Melbourne was full of them yesterday – Mums being taken out for lunch by sons, daughters, spouses. Me, too.
Our destination was The French Brasserie, tucked away in Malthouse Lane off Flinders Street. We were warmly welcomed by proprietor Hadj Sadk and soon sipping on Kir Royale cocktails while we pondered the small but well chosen Mother’s Day menu.
I am glad the sons didn’t acquire a taste for oysters until they left home or it might have made quite a hole in the housekeeping budget. Along with me, they couldn’t see past the natural oysters in the trio of entrees. The Spouse reported on an excellent Terrine de Canard which included brandy-soaked prunes and pistachio nuts with the duck along with a witlof salad and honey dressing. The third choice was an autumn vegetable salad with white anchovy and herb dressing.
I went for the Filet d’agneau – a beautifully cooked herb crusted lamb loin with a smooth creamy celeriac flan and shiraz sauce. One son picked the grilled salmon with gratin dauphinois, truss tomatoes and basil sauce. The other option was a twice cooked goat’s cheese soufflé.
The camera had to come out of the purse when the desserts arrived, they were so pretty.
There was Nougat glace aux pistaches et fruits confits, a lovely parfait with dried fruit salad along with a vanilla and apricot foam which vanished fairly quickly when it arrived in front of The Spouse.
I rarely eat dessert but this was the day to dive in and the sons and I chose the bitter chocolate tart with raspberry sorbet, the latter nicely balancing the richness of the tart. I could see the people at the next table equally enjoying a fine crème brulee.
I see from the restaurant’s website that starting this month chef Frederic Naud will prepare his own taste of France every Tuesday night. Focusing on a different region each month, the meal will include a three-course degustation menu for $55 per person. This month it’s Normandie.
The French Brasserie is also handily situated for pre-theatre dinners and offers these for $35 a head, for two courses and a glass of wine.
It’s definitely one I want to try again. It has a slick, edgy ambience and a smart, friendly staff and it was a great place to spend a leisurely Mother’s Day afternoon with the family.
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2 comments:
I live in Canberra. There are not a lot of great restaurants around the neighborhood. Looking forward to our visit in Melbourne. Thanks for your recommendations.
Lovely looking presentation on that dessert! Could do with tucking in to one of those now!
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