delicious.100: Kyneton’s Midnight Starling is one of Victoria’s best restaurants.

KYNETON is a long, long way from Paris but Midnight Starling, in the country town’s main eat street, is as inviting as any Left Bank bistro.

Midnight Starling’ duck l'orange. Pictures: David Smith

KYNETON is a long, long way from Paris but Midnight Starling, in the country town’s main eat street, is as inviting as any Left Bank bistro.

That’s because owner-chef Steven Rogers is a dedicated Francophile with a firm grip on French classics. At Midnight Starling — all cloudy mirrors and handsome wood panelling — you could well find steamed leeks or duck neck sausage among the entrees, paving the way for roasted spatchcock or hanger steak served rare with celeriac remoulade.

Midnight Starling is a French bistro in Kyneton.

The weekend roti du jour could be a corn-fed chook, its plump white flesh drizzled with tarragon jus. Or roasted pork cheek with black pudding as dark as the soil you find in these parts.

But if Midnight Starling has a signature dish, it’s the duck a l’orange. Rogers — who honed his skills under revered Australian-French chef Jacques Reymond — coaxes amazing flavour out of shapely duck legs and caresses them in satinny sauces.

To finish? A classic clafoutis with griottine cherries or toasted pain d’epice adorned with quince and vanilla ice cream.

Midnight Starling’s cellar is surprisingly deep — check the chalkboard for feature “pours” — while the service is precise and engaging.

Must eat dish: duck a l’orange

MIDNIGHT STARLING

60 Piper St, Kyneton.

Ph: 5422 3884

midnightstarling.com.au

Cuisine: French

Chef: Steven Rogers

Price: between $41 and $80 a person for two courses, food only

Bookings: Yes

Open: Sat-Sun from noon, Wed-Sat from 6pm

Instagram: @midnightstarling

This restaurant was ranked the 30th best restaurant in Victoria in the 2016 edition of the delicious.100.