The French Brasserie

Amazing experience from start to finish, from the owner’s reception to the the service, the food, the atmosphere, the music, the wine, the venue, we couldn’t fault a thing. The old fashioned great service and happy and super helpful staff all speaking French was so refreshing. The menu is just perfect and not too confusing, with something for everyone. If you’re looking for a quick cheap meal, go elsewhere. If you want an amazing dining experience then go see Hadj and his team, and enjoy a bit of everything, start with an entree with a couple of refreshing cocktails, a beautiful main with a nice wine, and end it with a delicious dessert and a coffee. This is our new favourite restaurant in Melbourne, we’re already planning our next visit.

Such a lovely, intimate space to have a date on. It’s a shame it’s tucked away and harder for walk-ins to notice. The staff were so friendly and made my birthday dinner an extra special experience. We were provided sparkling wine on arrival and a little dessert with a candle as a bonus. The steak tartare and onion soup are great signature entrees, and the mains are the perfect portion size and present beautifully. Can’t wait to come back again and try the rest.

We went to The French Brasserie for dinner. As the name suggests, French brasserie served French cuisine, located in a hidden laneway in Melbourne CBD. When we arrived, even though we had a booking, we were still required to wait as our table wasn’t ready. The menu wasn’t large, and I ordered the French onion soup to start with, Confit duck leg served with vege, beetroot purée and orange jus for the main, as well as the confit potatoes cooked in duck fat on the side. To finish, the chocolate fondant that came with vanilla ice cream. The best dish was probably the onion soup - pretty basic but decent with its melted gruyere cheese, although the bowl was a bit gross with soup dripping down the side of the bowl. The duck was cooked for way too long that it just fell apart when you lightly forked it and it completely lacked the orange flavour. The potatoes were bland - couldn’t detect much of the herbs they supposedly came with. Choc fondant dessert was pretty good, rich with a nice lava centre, although the ice cream tasted cheap with no real vanilla (seeds) in it. The staff members were not knowledgeable; for mains some of us ordered duck, some ordered chicken, the 2 wait staff who brought out the dishes had no idea which was which, that they had to confirm with the chef. Overall, it was a disappointing dining experience, especially at around $100+ per head.

My partner and I had dinner at the Brasserie last Friday night before attending Cinderella at the Regent and it was simply the best restaurant we've ever been to! Upon entering the restaurant we were warmly greeted in French and enjoyed a wonderful conversation with the manager and waiters before being seated. As we were celebrating my birthday, we were gifted a Kir Royale each, they were divine. We also enjoyed a glass of delicious wine and a French martini with our meals. We enjoyed the french onion soup and cheese board for our entree and the dishes did not disappoint. The beef cheek and duck along with the french fries were also delicious. We concluded with the creme brulee and the staff added a candle to it in celebration of my birthday. The staff throughout the night spoke to us and each other in French and along with the French music, we felt as though for that 90 minutes, we truly were sitting in a Parisian restaurant. It was the most wonderful dining experience we have ever had. We will be back!