Bon Appétit!

I have recently had the pleasure of dining at a couple of equisite French restaurants. I thought I would share my exploits for any fellow-Brisbanites who who are on the hunt for a French food fix.

The first restaurant I graced with my presence was Piaf Bistro (http://www.piafbistro.com.au/), located in the heart of South Bank. The décor was minimalist at best, but with the equistite selection of mains costing a mere $24, and desserts for $12, I don't feel it fair to dwell on the ambience. So to the food. For entreé, my dining partner and I shared in some rather wonderful escargot, which ticked all the requisite boxes for such a tried and true dish. At this point we also sampled some of the equisite (not to mention well-priced) rosé that was on offer. The spatchcock that I sampled as my main was heavenly. Flavourful, moist and perfectly seasoned. However, I felt much like a surgeon as I tried to delicately wield my knife and fork to remove the meat from the bones. I understand that I signed up for this laborious task when choosing to order game foul, however, I feel that if Julia Childs can completely de-bone a chicken, it is not too much to ask to have a few bones removed from the dish. As for dessert, my dining partner indulged in the crème brûlée, which was tasty and appeared to tick all the right boxes. I headed straight for the lemon and white chocolate mille feuille, a twist on my all-time favourite French dessert. It may be the fault of my own high expectations, but I was decidedly underwhelmed by my choice of dessert. The pastry was tough, the entire dish far too stodgy, and the lemon and white chocolate flavours were difficult to distinguish from each other (and if you ask me, lemon and white chocolate are two VERY distinct flavours). The verdict? Despite some small shortcomings, this may possibly prove to be the best value French cuisine in Brisbane, and I'll most certainly be back.

Escargot @ Piaf

The second restaurant I dined at was Bistrot Bistro (http://www.bistrotbistro.com.au/). Tucked away in a little vintage shopping and dining enclave the the end of Logan Road, the venue had a wonderful ambience, with its exposed brick walls, oversized chandeliers and vintage French posters. We bundled into this cosy abode on a rainy Saturday night, and instantly felt right at home (which is to say, like we were dining at a Bistro in Provençe). We began, fittingly enough, with some stiff drinks, and I am willing to claim that Bitrot Bistro is home to the best French Martinis in Brisbane. However, my dining partner made the rookie error of ordering Sangria, as it was the 'special' for evening. Now, there are many reasons why I love the French, but their Sangria isn't one of them! Word to the wise: Unless you're at a taperia (or better still, in Barcelona), avoid Sangria at all costs. For entreé, we both chose to indulge in the Soufflé de Champignon (twice-baked truffle soufflé with porcini cream). While the soufflé itself was wonderfully light and full of delicate flavour, it was weighed down by the porcini cream, which was simply too much, both in density and quantity. I felt that the inclement weather called for some serious comfort food, so for mains I settled for saucissons et pommes. It was simple, stodgy and altogether satisfying. But the highlight had to be the wonderful profiteroles we both indulged in for dessert. The light, fluffy pastry and decadent, thick cream ticked all the right boxes, and certainly left us wanting more!

Décor @ Bistrot Bistro

I hope I have got your mouths watering...Bon Appétit! Xx