RESTAURANT REVIEW
LES BISTRONOMES
Braddon - Canberra
RELOCATED 05/10/2019
18 Blamey Place
Campbell ACT 2612
Braddon - Canberra
RELOCATED 05/10/2019
18 Blamey Place
Campbell ACT 2612
First got in contact with Clément's food at (now defunct...) Tastevin in Darlinghurst. He went on to relocate to Canberra and worked for two top restaurants there: Sage and The Water's Edge (where I have dined as well, but have not posted a review yet...). In October 2014, he opened Les Bistronomes with front of house manager and sommelier extraordinaire Abel Bariller, on the edge of Canberra CBD's in the suburb of Braddon, and in good company with plenty fancy bars and restaurants around.
Unlike most new starters, Clément and Abel have not spent all their money on the fit-out, cleverly creating a french feel out of a pretty ordinary space. Nice chairs, great wine rack, high table soon to be transformed into a "guéridon" and herbs and veggies garden around the terrace on the street and at the back. The kitchen is quite large and very well equipped. But, I hear you say, what about the food...'s
Unlike most new starters, Clément and Abel have not spent all their money on the fit-out, cleverly creating a french feel out of a pretty ordinary space. Nice chairs, great wine rack, high table soon to be transformed into a "guéridon" and herbs and veggies garden around the terrace on the street and at the back. The kitchen is quite large and very well equipped. But, I hear you say, what about the food...'s
Les Bistronomes - Canberra - La Salle à Manger
Les Bistronomes - Canberra - The Wine Rack
A Parisian feel "down under" at Les Bistronomes in Canberra
The well stocked bar and reception area
A very special bottle for a very special occasion...I told you the bar was well stocked!
The terrasse is well screened from the street and the (potentially...) harsh Aussie weather. Note the veggies garden all around the terrasse
Well, the food...in one word: magnifique! I went for dinner with one of my suppliers (of Italian descent) and one of his Canberra's friends (of Irish descent) and they were suitably impressed.
We had a plate of charcuterie to share, as we had convinced the Chef to let us share the duck between the three of us, where it is normally just for two...well nobody starved, put it this way, and it takes about 30 minutes to prepare. I let Abel choose the wine, and he did what every really good sommelier would do, get us out of our comfort zone and surprise us with an amazing and very unusual wine, a blend of merlot and tannat. Wikipedia comes to help us here: "Tannat is normally found in the Basque-influenced regions of France near the Pyrénées. The wine is notable for its very high tannin levels and is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet franc and Fer to soften the astringency and make it more approachable. In addition to Madiran, Tannat is also produced in Irouléguy, Tursan and Béarn, and it is a minor constituent of Cahors wine. Modern winemaking in the region has begun to emphasise the fruit more and utilise oak ageing to help soften the tannins. Now the wines typically spend about 20 months in oak prior to release. A French Tannat is characterised by its firm, tannic structure with raspberry aromas and the ability to age well. They often have a deep dark colour with high level of alcohol." . Let me add that the merlot tames the Tannat and the result was highly drinkable.
Then, finally came the "duck à l'orange" façon Clément Chauvin, with the canard slowly cooked for twelve hours in an shell of herbs and ash, and then cut into pieces and serve with a coleslaw and fresh oranges, but still with a proper jus: melting moments in mouth, as the meat was so moist and tasty. An amazing dish! And the Chef made some pommes à la Lyonnaise as a side for our Irish friend. He was polite enough to share with us...well, he didn't really have the choice, as they were delicious.
We were then tempted to have dessert...and we chose the crème brulée et flambée, and our Irish guest went for the profiteroles - you don't ask to share on the first date, so I can't comment on those but the plate ended up very clean, indeed!
So, if you are in Canberra, Les bistronomes will be your "passage obligé"! Great job, Clément and Abel: I will be back...
We had a plate of charcuterie to share, as we had convinced the Chef to let us share the duck between the three of us, where it is normally just for two...well nobody starved, put it this way, and it takes about 30 minutes to prepare. I let Abel choose the wine, and he did what every really good sommelier would do, get us out of our comfort zone and surprise us with an amazing and very unusual wine, a blend of merlot and tannat. Wikipedia comes to help us here: "Tannat is normally found in the Basque-influenced regions of France near the Pyrénées. The wine is notable for its very high tannin levels and is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet franc and Fer to soften the astringency and make it more approachable. In addition to Madiran, Tannat is also produced in Irouléguy, Tursan and Béarn, and it is a minor constituent of Cahors wine. Modern winemaking in the region has begun to emphasise the fruit more and utilise oak ageing to help soften the tannins. Now the wines typically spend about 20 months in oak prior to release. A French Tannat is characterised by its firm, tannic structure with raspberry aromas and the ability to age well. They often have a deep dark colour with high level of alcohol." . Let me add that the merlot tames the Tannat and the result was highly drinkable.
Then, finally came the "duck à l'orange" façon Clément Chauvin, with the canard slowly cooked for twelve hours in an shell of herbs and ash, and then cut into pieces and serve with a coleslaw and fresh oranges, but still with a proper jus: melting moments in mouth, as the meat was so moist and tasty. An amazing dish! And the Chef made some pommes à la Lyonnaise as a side for our Irish friend. He was polite enough to share with us...well, he didn't really have the choice, as they were delicious.
We were then tempted to have dessert...and we chose the crème brulée et flambée, and our Irish guest went for the profiteroles - you don't ask to share on the first date, so I can't comment on those but the plate ended up very clean, indeed!
So, if you are in Canberra, Les bistronomes will be your "passage obligé"! Great job, Clément and Abel: I will be back...
Les Bistronomes - Charcuterie plate - the rillettes were exceptionally good - see below
Merlot - Tannat 2011 from Brumont, a young winemaker from Gascogne, very innovative and interested in micro-terroirs
The duck in its ash and herbs oven
The coleslaw and orange salad
The duck in its sauce with more oranges and flowers
Pommes de terre à la Lyonnaise
Perfect profiteroles
And le clou du spectacle: Crème brulée flambée
