Sydney now has a spot for bottomless chocolate mousse

Weekly specials are back on the cards for Sydney as cost of living pressures continue to mount a war on our wallets. We’ve already seen “luxe-for-less” specials like the lobster-and-Champagne ($55) beauty over at Felons Manly, now Walsh Bay has a new bistro offering a good balance between premium dishes and manageable prices.

Yes, there’s bougie caviar cheeseburgers on the menu, but there’s also weekly half-price steak frites and two-for-one mini French martinis. The best part? It all goes down by the water’s edge, with Pier One Sydney Harbour ushering in a new era via the simply-named Harbour Bistro.

The worst bit? It’s only a pop-up, albeit for a comfortable three months to stretch through Vivid Sydney and beyond. You’ll find this has taken over the PIER Dining space, going full French with a big focus on their weekly specials, which are:

Tuesdays – 50% off steak frites with golden fries
Wednesdays – all-you-can-eat mussels and fries (bookings necessary)
Thursdays – 2-for-1 mini french Martini special
Fridays – bottomless chocolate mousse
Saturdays & Sundays – bottomless set menu

*Caviar cheeseburgers are on the menu at Harbour Bistro (photo supplied).*

A neat and tidy list of classic French cocktails and several set menus round out the approachable offering, mixing the studied elegance of a classic French bistro with the relaxed, breezy ambiance of Sydney Harbour. It’s but another section of Sydney that has been reimagined as a transportive pop to the French Riviera, following the opening of Cafe Le Mer at Chowder Bay.

Harbour Bistro by Pier One doesn’t stop at the specials. The full menu is available seven days a week, listing everything from butter baked scallops served in-shell with gruyere and a seafood pie packed with fresh catches and papered over with golden crust. If you’ve got a large group heading along, it’s looking like the big Aquna Murray Cod is the way to go, served dressed in a white wine butter sauce. If seafood isn’t your bag, go for the 800g bone-in ribeye for two with house-made gravy and rich butter sauce.

Beloved Parisian cafe Chez Janou seems to be the inspiration for the socially-minded French pop-up. For anyone who’s been to that legendary Le Marais institution before, you’ll know that the signature chocolate mousse is a staple. That’s the reason behind Friday’s bottomless chocolate mousse sessions.

The pop-up should be especially popular during Vivid Sydney, which runs from Friday, May 23 to Saturday, June 14. And given Walsh Bay Arts Precinct is constantly buzzing with shows from the likes of Sydney Dance Company and Bangarra Dance Theatre, we think it’s safe to assume they’ll be more than just a few pre-show martinis being sunk by the waterfront.

Harbour Bistro by Pier One

Address: 11 Hickson Rd, Dawes Point NSW 2000
Contact: (02) 8298 9999
Opening: Tuesday – Saturday (5pm – 11pm); Saturday – Sunday (12pm – 4pm)

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