Ad Lib Bistro - Pymble

It is always delightful (and surprising) when your very high expectations of a restaurant are exceeded. And I'm pleased to say they were done so within 15 minutes of my house. The drought is over. Ad Lib Bistro is the type of restaurant the Upper North Shore has needed for a long time. It's clearly designed to appeal to the younger generation of north shore foodies. Gone are the quiet pretensions of the old; replaced instead with very good food presented in a relaxed atmosphere. While the layout doesn't differ dramatically from its ill-fated predecessor, the creators of Ad Lib Bistro have used Parisian-themed interior design in the main dining area complimented by a French Provincial theme in the bathroom. Before you've even started to eat you've been transported far away from the Pacific Highway in Pymble! The folded paper menus further add to the casual atmosphere as does the very friendly service. Our waitress made us feel relaxed, offering to translate anything we didn't understand on the menu.

The modern French cuisine was found throughout the fairly full menu, including seasonal specialties as well as entrees, mains and desserts. The wine list was brief, but the cocktail menu was extensive. Still, we chose a 500ml carafe of Mt Difficulty Pinot Gris which proved delightful. Skipping entree, my husband chose the pork belly and I chose the lamb. We also had a side of baby carrots and a side of french fries with mayo. The lamb was fantastic. The meat melted in my mouth and combination of flavours including olives and fava beans was incredible with no one flavour overpowering the others. A lot of thought must have gone into this dish to ensure the correct balance of flavours. The french fries were deliciously light and the beans beautifully buttery. The pork was also praised by my husband, though I didn't try any. Dessert didn't disappoint either, with my husband choosing the raspberry creme brulee while I chose a trio of sorbets. The sorbets were fantastic; the usual iciness that can unfortunately be found in my favourite dessert was absent, replaced with a light creaminess (without the cream) and delicious, full flavours. The creme brulee was incredible. Sadly the tea selection was not as extensive as hoped (only about 10 types, but remember I have 38, so of course I will complain), but we enjoyed a lemon tang tea (lemony and minty - very good post dinner) and my fallback standard english breakfast. By the end of the meal we were both relaxed and personally I was reluctant to return to the real world.

This is definitely one of the better restaurants I've been to and definitely the best on the Upper North Shore.