Four Frogs Creperie, Circular Quay
Authentic French creperie right in the heart of Sydney
Located 1 Macquarie Place Circular Quay 2000
The art of crepe-making demands particular skill and expertise. Four Frenchmen (amusingly named the “Four Frogs”) know a little thing or two about it, having grown up in the region of Bretagne where the crepe is said to have originated. Bringing with them authentic techniques from their hometown, these Four Frogs have opened up three creperies in the Sydney area to allow Australians to enjoy the tastes of France.
I was lucky to be invited to one of their menu tastings at the Circular Quay Gateway venue. We started with a platter of their sweet crepes. They were in adorable bite-size pieces, topped with a variety of seasonal fruits and freshly melted milk and dark chocolate spread.
Once the platters of sweet crepes were cleared, we began our next course consisting of The Four Frogs Creperie’ signature galettes. Galettes are essentially savoury crepes. It was really interesting to see their array of galettes, as a whole host of them were appropriated to suit the Australian palette. It’s rare, for example, in France to find the Bacon, Egg, Avocado and Swiss Cheese combination. I really enjoyed these classic breakfast ingredients perched atop the paper thin crepe. It had a crunchy bite to it, given the swiss cheese had turned crispy from sizzling on the hot plate. Another favourite of mine was the limited edition Duck Confit Galette. This galette was filled with a generous portion of duck confit, along with a good balance of goat’s cheese, spring onion and mushroom.
Additional to the meaty galettes, we sampled a selection of their more refreshing variety of galettes. There are three salad galettes on offer, which include the Feta Cheese, cherry tomatoes, toasted pine nutes, French dressing and salad, Goat’s cheese, dry fig, toasted pine nuts, honey mustard dressing and salad and finally the Smoked salmon, cherry tomatoes, crème cheese, French dressing and salad. Patrons have the option of adding chicken and/or avocado for an additional three dollars. These galettes have a lot of nutritional benefits, given the plethora of fresh veggies spilling from the fresh crepe. Moreover, the crepe is made with buckwheat — a naturally gluten free grain and high in magnesium and fibre.
The sweet crepes were equally as delicious as their savoury counterparts. Crepes with Nutella and Strawberry make for an undeniably drool-worthy combination and this creperie does it well with fresh strawberries, the generous smothering of hazelnut chocolate spread atop the crispy buckwheat crepe. Add ice-cream to the mix and you’ve got yourself a divine and decadent dessert! But rather interestingly, a lot of the guests at the tasting menu most favoured the crepe stripped of all this fanfare. They loved the crepe embellished with Butter, Sugar and Lemon as the simplicity of the flavours was a welcome change from the mains.
Overall
Four Frogs Creperie delivers a slice of French heaven right in the heart of Sydney. Galettes and crepes are a classic European delicacy, and the founders found it preposterous that Sydneysiders should have to travel hundreds of kilometres to enjoy the taste of delicious and authentic crepes. Luckily, we now have these creperies in the bustling suburbs of Mosman, Randwick and Circular Quay. Patrons can also order these treats to go with the nouveau take-away packaging. Along with galettes and crepes, the menu also offers a variety of French imported ciders that complement these French pancakes beautifully. Just ask the friendly wait staff which cider best matches your chosen crepe, as they have plenty of bespoke recommendations to satisfy your taste palette. So mark your next visit to Four Frogs Creperie — Bon Appetit!
Verdict: Mind Blown
Service: 5/5
Gourmet Gumbo dined as a guest of FCBA and Four Frogs Creperie.
