TL;DR: Everything about this place works to high degree. It all came from no real hype, and as a result made an even bigger impact than the staff here could have imagined. For the first time ever, I can actually detect much of the French influence in Vietnamese culture through their food. You could have well been eating in one of their French Quarters, that is how good we are talking. The meat was like butter, the coffee could arrange the circadium rhythm in a day-sleeper, and it has one of the most appealing menus on any French restaurant on any side of town. All presented with service of equal amounts of pleasantries, and professionalism.
*1200th review*
From some of the best kitchen hands that this city has ever known, Arlete's Kitchen is the next baby in line. Combining the chef's heritage, with European-style training in the kitchen, it is truly a rare gem of a place. Out of nowhere might be getting a bit over-used on my part at the moment, but this time around it truly describes the entire experience I had with Arlette's Kitchen - from finding out about it, all the way to sampling some top notch fare. I 100% recommend trying it out; your tastebuds will be woken alive.
After a series of underwhelming breakfasts over the past month, my house mate threw the ball into my court for this weekend. It was with this, knowing some upcoming circumstances, that I decided to really dig in my claws and sniff out a place. I was honing in close to a landmark review number, on ending in -00 so I would make it count. Cuisine-specific was the name of the game, putting a range of different possibilities as proposals. It proved a little trickier than it should have, but I got one in reserve. That was until a bit more searching for a back-up option, and here we have it. I showed it to him, and my house mate was just as impressed as I was. Sunday breakfast, here we come.
In the days of old, everyone knew about that corner shop which found itself right across from the train station. Unless you live inner-city, or it is a busy hub, those are laying decrepit calling out for a refurbishment. That is the best to describe the exterior with Arlette's, standing at the end of the road after a row of residential houses. A simple grey and white paint job describes the outward presentation. It does not look like much at this stage, but once you enter inside the beauty comes alive.
The interior inside is decidedly simple, and where the aesthetic beauty stems from is the choice of colour palate on top of the beautiful old-style architecture. It was well lit, plus the tables were spaced out comfortably and then set up before the customers arrived. Small rooms were here and there, plus a few art pieces were on the wall that didn't detract from the atmosphere but complimented it. Plus the structure of the kitchen, to the front counter, to where the tables lie. That is not something often thought about, but it can make a big difference to how good the meal is once it reaches your table. They got it spot on, which is one more point in their favour.
It was just a day or two before Christmas as well, so the decorations were up, creating an even more homely feel. Among these, I am not sure if they were included as Christmas decorations, or are a fixture in here, the fairy lights added a nice touch to the place, creating a calming effect. Off to the side, they also had a courtyard to soak up the sun on the cooler days of the year. It adds that European edge to the place, aided on with some nice plants. A keen eye has gone into the design.
Plus, how can we forget about the service? It is absolutely brilliant. From the moment you walk in, to when you go on your merry way, they make you feel welcome. The young lady who we got was very pleasant, and professional. Water is brought to the table right away, and they don't take too long before taking your order. If more time is needed, they have patience to spare. What more, as a breath of fresh air from some previous experiences, they will come to you to ask if you are enjoying your meal, whether you want another coffee and the like. If anything was the pretty decoration on top when it comes to customer service, that to me is the fundamental aspect.
You can get both French and Vietnamese cuisine right here, sometimes even in the same plate. This is without it turning into a fusion hodge-podge, mainly because the main philosophy behind French cuisine is not about certain ingredients, or making particular dishes, but more so using the best of what you can get, and bringing out its best.
They have a breakfast and a lunch menu right here, with the breakfast one starting off with a couple of bare basics before transforming into something bigger. The menu is subject to change on a seasonal basis Several takes on Vietnamese street food abound, with crepes coming up a lot, and I suggest heading elsewhere if kosher is your dietary need. Pork rules as the king here. Lunch is not a modest affair, but the size of the menu is. Small bites from both worlds are present as starters, then a few Vietnamese dishes are mains plus a couple of general mains thrown in for good measure. Sweets and desserts, as far as I know, are cakes and such from the cabinet.
The usual lot of tea and coffee are the main options to drink around here. They also give options of cold beverages with sodas, juices, shakes and such, particularly when the clock strikes 10. After that, a range of wines can be paired with your meals.
Getting down to business, the first order of it was getting drinks. Only one beverage could do well by me in this instant, and by now it is apparent the Vietnamese-style drip coffee is the way to go. Nary has there been one where I couldn't describe it as being strong, but was it ever so that this time around. It must have been due to the choice of coffee bean; they use Elixr which when it is done right produces a really strong hit. The drip coffee in Vietnamese cooking is much stronger than a regular espresso, so in this instant we are talking about one strong sucker that would wake even an insomniac out of a funk. The taste of coffee was rich, not to mention bold, and this got mixed in with sugar-sweet condensed milk. Whoever thought up of the combination, I do wonder if he knew what magic they had bestowed upon the culinary world. The two mixed together create one strong punch to the head, which soon won't be forgotten. Plus, once it gets put on ice few beverages ever are as good in the hot weather as this.
They didn't have a huge menu either, and when that is the case and the choice is still tricky - then it is a pretty good menu. Eventually I settled with an omelet, which was folded over a big cut of pork belly that had a great amount of crackling, before getting drizzled with a chili-caramel sauce. On the side was a herb salad. This was absolutely delicious. Not that much to it from the outside perspective, but in sampling every component of the meal it was impossible to find a flaw. That takes it to a whole new level. The omelet was silky smooth; the egg had practically become like a velvet liquid on the tongue. As for the pork that was folded into the mix, you could not ask for a better one. If there was ever a doubt I was in a French-style restaurant, this would have removed the very last one. The meat fell apart at the fork, the crackling was robust, and delicious, marbling the rest of the meat so it was buttery to the last morsel. Sweet met spicy with the chilli and caramel, and it was some strong chillies that were selected. Every bite with either the pork, the omelet, or even the salad, was an affair to remember.
For my house mate, all that it took for him to decide his dish was the specials board out the front. A banh mi with choice of coffee, hard one to beat. Plus, this was among the best banh mis that the whole of Brisbane had to offer, and 90% of it has to do with the choice of meat involved. Most places just use some cold cuts as the meat of the sandwich, but not here. I can't remember exactly what cut it was, but it was cooked and marinated beforehand. From the bit I had, the meat was tender which did wonders to the sandwich. Around it were the usual fresh vegetables, and herbs, plus a crusty, buttery baguette. It was also about the size of a football. What more could a hungry man be asking for?
Last of all, it was one last ditch effort to see if we had our next 5-star place on hand. Desserts weren't so prevalent just yet except for a couple of cake varieties in the cabinet. A full stomach at the time, but this could easily be eaten at home with a coffee later on. It was some pear bread, akin to banana bread. Well, it was had not too soon after getting home with some coffee and it has pulled Arlette's Kitchen over the finishing line into a deserving 5-star rating. Big bits of fruit were in the moreish, cake-like texture, having a slight taste of vanilla in it but ultimately letting the pear take center-stage with the flavour profile.
The biggest observation about Arlette's Kitchen comes in two parts. The first one is that over the past few years, I have started to become acquainted a fair bit with Vietnamese restaurants around town thus getting a real feel for the cuisine. The second one is knowing a bit about history, with how the French had a big influence in Vietnamese culture overtime. Right here at Arlette's Kitchen is the first time I have ever felt that true French influence was in the food - everything down to the presentation, and how the flavours interacted with one another. I could barely ask for a better meal, especially from the unique characteristics of both French and Vietnamese, with service that is genuinely some of the most attentive and professional getting the best of both worlds. This was a real big surprise in every conceivable manner, and it is with a full earnest declaration in saying perfection is right here.
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