Early September is a busy month for us – Bianca, the boys, and I all celebrate our birthdays. This year, Bianca took me out to the French restaurant “Le Pas Sage“. Nestled in Hindmarsh Square, the restaurant’s small street frontage makes it easy to miss. With room for only about 25 customers, it exudes a “compact and bijou” charm. Since it was raining, we opted to dine inside the cosy space.

We relish the French atmosphere. The staff converse in French, and French music plays continuously. The open kitchen allows us to watch our food being prepared right in front of us.

We perused the menu, and were delighted to find that everything sounded delicious. The dishes are all French but are well described.

We loved the cocktail menu. All the choices were unique compositions with names based on Tarot cards. We could not decide so we took their imaginative option of selecting a Tarot card at random from our waiter.

Each cocktail we selected (we had four) was sophisticated and delicious.

We could not decide what to eat, so we selected the set “Tasting” menu. This is not a cheap option but definitely worth it. It started with a trio of butters – wine, truffle, and garlic. Then we started on the raw dishes! We had steak tartare (raw beef), which is one of Bianca’s favourites, ever since I introduced it to her a couple of years ago. This was followed by gravlax (raw salmon), which is unusual for me, as I don’t eat fish. Both dishes were exceptional – perfectly balanced and delicious flavours.

The main course was duck confit, slow cooked with truffles and over mashed potatoes. The meat fell apart but the skin was crispy, giving it a delicious texture and beautiful mouth feel.

In the French style, they served cheeses before the dessert. We had a Comte hard cheese, a soft brie style and a blue cheese, served with dried figs, apricots and nuts.

Then we elected to have a dessert of Tarte Tatin – pears topped with pastry, and drizzled with a caramel sauce, served with vanilla ice cream.

You may wonder what the restaurant name means – the translation is “the naughty one”. We think the name is apt, as it feels like you are being naughty with the exceptional food and drinks here.

After dinner, Bianca spied an option on the drinks menu – “Vin Chaud” which is mulled wine made with a little brown sugar and a stick of cinnamon. It was delicious and makes me wonder if I should stop adding orange juice or apple juice when I make it.

The wine list at the restaurant is not very extensive, but every wine available is French. Only four reds, four whites, and a few other wines. We stuck to the cocktails this time but look forward to working our way through the wine list.

We loved the food, the atmosphere, and the cocktails. The waiter is very attentive and helpful – the French consider waiting to be a profession, not just a temporary job, and it shows.

We will return!