Restaurant Review: Bistro Guillaume

The Crown complex is home to many fine dinning restaurants, with their big brothers either overseas or in a different state, the list of restaurateurs continuing the trend of taking advantage of Melbourne’s laid back lifestyle and love for food continues to grow, starting off with Rockpool, Nobu and GA&S. the latest venture opening some time in 2008 was the 2010 1 hat winner Bistro Guillaume.

The restaurant was built over the old Prada location, with a sexy neutral wood and marble décor with very interesting lighting which looked like upside-down bubble skirts, Bistro Guillaume delivers bistro classics with a modern twist. With the original Head Chef Daniel Southern moving to Comme Bistro Guillaume’s kitchen is now run by Beau Vincent from the Sydney restaurant in Bennelong. 

The service was tight all floor staff were very knowledgeable and polite. The amuse-bouche were potato croquettes with a pimento mayo which were a textual delight a great start to the night. We ordered the snails and a special which like a pork hock rillette with a tartare on the side, both entrees were served with grilled and toasty bread, the hunter valley snails were rich and garlicy drowned in butter as they should be, the pork hock jelly was different but very nice a synergy of textures and good flavours combined for a very interesting entree. 

For mains we had the Beef tenderloin with Paris mash and merlot sauce, Berkshire pork belly with apple puree and the whole roasted Barossa valley chicken and sauce a la chasseur. The pork really stood out, with a beautiful thin layer of crackling and melt in your mouth layer of meat under it, this was by far the best main of the night. The sauce on the tenderloin was rich and bursting with merlot flavor. The chicken roasted to perfection though it is very rich and hard to finish even with two. So order it if you’re really hungry or have more than two people.

 The desserts were the night’s highlights sharing the Crumble du Jour and a Passion fruit pannacotta with passion fruit and citrus. These desserts were amazing the crumble came fresh and piping hot with a perfectly golden crust which broke open to reveal apricots and other winter fruits served with a smooth vanilla ice cream. The pannacotta was smooth and perfectly sour with the very taste of the fruit making your mouth instantly salivate, the pieces of citrus just added to the beauty of this dessert.

Overall the dinning experience was excellent from the service to decor, though the mains could be better, I’d defiantly come again to order entrees and desserts. 

 This is one of the better French restaurants in Melbourne but I would love to go to its big brother in Sydney just to compare.