Viva La France! 5 Chef-hatted Restaurants for the Ultimate French Dining Experience

The world consists of many amazing cuisines but one that always seems to be at the culinary pinnacle is French cooking.

It makes you use all of your senses when you eat and delivers a great blend between traditional and modern for all to enjoy – whether it is classic offerings such as coq au vin and boeuf Bourguignon or desserts of crème brûlée and tarte tatin, we all acknowledge that technique and flavour profiles set French cuisine as a global benchmark.

As we continue on our delicious Chef Hat drive around the country, here are five French restaurants to put on your dining radar:

Discover modern European bistrot cuisine through a French lens at La Cachette on Eastern Beach Road in Geelong. Tucked away down Steampacket Place just metres from the waterfront, this hidden gem delivers a regularly changing seasonal menu in relaxed and intimate surrounds of polished concrete floors, a blue bar and timber table settings. 

 

Blended with an exciting selection of French and local wines, the fixed-price menu may deliver offerings like boudin noir with dates, pear and braised gem lettuce; followed by steamed fillet of local snapper, mussels, bergamot and leeks, or wild-shot venison loin with kalibos cabbage and sauce Gran Venuer.

Signature restaurant of Montville’s picturesque Spicers Clovelly Estate, The Long Apron on Balmoral Road is a dining experience that insists on a lengthy stay. This intimate restaurant feels instantly inviting and once seated in the elegant yet comfortable dining room, with its black French provincial-style chairs and white tablecloths, or out on the terrace gazing over the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, you’ll find it hard to leave.

 

Most alluring are the seasonal European-inspired dishes on the menu, which blend classic techniques and the finest local produce with elegant results. Delve into the likes of quail ballotine, polenta, herb emulsion, pickled currants and pine nuts to start, before Maleny buffalo tenderloin, cured egg yolk emulsion, gourmet mushrooms and pickled shallots.

Sydneysiders experience gastronomical delights at Quoi Dining on Century Circuit in Baulkham Hills. Located in the rapidly expanding Bella Vista restaurant precinct overlooking Norwest Lake, Quoi is an elegant destination offering fine dining in moody surrounds, with golden-hued lighting and understated simplicity creating an intimate ambience.

 

From Joshua Mason’s menu of rare and beautiful ingredients where texture, flavour and harmony are paramount, delve into an entrée of confit escargot, smoked speck and mushroom; then say merci to a plat principal such as aged duck, plum, turnips, fondant onion and red wine jus, or steak tartare, Parisian dressing, crouton, egg yolk jam and pecorino, enjoyed with a glass of Ciel Yes Chef Shiraz.

Find a touch of Provence in Mosman at L’Heritage French bistro on Chowder Bay Road. Set in an historic building overlooking Clifton Gardens and Sydney Harbour, this former 1890s army drill hall has been transformed into a stunning dining destination, with parquet tables, family heirlooms, art and leather-bound books adding to the ambience.

 

On balmy days, take to the Jetty Bar next to the pier for oysters and champagne; or dine indoors from a menu of classic home-cooked fare, matched by local and French wines. Say bonjour to entrées of scallop gratinées with hazelnut, chives and lemon butter; before mains like Chef’s signature bouillabaisse with bisque, mussels, prawns, salmon, barramundi and scallops, or duck leg confit à l’orange with gratin Dauphinoise and jus. 

Find Adelaide’s hottest gourmand destination introducing a modern ‘new French’ concept at Garcon Blue on Currie Street in the heart of the city. Nestling in the Sofitel Adelaide, this elegant restaurant exudes class with plush blue velvet seating, polished wood and statement lighting, ideal for romantic rendezvous or after-work drinks with friends.

 

Expect an avant-garde encounter that is uncomplicated and best enjoyed with the flow of great wine and conversation; begin your memorable culinary adventure with foie gras and chicken liver parfait, housemade brioche and saltbush; for the main affair, think braised pork cheek, prunes, boudin noir and Armagnac sauce, along with chateaubriand for two – pure grass-fed Angus beef, pommes Anna, honey-glazed carrot and béarnaise sauce.