
Score 17/20
10 Oxford Street, Woollahra
Tel 9331 2325
Modern French

Claude’s

Review

A mere 30-plus years young, Claude’s remains charming, tiny and immensely inviting. It’s one of the city’s most exclusive, elegant and recently restyled dining rooms with seating for just 45 privileged diners in a hushed, linen-set space. It’s now five years since Chui Lee Luk became just the fourth custodian of this culinary temple, patiently blending continuity with innovation. Inspired by French kitchen technique in some standout sauces, her really innovative moments have often been Asian-influenced: a superb “drunken” freshwater crayfish, the best green papaya salad you’ve tasted, and a soft-shell crab in fermented lentil batter that’s a mini masterpiece of textures. Unfortunately, some details have disappointed of late. On recent visits, quail galette was rather dry and subtle, if not for pork dumplings, a play on xiao long bao, while angus sirloin with cabernet sauce and mini yorkshire pudding lacked the boldness and complexity of other dishes. Thankfully, the new combination of lobster, liver and ginger shows Luk’s thoughtful imagination at its finest and the service remains flawless.