Stepping into Bistro Bisou is such a divine, transportive experience.
You know when you arrive at a restaurant, plonk yourself down, and just exhale...
That's how you feel from the second you immerse yourself at Bistro Bisou.
It almost feels like a location shoot in one of those movie where a rendezvous happens between friends, or lovers, or a mother/daughter post-shopping date.
It's little wonder this place is all class: it's the freshest pick from the stable of Luke Mangan restaurants, and follows the stylish template of a bespoke restaurant housed within a unique, boutique hotel chain.
Bistro Bisou is inside Melbourne CBD's Hotel Indigo, on bustling Spencer Street, and here you will experience classic French fare - just as Luke has done with his successful restaurants inside Hilton Hotel Sydney with Glasshouse, Kimpton Margot Hotel Sydney, and Pylon Lookout inside the Sydney Harbour Bridge (yes!). And: Hotel Indigo in Sydney's Potts Point has the beyond impressive French-Japaense Luc-San, which is adjacent to the hotel.
With this iteration at Bistro Bistro, this 96-seater gem features an open kitchen - you can sit at the bar and enjoy your meal while admiring the chefs cooking up a storm - or slide into a sexy banquette, order a cocktail, and relaaax.
And you can expect to see the classics on this concise, authentic menu:
French onion soup (menu special), steak frites (sirloin, veal jus or café de Paris butter), steak tartare (served with egg and potato crisps), house smoked salmon (with crème fraîche), chicken liver and bacon pate (with pear and shallot relish and charred sourdough).
And freshly baked sourdough bread (with whipped butter), smoked pork terrine (with orange chutney, pickled onion, and charred sourdough), and confit of duck leg (with bacon, peas, and mint sauce), wood roasted poussin (with butter beans, champagne, tarragon, and beurre blanc), and a memorable rare seared tuna niçoise, served with tuna, green beans, potato, and olive dressing.
Feast your eyes on what we dined on:
Dessert has to include: apple tarte tartin (and it did!), and a vanilla crème brûlée, and imperial mandarins, and it's such a delightful end to a serene, relaxed, classy French experience.
The decor is instrumental in this experience, too.
Tim Davey (the restaurant and bar manager who hails from French Saloon) looked after us beautifully, and he has created an impressive cocktail list for Bistrot Bisou, which includes eight martinis, a slew of signature creations, and an impressive list of French aperitifs.
The wine list features a stellar selection of French and Victorian wines, and the non-alc options are just as lovely. Try the 'Dirty Lime Rickey', with lime juice, olive brine, syrup, sparkling water.
Our executive chef was Rory Kennedy, and its kudos to for a flawless dining experience.
"We want this to feel like a second home for guests, whether they're Melbourne locals or visitors wanting a relaxed place to dine after a long day of sightseeing," says Luke Mangan.
"The French bistros of Paris have an ambience about them no matter what time of day or night it is, which is what we are creating here."