Just a few months ago, the artsy Harbour Rocks Hotel replaced their attached antique souvenir shop with a nice and simple French creperie, working with the title Creperie Suzette. Modeled with a vintage, raw aesthetic in mind, remaining consistent with the area’s historic past, the venue has been a daytime hit for the hotel, attracting locals and visitors with their rustic approach to French soul food and dedication to quality coffee.
There are 14 crepes and galettes on the menu, divided by sweet and savoury and offering locally sourced ingredients like Pepe Saya Butter and Hand-Harvested Sea Salt. It’s that straight-forward and refreshingly simple, delivering both classic and indulgent fillings with the option of coffee, cider, milkshakes, or craft beer.
Importing a griddle from the home of crepes, Brittany, was a must for owners Bob and Ruth Magid said Hotel General Manager Dylan Cole during my recent visit, the commitment to authenticity is a big reason why this has picked up the way it has.
Balancing classic French flavours with local twists gives you options like La Tasmanienne ($13) with Tasmanian smoked salmon, capers, crème fraiche, and fresh dill, or the very tempting La Trois Fromage ($12) with three types of melted cheese – Camembert, blue, and tasty. Though there are obvious attempts at drawing from other cuisines here, like the tangy La Pekinoise ($15), which was inspired by the classic Chinese Peking duck pancake; they have done well to recreate the flavour here, with juicy chunks of Peking Duck, spring onion, mature cheddar, and of course Hoisin Sauce. The thick sauce is thankfully not drizzled on excessively, but there’s still that strong, tangy taste that slightly overpowers everything else; a winner is you’re into a rich taste or sour, tangy sauce, but one to avoid if you’re not.
Double Roasters have provided the coffee beans here so you can be sure you’ll get a good cup to sip on for a breakfast or brunch session. Cole indicated that the venue is most popular for breakfast, and it’s not hard to taste why; their signature breakfast offering, La Complete ($12) is a reminder of why Sydney needs more good creperies. Ham, mature cheddar, cheese, and a fried egg are the simple ingredients for this beautiful galette, and although more ham would be nice there’s a good balance here and the galette has a nice, soft, and crispy texture.
Those wanting to tuck into some dessert crepes should not look past the La Creme Au Beurre Sale ($12), which was easily the highlight for me; you get lightly drizzled salted caramel, slithered almonds, and ice cream in this crispy crepe and the rich hit of salty and sweet is enough to justify repeat visits.
Creperie Suzette
Address: 35 Harrington Street, The Rocks
Contact: (02) 8220 9999
Website: http://creperiesuzette.com.au/
Hours: Mon to Sun 7.30am–3.30pm
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