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‘Eye-wateringly expensive’: Does Maison Batard stand up to its prices and hype?

Chris Lucas’ ambitious four-level venue is Melbourne’s “opening of the season”. Here’s our critic’s verdict.

Besha Rodell

Big, brash and fun: The ground floor of Maison Batard.
1 / 10Big, brash and fun: The ground floor of Maison Batard.Eddie Jim
Tournedos Rossini with truffled Madeira and topped with foie gras.
2 / 10Tournedos Rossini with truffled Madeira and topped with foie gras.Eddie Jim
Petit plateau of six oysters, four king prawns and raw kingfish.
3 / 10Petit plateau of six oysters, four king prawns and raw kingfish.Eddie Jim
Lobster omelette.
4 / 10Lobster omelette.Eddie Jim
Pork, chicken and pistachio pâté en croute.
5 / 10Pork, chicken and pistachio pâté en croute.Eddie Jim
The ground-floor brasserie.
6 / 10The ground-floor brasserie.Eddie Jim
Steak tartare.
7 / 10Steak tartare.Eddie Jim
The chocolate mousse is served tableside.
8 / 10The chocolate mousse is served tableside.Eddie Jim
The custom-built oyster bar.
9 / 10The custom-built oyster bar.Eddie Jim
Maison Bâtard’s rooftop terrace, La Terrasse.
10 / 10Maison Bâtard’s rooftop terrace, La Terrasse.Liana Hardy

14.5/20

French$$$

When did the top of Bourke Street take on the “Paris end” moniker? From what I can tell, the term was originally applied to Collins Street in the 1950s, mostly thanks to a cafe that operated there with European-style sidewalk seating. How it migrated north to encompass Bourke Street is less clear, and these days it might be more accurate to call it the Bangkok end, given the proliferation of Thai restaurants with a view of Parliament House.

But Chris Lucas is certainly bolstering the Parisian claim with the opening of Maison Batard, a massive and massively ambitious restaurant (or, depending on how you look at it, three restaurants) in a four-storey space on the corner of Bourke Street and Windsor Place.

In the basement is a late-night supper club, while the top level houses a partially al fresco and more casual venue called Le Terrasse. And on the ground floor, the main event: a huge, ostentatious brasserie with gold velvet seats, smoky mirrors and a custom-built oyster bar. It’s one of those rooms engineered for buzz. Creating venues with tremendous energy is one of Lucas’ great talents, and he has certainly succeeded in that respect here.

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This sense of drama and glamour has brought out the glitterati in droves, particularly over the past couple of months when fashion and tennis and holiday joy have ruled the CBD. In one corner, a star football player dines with his impossibly perfect girlfriend; in the centre of the room sits a long table full of impeccably dressed women who may or may not be Real Housewives.

The menu is French-adjacent, and Lucas has made clear that while the place is modelled somewhat on Paris’ Hotel Particulier, he isn’t aiming for authenticity. The tuna tartare is spicy, and there’s a tiny crab and caviar finger sandwich cleverly dubbed “toastée”.

Pork, chicken and pistachio pâté en croute.
Pork, chicken and pistachio pâté en croute.Eddie Jim

But some of the more archetypal dishes are also among the best. An extremely classic pork, chicken and pistachio pâté en croute is spiced perfectly. The chicken liver parfait is as decadent as they come, and the tournedos Rossini with truffled Madeira comes topped with a slice of foie gras – old-school decadence done right.

Both service and cooking can be uneven. Salt (steak tartare: too much; a tuna Nicoise salad with seared raw tuna: not enough) is an issue. But I’m not sure the people who will adore this restaurant – and there will be many – will mind much. Just being here is treat enough.

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As is the drinks list, which will make any Francophile quiver with excitement. I’m less impressed with the cocktails, which I found almost unvaryingly too sweet, but who needs cocktails when you’ve got a collection of cognac and Armagnac like the one here? I could drink nothing but French brandy and be happy, and in Melbourne, Maison Batard is likely the best place to do it.

The wine list is a great pleasure for lovers of Burgundy in particular, but Lucas knows enough to include plenty of entry-level bottles, as well as flashy unicorns for the big spenders.

You have to be leaning towards big spender to want to eat here at all, honestly. There’s no sugar-coating it: Maison Batard is eye-wateringly expensive. In some instances, the cost seems earned – steaks are pricey everywhere, and the kitchen here does them very well. A whole rotisserie duck for $145, its skin lacquered, its flesh rosy? Sure.

Petit plateau of six oysters, four king prawns and raw kingfish.
Petit plateau of six oysters, four king prawns and raw kingfish.Eddie Jim

But there are plenty of examples in which the price seems difficult to justify. The petit plateau, which comprises six oysters, four king prawns and a small dish of sliced raw kingfish, is $125. An overcooked omelette with nubs of slightly rubbery lobster is $48.50.

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I managed to spend $400 one day on lunch for two (no big-ticket items included); dinner for three came in at almost $700 and could have been far more if we’d ordered main courses rather than small plates and didn’t share a dessert.

The chocolate mousse is served tableside.
The chocolate mousse is served tableside.Eddie Jim

I’ll admit, though, that dessert was fantastic. Lucas has taken the viral success of the tiramisu at his GrillAmericano and applied the same scoop-from-a-giant-dish ethos to chocolate mousse. It’s a dark, bittersweet, heavy delight, and the theatre of the tableside presentation is very fun. It also costs nearly $30. But – as our waiter gleefully informed us – it makes for great Instagram fodder.

There is a reason Maison Batard has been hailed as the opening of the season. It’s big and brash and fun. It’s expense-account ready, and trust-fund approved. If you like Lucas’ other restaurants, you’ll probably like this one. And if you don’t? Maison Batard is unlikely to be the place to sway you.

The low-down

Atmosphere: Over the top brasserie

Go-to dish: Chocolate mousse ($26.50); pâté en croute ($27.50); tournedos Rossini ($88)

Drinks: A truly astonishing cognac and Armagnac list, fun but sweet cocktails, impressive French-forward wine collection

Cost: About $300 for two, excluding drinks

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Default avatarBesha Rodell is the anonymous chief restaurant critic for The Age and Good Weekend.

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Original URL: https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/goodfood/melbourne-eating-out/eye-wateringly-expensive-does-maison-batard-stand-up-to-its-prices-and-hype-20250131-p5l8kh.html