Bivouac Canteen & Bar
Good afternoon.
This is the first two words that greet Jeremy and I as we stare down at the Bivouac daytime menu.
I've been here before and adored this quaint, funky little Mediterranean reminiscent tapas bar, so it seemed perfect for us to drop in to for an afternoon snack to tide us over until our early dinner with his family.
What I particularly like about this place is it's simplicity. The staff are friendly, the menu easy to understand while offering exciting and interesting dishes. I also love the grass artwork on the left wall.
Since we're only a few hours from dinner, we decide to go for a few share items knowing that will refuel us for the time being.
We go for the sweet potato and cinnamon frites ($10) since we both adore this vegetable. Sadly they've been substituted today for fennel frites instead, but we decide to still order them since they sound so interesting and different to normal menus.
The chips are cut in mismatched matchsticks which allows for different depths of flavour. They're so tasty; seasoned lightly and retaining just the right amount of oil to make them oh so tasty. The aioli that accompanies is garlicy and moorish.
The porcini mushroom and gruyere croquettes with jalapeno aoili ($12) are definitely one of the best croquettes I've ever eaten. They're crunchy on the outside and inside the most incredible combination of cheese and mushroom. It's blended but with chunks of mushroom; gooey but still retaining their shape. I'm in absolute love. So much so that I keep one to the side to have as my final food item in this meal since I'm of the philosophy that your last bite should always be your best bite.
Even though there are so many fantastic dishes on the menu, we decide to order just one more dish, choosing this from the lunches side of the menu.
It's golden spiced baby calamari, spicy n'duja sausage, yoghurt tahini and rocket salad ($16).
This is the first two words that greet Jeremy and I as we stare down at the Bivouac daytime menu.
I've been here before and adored this quaint, funky little Mediterranean reminiscent tapas bar, so it seemed perfect for us to drop in to for an afternoon snack to tide us over until our early dinner with his family.
What I particularly like about this place is it's simplicity. The staff are friendly, the menu easy to understand while offering exciting and interesting dishes. I also love the grass artwork on the left wall.
Since we're only a few hours from dinner, we decide to go for a few share items knowing that will refuel us for the time being.
We go for the sweet potato and cinnamon frites ($10) since we both adore this vegetable. Sadly they've been substituted today for fennel frites instead, but we decide to still order them since they sound so interesting and different to normal menus.
Fennel frites
The chips are cut in mismatched matchsticks which allows for different depths of flavour. They're so tasty; seasoned lightly and retaining just the right amount of oil to make them oh so tasty. The aioli that accompanies is garlicy and moorish.
The porcini mushroom and gruyere croquettes with jalapeno aoili ($12) are definitely one of the best croquettes I've ever eaten. They're crunchy on the outside and inside the most incredible combination of cheese and mushroom. It's blended but with chunks of mushroom; gooey but still retaining their shape. I'm in absolute love. So much so that I keep one to the side to have as my final food item in this meal since I'm of the philosophy that your last bite should always be your best bite.
Mushroom croquettes
Even though there are so many fantastic dishes on the menu, we decide to order just one more dish, choosing this from the lunches side of the menu.
It's golden spiced baby calamari, spicy n'duja sausage, yoghurt tahini and rocket salad ($16).
Baby calamari
The baby calamari is soft but chewy, the golden spices wonderfully aromatic. The yoghurt tahini is a little plain but works well with the dish as a whole. I'm loving the spice of the sausage and the crunch the meat has when you bite down into the fleshy consistency. The pomegranate atop of the rocket salad is an ideal accompaniment; it's sweet and pops in your mouth.
All up we really enjoyed the offerings at Bivouac. Last time I was here the pizzas were the hero of the meal but today it was all about those croquettes. I honestly want to go back just for them I was so impressed. And as a frequent tapas eater, I like to think that I know a good croquette from a bad one (hopefully that doesn't make me sound like a complete ass).
Bivouac, you definitely did make it a good afternoon for us.
For more information about Bivouac Canteen & Bar visit them on their website.
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