delicious. 100: Brisbane’s best French restaurants

From souffle to steak frites, if it’s French fare you favour here are the city’s top restaurants to cater to your cravings.

Got a craving for confit duck? An appetite for escargot or a taste for tarte tatin?

From cosy husband-and-wife-run bistros to glamorous fine diners, here are Brisbane’s top French restaurants.

A rabbit dish at Restaurant Dan Arnold in Fortitude Valley. Picture: Nigel Hallett

1. Restaurant Dan Arnold

959 Ann St, Fortitude Valley | 3189 2735 | restaurantdanarnold.com

When Dan Arnold returned after seven years in France working in Michelin-star restaurants to open his own venture in Fortitude Valley, the concept of no-choice set menus was a little out there. But Covid changed all that and now he can fill his 45-seat dining room on a weeknight with guests simply choosing from three ($100) or five ($150) course menus or a chef’s selection ($200). Word has spread of his exemplary classical, technique-driven, flavour-first line-up of dishes (maybe an entree of The Falls Farm carrot with a lemongrass and ginger emulsion, a main course of fallow deer served two ways and a dessert of the most delicate chocolate cigars filled with Jerusalem artichoke and hazelnut) and there’s nothing else like it around. The five-course option might add coral trout and wagyu brisket courses. Included in all menus is a stunning line-up of complimentary amuse-bouche; three types of house-made breads with two butters; a pre-dessert and petit fours. Throughout all this, service is on the ball and knowledgeable but far from stuffy. The wine list is broad and there’s a cheese trolley for those who want to tack on another course. Adjustments have been made to add warmth to the interior as well as bigger tables, enhancing the enjoyment of the work of a gifted and generous chef.

Montrachet restaurant in Bowen Hills

2. Montrachet

1/30 King St, Bowen Hills | 3367 0030 | montrachet.com.au

For a complete, up-market French bistro dining experience look no further than Montrachet in Bowen Hills. With its red upholstered seating and brass fittings you could be on the Boulevard St Germain rather than adjacent to the Exhibition Grounds in King St, but the attention to detail, quality of cooking, level of service and French-accented wine list are noteworthy. This year the restaurant has changed it up, offering an a la carte menu of classics for dinner Tuesday to Thursday (with a choice of five options for entrees and mains for $85pp for two courses and $100 for three), or a five-course chef’s menu of some of these classics for $135. Lovers of French onion soup, the peerless double-baked souffle with crabmeat and gruyere, steak frites, bouillabaisse, or perhaps a lovely rum baba to finish, look no further. But on Friday and Saturday nights there’s just a six-course, $165 tasting menu that moves into new territory with dishes such as tartare of champagne lobster; rabbit loin wrapped in smoked pork cheek, as well as slow-roasted Black Angus fillet. This is a well-oiled machine that has refreshed its food offering while maintaining a floor team that stands out for its training, skill and enthusiasm.

Moelleux Chocolat Valrhona Millot at Herve’s Restaurant and Bar in Albion. Picture: Liam Kidston

3. Herve’s Restaurant and Bar

Level 1, Craft’d Grounds, 31-37 Collingwood St, Albion | 3326 0894 | hervesrestaurantbar.com.au

Caviar, foie gras and truffles are on hand to luxe up the confident renditions of French bistro favourites at this newcomer in inner-northern Albion. Upstairs at Craft’d Grounds, the former timber mill turned hospitality hub, Herve’s menu begins with puffed potato topped with caviar, cheesy choux pastry balls, baked Flinders Island scallops or duck and foie gras pate. The main course line-up boasts a cold seafood platter and options such as Moreton Bay bug or Murray cod; succulent pork with native spices, roast pumpkin, lentil and pomegranate jus; perhaps a perfectly cooked Black Angus tenderloin or a 1kg wagyu T-bone. A standout is the ravioli of western rock lobster, with caviar an optional extra. The wine list is global, offering a broad array of price points, and unusually, a page of Corsican varieties. Desserts are terrific, with a starry chocolate confection topped with hazelnut nougatine and roasted vanilla ice cream encircled by Pedro Ximenez-soaked sultanas. Service is a strong point under the supervision of the restaurant’s namesake Herve Dudognon, with the May opening quickly moving into top gear.

The confit onion souffle at La Cache a Vin restaurant, Spring Hill.

4. La Cache a Vin

215 Wharf St, Spring Hill | 3924 0501 | lacacheavin.com.au

Open the door to the historic wine cellar turned French restaurant in Spring Hill’s Wharf St and you could be somewhere in France. With arches and beams and stone walls dating back to the 1860s and a jumble of spaces, the venue has a rustic ambience that merges perfectly with chef/owner Thierry Galichet’s substantial menu of Lyonnaise-inspired dishes. An onion and gruyere souffle is surrounded by a moat of kirsch veloute for a richly warming opener or opt for grilled scallops in truffle butter, pate or perhaps snails in cream sauce in puff pastry vol-au-vents. The main event could be grilled fish with fennel and prawn risotto and beurre blanc, duck cassoulet or a perfectly cooked eye fillet with a choice of sauce, house-made frites and salad, which is good value these days at $49. The place is generally full to the rafters, with experienced wait staff working hard and efficiently, while the exclusively French wine list is broad, with reasonably priced offerings flecked throughout the array of big hitters including grand crus. Complete your tour de France with an array of French cheeses or a traditional dessert such as crepes Suzette or perhaps apple tart with calvados anglaise and macadamia ice cream.

C'est Bon restaurant in Woolloongabba.

5. C’est Bon

609 Stanley St, Woolloongabba | 3891 2008 | cestbon.com.au

Tiny eclairs filled with cognac-laced duck liver pate and a hint of plum, lobster thermidor vol-au-vents and little marjoram and heirloom tomato tarts are among the snappy snacks just begging to be matched with a glass from the French-heavy wine list at Woolloongabba’s C’est Bon in its heritage-listed digs. As well as this winsome line-up of bites from chef Andy Ashby, there are also sourdough waffles with bone marrow creme or there’s light-as-a-cloud French onion and garlic brioche. The small plates section includes pig’s head and pistachio terrine, sweet corn brulee, and Parisienne gnocchi. Most of the large plates aren’t that large but presentation is spot-on, with spring lamb dressed up for the occasion with a jus poured on at the table, while the pork from Schultz’s farm on the Darling Downs is enlivened with carrot, mustard and caraway in a nicely balanced array of flavours. Service covers the bases with a smile. Dessert is worth saving room for, with a choice of creme caramel, mont blanc or apple tarte tatin, which comes topped with a leaf made from plum fruit strap, or there’s a selection of French and Australian cheeses. This is an establishment that seems to be hitting its stride.

Bisou Bisou in Foritude Valley

6. Bisou Bisou

458 Brunswick St, Ground Floor, Hotel X, Fortitude Valley | 3131 8900 | bisou-bisou.com.au

With a soundtrack loading up the French ambience via a repertoire from La Vie en Rose to accordion-led jazz, there’s no doubting the culinary inspiration for this restaurant on the ground floor of Hotel X in Fortitude Valley. The menu works its way through oysters and caviar to entrees such as steak tartare, sharing dishes of entrecote and Murray cod, well-priced mains including confit duck leg or artichoke boudin, and sides such as gem lettuce with Puy lentils and roasted grapes or french fries. A winter warming starter of baked goat’s cheese beneath a golden dome of filo pastry on a bed of eggplant, raisins and pistachio appeals, or a cooler option is a thin tart shell filled with a generous amount of chicken liver parfait topped with diced grilled stone fruit and beetroot, peas and a soft strip of jambon. Mains are generously portioned, such as the tender, moist rotisserie chicken breast surrounded by sweet corn and brioche soubise, or there’s slow-cooked treacle-glazed blade of beef. Dessert could be a choux pastry ball filled with milk chocolate and hazelnut cream and encircled by cherry jam and hazelnuts. Service is relaxed and attentive and Bisou Bisou has settled in well, finding a good balance between quality and value.

A steak at La Belle Vie in Bardon.

7. La Belle Vie

60 MacGregor Tce, Bardon | 0435 200 282 | labellevie.com.au

Tradition is key at this bistro and bar in Bardon in Brisbane’s inner-west, with its white-clothed tables, wooden cross-back chairs and suburban views towards Mt Coot-tha. Diners could begin with foie gras, escargots or Saint-Jacques scallops, before moving on to perhaps lamb rack with Mediterranean herbs or quail with rougaille-style sauce, choosing from one of five French cheeses or maybe finishing with crème brulee. Alternatively diners could opt for the likes of baked New Zealand mussels in garlic butter topped with breadcrumbs or zucchini flowers filled with goat cheese, before moving on to hanger steak with red wine jus, confit shallot, truss tomatoes and French fries or duck breast with honey and spice sauce, mushrooms and roast chat potatoes. Other desserts include lemon and meringue tart or perhaps a dark chocolate dome with a raspberry heart. Very fresh slices of baguette are complimentary, while butter is extra. Service is polite and semi-formal although welcoming and the wine list is a deep dive into French offerings, with the by-the-glass list also largely French, and the wines delivered pre-poured.

For the full list of Queensland’s best restaurants, see the delicious. 100 here, and make sure to vote for your favourite venue in the People’s Choice poll.