Anglaise or Dark Chocolate Sauce. These were delicious and are recommended. |
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| The dessert tray included these delicious ice cream flavours: Galangal Raspberry Swirl, Mango and Star Anise, Lychee & Aloe |
Libertine
No. 5, The Barracks. 61 Petrie Tce, Milton (07) 3367 3353