French

With Ad Lib, Dietmar Sawyere brings another class act to the upper north shore, writes Pat Nourse. It’s clever French cooking without the bistro clichés.

Koots has undergone something of a minor revolution: a new name to reflect its proud Gallic roots, more convivial dining spaces and a revamped wine list, writes Michael Harden.

It’s the clash of the cornichons, the war of the rosés, a bare-knuckle struggle for soufflé supremacy between Paddington’s L’Etoile and Flinders Inn, writes Pat Nourse.

Unusual vegetables, herbs and flowers from chef Nicolas Poelaert’s own garden are behind the whimsical, sometimes odd and often wonderful food at Embrasse, writes Michael Harden.

Guillaume Brahimi and his team have made their mark at Melbourne’s Crown, reports John Lethlean.

REVIEW Shannon Bennett’s Bistro Vue is like a film set. The “stonewashed” walls are plaster, the timber beams are faux, the lighting a touch too bright, but it’s a warm fantasy. The accordion player is genuine, as is his commitment to “La Vie En Rose” each service. While the theatrics are good fun, they’re held […]

REVIEW Double-clothed tables. Framed Matisse drawings. Thirty-five-dollar glasses of Bordeaux. Fellow diners who begin their sentences with the phrase, “So I get a call from the ambassador…” Yes, Guillaume is every inchthatrestaurant. The sommelier will have a European accent, the other staff will be quietly competent if not exactly engaging. The same could be said […]

There’s a timeless appeal in the honest and generous food of France-Soir, the unpretentious, bustling French bistro which has become a bona fide Melbourne institution.

Bistro Vue is the third act in Shannon Bennett’s CBD trilogy. He’s reworking the classics in a shamelessly faux Parisian setting.