Review: Bistrot D'Orsay

Nestled within Melbourne’s theatre district on Collins St is Bistrot D’Orsay.

Walking through the doors was like being transported to a cosy and intimate restaurant in the heart of Paris. The décor has a quaint French feel about it and the smells wafting from the kitchen were heavenly. 

Inside Bistrot D'Orsay

The four of us were seated by a lovely waitress, who was attentive but unobtrusive, and began our meal with wine or for me - a champagne cocktail.

We started with the house made brandied duck liver pâté. The butter covering was a bit hard but once you got past that, the pâté was delicious.

We moved onto our entrées and I had the twice cooked goat’s cheese soufflé on beetroot with walnuts. It was the first time I have had a soufflé and I decided to forget about my lactose intolerance and at least try a little bit. It tasted so good that I polished the whole thing off very quickly. With a subtle cheese flavour, the delicate cake texture just melted in my mouth.

Twice cooked goat’s cheese soufflé on beetroot with walnuts

Next was mains and I had the crispy skin salmon with carrot and pea puree. The salmon was perfectly cooked, pink and tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. Some of the others had the braised beef cheek on buttery mash potato with truffle oil, caramelised onion and asparagus. I had a little bite and I was almost wished that I had ordered it instead…

Crispy skin salmon with carrot and pea puree

Braised beef cheek on buttery mash potato with truffle oil, caramelised onion and asparagus

We managed to fit in dessert – the portion sizes may look a little small but they are definitely filling! I finished the meal with the parfait with green apple, rhubarb and crumble – delish! The sourness of the apple and rhubarb was perfectly matched with the creaminess of the parfait. Others on our table had the vanilla crème brulee, it had a beautiful vanilla flavour and a divine caramelised top!

Parfait with green apple, rhubarb and crumble

We were pretty much ready to roll out of Bistrot D’Orsay by the end of the meal. It was a fantastic meal – not cheap by any means but well worth it. It’s a great place for a special occasion but make sure you book, especially on weekend when it gets quite full.

Bon Appétit!