Sydney: Fair 22ºC | 9ºC

or use

Montpellier Public House

Wine Tasting

Balzac has been given a new name and a new lease on life

First published on 14 Sep 2011. Updated on 22 May 2012.

This venue closed on 17 May 2012

Balzac is dead. Long live Balzac. We will remember it well. In its place is Montpellier Public House - a much more casual offering from owner and chef, Matt Kemp. So here’s the deal: upstairs is a fine dining restaurant, downstairs is a large bar and casual eating house. The take home message here is that this is the best spot in Randwick and Coogee to eat and drink. There’s choice, friends, and plenty of it.

To be honest, we'd very happily just sit in the public bar area downstairs and order the bar food. Make sure to give the snails a go - you get six of the garlicky critters, mixed with with shreds of braised oxtail and served in the shell. Yes! They are snails! And they’re brilliant with a pint of the austere Herefordshire cider. There's nothing quite as steadying as a slice of Welsh rarebit - everybody’s favourite mustardy, spicy cheese melt - after a harsh day, especially if it's followed by a cold beer. And that's one of the great strengths at Montpellier - their beer and cider list.

Of course, there's also plenty of wine on offer, with two separate lists running upstairs and downstairs. The downstairs list is a little more flexible, with plenty available by glass, carafe or bottle, while upstairs is more bottle-only with a modest by-the-glass selection. It's slightly confusing and a little irritating that you can't order from either list upstairs or down, but then, there's still plenty to keep you occupied on either. Not can you order food from either menu – keep in mind that you'll need to make a booking for upstairs.

If you’ve taken a seat at the bar, no doubt you’ll see the roast chicken for two make its way upstairs. You’re going to have to make a booking if you want to eat that bird. The roast chicken, by the by, comes whole to the table for you, the punter, to carve up yourselves. The chicken itself is slightly dry, but it's been well seasoned and the bird, which is nice and small, has plenty of flavour. It also comes with a serve of butter-doused peas and braised lettuce, a little jug of roasting juices, and another filled with bread sauce. The leftovers would make the king of sandwiches, we can tell you that much. You probably want to give the hand cut chips a miss - they're about the loosest definition of chip we've seen for awhile - instead, we'd give the roast potatoes cooked in dripping a go. They're on the separate downstairs menu but if you ask super nicely, we're sure they'll sort you out in the spirit of a good roast.

Matt Kemp is a man with brawn on his side. And no one does a better version of the jellied pig’s head than him. Here, chunky shreds of pork and pieces of carrot are caught in a salted jelly, like a glimmering, meaty island paradise. It's served with a pile of deep-fried pig's tails and ears. At this point, if you haven't ruptured, you'll want to try the knickerbocker glory, served in an ultra-trad sundae glass and, as our waitress explains to us, garnished with a 'flamboyant wafer'. Here, scoops of strawberry ice cream are layered with mulberries, whipped cream and cheeks of new-season mango. Or there's the hot apple crumble topped with a scoop of salted caramel ice cream. It's not as showy (or flamboyant) as the glory, but it's comforting and homey and well executed.

Service across the board is friendly and personable, from the bartender keen for a bit of a chat to the sassy Galician sommelier upstairs. Montpellier is a good, local operation and a huge win for the Eastern beaches. Whether you’re upstairs or down, it’s a good time.

More of Sydney's best bars & pubs? Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Words by Myffy Rigby