Flambadou oysters are an adventurous way to start your meal. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Frequently awarded and hailed as one of Canberra’s finest restaurants, Onzieme has been ticking along nicely since owner and chef Louis Couttoupes opened the doors in 2023.
Featuring a regularly changing menu of sharing plates centred around a large wood fired grill, every visit to Onzieme is different to the last.
I recently enjoyed dinner at Onzieme – which both references and is inspired by the eleventh arrondissement of Paris – on what turned out to be their first night of service after the holiday break. As we arrived the sky was storming and the air felt heavy with the promise of rain.
Our table was not quite ready for us, so we slipped downstairs to 11e Cave: Onzieme’s very own underground bar. This dimly lit, uber-cool space is the domain of Brett Nebauer – an award-winning bartender – who whips up creative cocktails in the narrow bar. We opted for a refreshing pet nat from local label Mada, which we decided was perhaps the perfect wine to take on a picnic.
Before we’d finished our glasses, the table upstairs was ready, so we headed on up past the dripping candles and quirky art to take our place near the window.
We decided to let the meal be guided by the expert hands of Louis and his team and chose the $95 feed me option. Our server gave us the option to choose our two main protein dishes and opted for lamb and kingfish. One diner with dietary requirements was easily accommodated.
So the most difficult choice we had to make was what to drink. The wine list at Onzieme is closer in length to a novella (there’s even a handy navigational chart on the inside cover to help you find what you’re looking for) but each section heading tells you exactly what to expect.
There are sections separated by individual winemakers, winemaking regions and there are handy symbols to show which wines are made without filtration or preservatives (aka “natural”) and there’s also symbols to show which wines are made by women: something I think more restaurants should adopt!
Despite being sorely tempted by the excellent name of up and coming winemaker Fanny Sabre, we settled (after much deliberation) on a very lovely petit chablis. Our server was incredibly helpful in guiding us to a decision, just as our starters arrived.
Tender and beautiful as the lamb was, I think I could eat that anchoïade dip with a spoon. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
We had pacific oysters cooked via flambadou: an old French technique where tallow is heated in a metal cone which drips the flaming fat onto your dish, instantly “flame basting” it.
Our oysters were a little smoky and super creamy, served with pops of salty salmon roe.
We also enjoyed crunchy and creamy crab toast and refreshing bowls of crystal clear tomato consommé served with basil oil: summer in a cup. Next up was Onzieme’s signature potato galette and a classic beef tartare with sesame crackers.
Every time I’ve eaten Louis’ food I’ve been most impressed with how he serves vegetables. Don’t get me wrong: the lamb was tender as anything and served with a moreish anchoïade (anchovy dip) and the kingfish had crispy skin and juicy flesh. He knows how to cook a protein, but he treats vegetables with the same kind of reverence as others treat a sirloin steak.
The watermelon dish had me coming back for more. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
A steak-sized slice of butternut pumpkin, cooked to perfection in the wood oven served with herby chermoula and pine nuts is tender and packed with flavour. Shiitake mushrooms served with crispy leek are an umami bomb. And I was blown away by the pickled watermelon salad served with feta and szechuan oil. My eyes widened every time I had a bite: crisp, fresh and zingy with the lingering warmth of szechuan, garnished with salty pigface. I couldn’t stop going back for more to get another mouthful of the texture and flavour.
We finished with an elegant scoop of coconut sorbet with crunchy, nutty granola and berries charred in the wood oven. It was so simple, but charring the berries added a depth of flavour that just brought out the juices really beautifully.
We lingered over the final sips of wine and when we left the restaurant the rain had been and gone, leaving a fresh, cool evening.
Onzieme is on the corner of Kennedy and Eyre streets, Kingston. It is open from 6 to 11 pm, Tuesday to Saturday. Follow Onzieme on Instagram.
