Melbourne 3000 VIC
Phone: (03) 9662 1632
Website: www.thefrenchbrasserie.com.au
A bunch of friends my friends went to The French Brasserie to celebrate our friend Chantel's birthday mid May. Chantel was pretty busy, so I offered to look for a restaurant for her for her birthday. Originally I had Comme Kitchen and The Italian in mind, however they were both booked out, so I decided to go with The French Brasserie as my third option.
In terms of making a reservation, it was quite a breeze, considering there were 13 of us in total. They even offered to seat us upstairs as we had a larger group so that we would have more freedom. When I walked into the restaurant that night, I immediately noticed the two story glass windows that go along the side of the restaurant. The venue has a nice feel to it.
While waiting for everyone to arrive, I asked the waiter for a mocktail, something tropical and bubbly! Although mocktails weren't on the drinks menu, they were kind enough to whip me exactly what I asked for! The drink was very refreshing with plenty of fresh strawberries in it. Chantel and Maddie ended up ordering one each after trying mine. :)
For starters we got a basket of fresh bread which the guys quickly demolished seeing they were quite hungry.
ENTREES
Charcuterie - The French Platter - The best of French terrines and cured meats with caperberries, red wine vinegar reduction and toasted sourdough $35
Charcuterie - The French Platter - The best of French terrines and cured meats with caperberries, red wine vinegar reduction and toasted sourdough $35
Escargots de Bourgogne a l'ail - Snails with garlic butter $29 per dozen
The French Platter was quite nice, especially the pate which went well with the bread and crackers that came with. As for the Escargot, I have to admit it was my first time eating snails so I didn't know what to expect, let alone can I tell if it was good or bad. If you've never had escargot before, I would advise you not to have an image of garden snails in your head before you eat it, does not make it easier!
MAINS
The mains were divided into two kinds 1. Grill and 2. Main Course. Everyone ordered their own main, most of the guys ended up ordering a Grill of some sort. We also ordered french fries and sauteed button mushrooms for sides.So, with the grill, it was just a choice of meets with roughly the same sides. The dishes under the main course I felt were more well rounded. Didn't see the need of taking photos of different types of grilled meats in that case.
Filet d agneau - Herb crusted lamb loin celeriac flan and shiraz suace $33
Grilled Faux filet - 300gms Aged Grain fed Porterhouse served with choice of sauce and layered scalloped potatoes $34
Side - Sauteed button mushrooms $7
The dish I ordered was the herb crusted lamb, at first I had a bite of the lamb and thought it was okay, but when you have all of the different components of the dish together... it made sense! I also had a bit of the steak, to be honest it wasn't anything mind blowing. I definitely prefer the steak at Bistro Vue (with truffle mustard) over the one they had here.
Price: We spent roughly $50 dollars each on the meal. Taking into account that we had only a bottle of red wine but no dessert. Honestly I don't think we could have stomached any more food by then anyway.
Verdict: Overall I was quite satisfied with the meal, but that's because I had the lamb main course. The venue was very much what I was looking for - clean cut fine dining atmosphere. And the staff were very friendly, the service however was a bit slow.
If you're considering going to The French Brasserie, I recommend the Herb Crusted Lamb, the entrees and sides are the typical good staples. I've also heard that they make some nice desserts, so maybe I'll have to go back another day to try that out. If you want steak, I recommend you go to Bistro Vue, but that's just me.
Overall Score - Fine Dining: 13/20
Other Useful Information
Monday to Friday: noon -3pm
Saturday: 6pm - 10:30pm
DESSERT
We skipped on dessert because Patches booked tickets for Angels & Demons later that night.Price: We spent roughly $50 dollars each on the meal. Taking into account that we had only a bottle of red wine but no dessert. Honestly I don't think we could have stomached any more food by then anyway.
Verdict: Overall I was quite satisfied with the meal, but that's because I had the lamb main course. The venue was very much what I was looking for - clean cut fine dining atmosphere. And the staff were very friendly, the service however was a bit slow.
If you're considering going to The French Brasserie, I recommend the Herb Crusted Lamb, the entrees and sides are the typical good staples. I've also heard that they make some nice desserts, so maybe I'll have to go back another day to try that out. If you want steak, I recommend you go to Bistro Vue, but that's just me.
Overall Score - Fine Dining: 13/20
- Food: 6/10
- Service: 3/5
- Venue: 4/5
Other Useful Information
- The Age Good Food Guide 2009 - Score 13.5/20
- The Age Review (August 12, 2008)
- YourRestaurants
- Blog Review: Cooking Down Under (May 11, 2009)
- Blog Review: I eat I drink I work (June 25, 2008)
- Blog Review: 1001 Dinners (April 07, 2007)
Monday to Friday: noon -3pm
Saturday: 6pm - 10:30pm
lol blogger now
ReplyDeleteVisited for lunch today.
ReplyDeleteFood was good but thats all......
There must be a shortage of lamb because two racks makes for a main course,
The large cheese platter is something you would get yourself in a 30 second TV add break.
The wine list is good when you can get the waiter to top up your glass.
Wait for everything even the bill.
There are so many better restarants in Melbourne