Bouillon L’Entrecôte has taken over its former neighboring storefront in Circular Quay after the French restaurant found it was consistently operating at capacity.
Located in Quay Quarter Lanes, the French restaurant has been bridging the gap between bistro and brasserie since it opened in 2022. It forms part of the L’Entrecôte Group, founded by French restaurateurs Vincent Ventura and Johan Giausseran.
The extension into the former Zinni Gelato storefront has increased seating from 80 to more than 110.
“This expansion isn’t about changing who we are,” says Ventura.
“It’s about opening the doors wider and welcoming more people. The popularity has grown every year, and we were turning guests away. This is simply giving more people the chance to enjoy Bouillon.”
The ground level expansion, designed by Sydney-based interior studio Like Minds, includes a new internal dining room with flexible seating for private dining and group bookings of up to 30 guests. Outside, a Parisian-style pavement terrace has been added.
Giausseran says the expansion is about amplifying what already works.
“More life, more buzz, and better flow – all while preserving the warmth and authenticity that made people fall in love with Bouillon. A bigger space, with the same soul.”
The new extension continues Bouillon’s personal design, which includes family heirlooms and French antiques to create a living archive of the owners’ heritage. Many of those pieces, including vintage Gien plates that once lined Giausseran’s grandmother’s Giausseran’s grandmother’s staircase, were shipped from France by the owners’ parents.
Executive Chef Lander Liou has worked alongside Ventura and Giausseran for nearly a decade. He guides the group’s culinary direction, with the menu championing timeless French cuisine. Steak frites are the menu’s hero, with Gippsland Black Angus sirloin served with a green salad, hand-cut fries, and the restaurant’s signature homemade “secret sauce”.
A series of new dishes feaure on the latest menu, including the Entrecôte Mitraillette -a grilled Wagyu steak sandwich with the secret sauce served in an AP Bakery baguette, which is a available from 11.30am to 5pm; foie gras poêlé with caramelised pommes rôties and toasted brioche; vol au vent filled with New Caledonian prawns and Nantua sauce; and cured duck breast stuffed with foie gras and finished with cherry coulis.
The cocktail menu has also been expanded. Highlights include L’Étoile Noire with Beluga vodka, gin, Lillet, and Champagne; Margarita d’Or made with Clase Azul and Grand Marnier; and La Couronne Dorée with Hennessy XO and citrus. The wine list offers a tour of France’s regions including Champagne and Bordeaux, among others.
Since launching Brasserie L’Entrecôte in Pymble in 2016, L’Entrecôte Group went on to open Bouillon L’Entrecôte in 2022 and sister venue Deux Frères in 2023. The group is also preparing for its next chapter, and is set to launch Monsieur Paul in Double Bay in mid-2026.
Photography by Jude Cohen.
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Dining and Cooking