Justin North
Justin North is one of the new breed of Sydney chefs who take classical training, experience with some of Australia’s, and Europe’s, finest chefs, and an understanding of, and passion for, excellent produce, and use them to create superb contemporary food.
Following experience in the UK at Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons with Raymond Blanc and in Paris with Pierre Gagnaire and Guy Savoy, Justin settled in Sydney to work at Banc with Liam Tomlin. When Banc closed in 2001, it was time to branch out on his own and, with wife Georgia, he opened Bécasse in Surry Hills, where he quickly earned a reputation for taking humble ingredients and working them into affordable, memorable dishes.
In July 2005, Bécasse moved to the old Edna’s Table site on Clarence Street and, a half-a-million-dollar-refurbishment later, Sydney scored a beautiful new fine-dining room with food to rival that coming out of Banc in its heyday. Crystal-studded ring lights hang from high ceilings, gossamer fabric floats down one wall, while chocolate tones, deep carpet and comfortable chairs create a warm and relaxing atmosphere. The restaurant covers three levels with the open kitchen just visible downstairs and the upstairs area perfect for a semi-private dining room.
Justin teaches his chefs to taste and think, the two fundamental skills he considers essential to good cooking and to putting deep, true flavours on the plate. His cooking is produce-driven; he works with leading boutique suppliers and starts most days at Sydney Fish Market, allowing the produce to determine his menus. Confit of smoked ocean trout is one of his signature dishes, so he travelled to Tasmania to visit fish farms and better understand the process and the product, choosing a supplier he admires for the sustainable, environmentally-friendly way in which the fish are grown. The richness of the trout is beautifully matched by an accompanying scoop of silken, earthy cauliflower panna cotta, lifted with the sharpness of horseradish and cooled with ribbons of cucumber. A main course of pan-fried mulloway again uses farmed seafood from a supplier with whom Justin has developed a relationship and who keeps him up to date on industry trends. The mulloway is cooked with a super-crisp skin and moist flaky flesh, it sits well with the rich red wine sauce and the caramelised parsnips and shallots add depth, but it’s the touch of thyme butter melted over the top that brings it all together.
Bécasse is one of those rare restaurants where as much thought goes into the pastry kitchen as into the rest; desserts such as quince and honeycomb trifle with light cinnamon custard are hard to resist, and the petits fours are quite fine too. Beautifully crafted comfort food in a sophisticated setting with friendly professional service and a wine list that makes a great read in itself (with an excellent selection of wines by the glass); Bécasse has it all.