While French cuisine is very prominent throughout Melbourne, there are only a select few restaurants that really stand out from the rest. The French Brasserie is one of these restaurants and is also the first restaurant I think of when looking for French cuisine in the CBD. With a history of good food, events and lovely decor, The French Brasserie has made itself into one of the most popular French restaurants in Melbourne.
Classy interior
Outdoor area
Potato gratin $11.00
The potato gratin was quite an impressive side dish that I quite enjoyed the flavour of. The large amount of potato was cooked very nicely, however after eating half of the dish, the richness became a little overwhelming. I would definitely recommend ordering this dish but only if you can share it with somebody.
Pommes frittes
Assiette sétoise - Calamari and pork farce, cuttlefish pie, herb Napoli, aioli, squid ink - $23.00
Agneau provençal - Lamb rump, ratatouille, eggplant and goat cheese pressed, tapenade, goats curd, lamb jus - $42.00
I decided to order the lamb rump for my main course as I wanted to try something different from the steak or duck that I would normally order at a French restaurant. The lamb in the dish was incredibly juicy and tender, with an amazing flavour addition from the lamb jus. The addition of the ratatouille worked very well with the dish, however the goats curd was an element of the dish which I felt did not add enough.
Minute steak - 160gm eye fillet, caramelised shallots, bone marrow, red wine jus (served with pommes frittes) - $43.00
My friend ordered the minute steak with caramelised shallots, bone marrow and red wine jus. After trying some of this dish, I can honestly say that this was one of the most tender and flavourful steak dishes that I have every tried. The eye fillet, although extremely tender still managed to maintain texture, while the red wine jus imparted an extremely intense, yet not overpowering flavour.
Crème brûlée
I do not know what happened in the kitchen between receiving our excellent mains and ordering our dessert, but the crème brûlée we ordered was almost inedible. Although the texture of the dish was excellent, the sugar on the top was incredibly burnt which permeated an extremely bitter flavour throughout the entire dish.
Food Rating 7.5/10
Overall Rating 7.5/10