Aux Batifolles

400 Nicholson Street
North Fitzroy
VIC 3068

We were keen to dine francophile style, so headed to Aux Batifolles on Nicholson Street in North Fitzroy fairly earl yon a Friday evening.

Both inside and out the look was stylish and subtly French, without veering into cliché. It was pretty quite when we arrived, but filled up a bit during the evening.

We studied the menu which featured plenty of gallic classics to choose between.  The "Ragout 72 gratiné" featured scallops, prawns, mussels, calamari and crab with mushrooms and leeks in a creamy sauce with a hint of cheese lightly browned. The mix of well cooked seafood with the other flavours was a winner.

I had an old favourite of "Moules Marinieres". There were a few variations from the dish I remember, including the steamed black mussels having one shell conveniently removed and a creamier white wine and parsley sauce. The changes didn't spoil the dish and the shellfish still starred.

The "Steak-frites au poivre" was served in classic French style. The porterhouse atop the fries and served with a surprisingly sweat peppercorn sauce with a green salad on the side. The better half wasn't keen on the soft gravy soaked chips but I didn't mind them. I ended up with plenty of the meet to try as we swapped plates half way through, and I was happy with it.

I went for the "Pitivier", a French pie in perfectly crisp crust containing chicken and crayfish with a hint of gruyere cheese and served with a brandy bisque. The flavours encased inside the pastry were a fantastic combination, and I think the favourite of the night.

The pie was served with a "Salades du jardin" of mixed leaves with a subtle blue cheese and mustard dressin.

Both the waiter and waitress who served us were French and they happily tolerated my rapidly fading language skills. They also let us choose the pace of the meal and were friendly throughout. The bill with several drinks came in around $130. We enjoyed the evening and would happily return together or with friends.

A La Folie Patisserie

589 Chapel Street
South Yarra
VIC 3141

We were invited to visit the A la Folie patisserie, so we got on our bikes on a Saturday afternoon and made our way over to Chapel Street in South Yarra. The shop front isn't wide, but the brightly coloured display certainly grabs your attention.

The interior is bright and clean with a few French touches. The counter is filled with more offerings and as it was a Saturday their creator Mercede Coubard was in the store.

The rows of petits choux under the counter, they are made from choux pastry, similar to profiteroles and are available with about ten different flavours of filling.

Croissants are also now available.

The lime red fruit tarts grabbed my attention, bringing back memories of my Mum's favourite French patisserie treat of tarte aux fraise.

We sat at one of small row of tables outside, which brought back memories of Parisian cafess.

Our invitation included a tea or coffee, both the skinny flat white and my long black were good, I love the contrast of a slightly bitter black with something sweet!

We shared out two petits choux, the p125 chocolate was contained a rich dark chocolate filling, beautiful and one bite was perfect for me, the better half was happier to have an extra share though! The salted caramel had the perfect amount of saltiness to balance the sweetness, it felt like I could go on on eating this one...

We also halved the macarons, the pistachio was initially sweeter than I'd expected but the nuttiness really came through in the aftertaste.

The passion fruit macaron had the perfect crunch on the outer shell, but the interior was softer and packed with flavour!

We aren't normally afternoon snackers, but the ride had helped work up an appetite which was perfectly sated by the fantastically flavoured sweets. Mercede was a great hostess, friendly and happy to chat amidst the steady stream of customers. We will certainly know where to take friends with a sweet tooth next time we are south of the river. We really enjoyed the mix of punchy flavour and reminders of time spent in France.

Beaujolais, Singapore

No 1 Ann Siang Hill
Singapore
069784

On a the corner of the busy Club Street and Ann Siang Hill, Beaujolais mixes French touches with Singaporean shop house looks.

From our outdoor corner spot we had good street views in every direction.

To start we shared the tomato bruschetta, featuring sweet cherry vine tomatoes  on toasted garlic bread and Stu's favourite, the cold cuts, including air-dried beef, Swiss smoked coppa, Prosciuto di Parma and French saucission.

The  sirloin steak was served with salad and fries and a choice of sauces.

The grilled tiger prawns lived up to their names and were served with pasta aglio olio.

I had the salmon which also came with fries and salad. The skin was a little over crisp and salty, but everything else was good.

The service was smooth and the food was fair value, as has to be expected the drinks weren't cheap, so the overall meal was fairly pricy, but it certainly isn't a bad choice for a French style meal in Singapore.


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La Cassolette

26 Rebecca Walk
Melbourne
VIC 3000

We read a bit about la Cassolette online and decided to give it a try on a Saturday evening. The location by the river and under the railway tracks across from Southbank's bright lights isn't glamorous, but with seats outside as well as in offers views and a little bit of atmosphere.

Inside things are basic, but with just French enough touches. We were greeted by Mickael the manager who showed us to our seats, we had booked, but it wasn't that busy.

We were brought an olive tapanade as as hors d'œuvre with our drinks and explored the menu, which isn't huge but offers a selection of classic French dishes, with an emphasis on fish and seafood.

I started off with the vegetable soup of the day which was a light potato and leak offering on our visit, topped with basil oil and served with croutons.

The crab salad and quinoa taboule brought more striking flavours, featuring fresh crab in a homemade lemon mayonnaise served on top of a quinoa, tomato and cucumber salad.

Mickael came to our table to prepare the house specialty of seared scallops.

He explained he'd been down to Lakes Entrance for the first time and out on the fishing boat with a huge Greek fisherman "with fingers the size of my hand" too ensure a regular supply of scallops of the right size and quality. The Flambé in Cognac was suitable dramatic and impressive!

The scallops were served with homemade Parisian potatoes and parmesan along with a green salad. They were perfectly cooked and tasted great.

I had the fish casserole which was served in a small casserole pot with a side of potatoes drizzled with basil oil. The white fish was cooked with thin slices of leek and carrots topped with a homemade aïoli sauce, and was a little more creamy than I anticipated but still beautiful.

The bill including a few drinks came to $110 which for the quality of the food was great value, you would probably be paying a lot more to get similar dishes across the river. The service was very friendly and the service was swift, if a little haphazard when things got even a little busy. Having lived in Paris I don't often eat French food in Melbourne, but we'll certainly be visiting la Cassolette again soon.

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The European

161 Spring Street
Melbourne
VIC 3000

I'd had coffee at the European a couple of times but hadn't ever eaten there, but as our guest had requested European food we headed there...

The name does give a strong hint of what to expect, with a very traditional French Bistro style feel to the place including the wood panelled walls, small tables and classic wooden chairs.

Once seated the waiter ran us through the specials, with a knowledgeable introduction to each, they were also able to answer all the questions we had about the menu.

Danny went for the smoked padrón peppers with the creamy Monte Enebro goat's cheese, and peppers certainly had plenty of the smoky flavours along with a kick.
 

I also chose from the board and had the smoked fish croquettes which were nicely flavoured and perfectly cooked and came with some great sauces.

Danny went for the beef Wellington with peas and braised cos. The pastry wasn't quite in the style he'd expected, and initially he was a little underwhelmed by the serving size, but the steak was beautifully tender and won him over. He also enjoyed his side of kipflers with bacon and cabbage..

I had the black and white linguine with fresh crab, tomato, basil and bottarga. At the time I assumed the bottarga or botargo was another herb, but have since determined it is salted, cured fish roe. The flavours certainly worked well witht he crab to create an enjoyable dish.

The bill came to around $160 with a few drinks, all also from Europe. The service was pretty much impeccable and it is an excellent choice to get the continental style dining experience in Melbourne.

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Prix Fixe, Soho

39 Dean Street
London
W1D 4PU

I caught up with old friends at Prix Fixe, as the name suggests aFrench restaurant,  located in the heart of Soho. It was a Saturday night and pretty busy. The set menus of the name weren't available at the time we visited, but the  a la carte options featured "...an exciting and contemporary French cuisine encompassing flavours from around the world."

Jegs went for 4 Atlantic rock oysters with the shallot vinaigrette.

I had the 'Escargot style grilled mussels' served in the traditional style for snails, with garlic, pernod and parsley butter and a herb parmesan crust. The flavours did drown out the mussel a little, but it was an interesting alternative to steaming them.

The seared tuna steak came with a stew of sautéed chorizo sausages, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas and fine beans and was one of the several fish dishes ordered.

I went for the baked whole lemon sole meunire with saffron potatoes, caper and parsley butter, the combination working really well.

The filleted roasted Seabass with baked medallion potatoes, baby shrimps, broad beans and fennel gremolata looked good and seemed to go down well.

The buzzing but efficient restaurant, good company and satisfying food made for a good evening.

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