French Food and Frogs
I found myself eating very recently at a cluster of 3 French restaurants recently on three separate weekends away. I wonder what the draw is for going to french restraurants when on holiday, but whatever it is, they all turned out well. The first was in Leura in the Blue Mountains. Le Gobelet at 131 Leura Mall, Leura 2780, Australia. I think we arrived after 9 pm and they were happy to seat us late. The atmosphere was perfect, with a dog running around the restaurant and the owners a husband and wife team with no sense of urgency but taking care of the food. I really enjoyed the atmosphere, I felt like it was authentic, though the food took so long we didnt have time for dessert.
Then in Melbourne for a weekend, we used Urban Spoon to find somewhere to eat and we ended up at Bistrot D’Orsay at 184 Collins St, Melbourne, VIC 3000 (03) 9654 6498. The atmosphere was good again, but not quite as warm and rustic. Its right across from the theatre so it is easy to get a quick meal. My food was excellent and the wine list was even better. I quite enjoyed the pate entree.
Bistrot D Orsay, Melbourne
Finally, I got to eat at the Little Frog in Wyong after a year of waiting. The atmosphere was even less authentic, but there was a cool wooden sculpture over the bar. I was so excited to finally get a reservation here, as it is the only French restaurant on the entire Central Coast and it was booked out when I stayed up here a year ago. We booked two months in advance for this reservation (though I think a week or two would suffice). The wine list was good and the service was great. I really enjoyed my meal, which included a trio of pate for entree and a whole spatchcock for main. The skin on the spatchcock did start to get soggy after a bit, but I managed to eat some of the crispy stuff early on.
It seems cozy French food is a great choice for a weekend away, as it feels a bit exotic and a bit like an indulgence. I haven’t had a bad meal yet at any of the restaurants, especially since a good wine makes any meal great.
