Food
Keepers Of A Dream - A Bistronomy Special
How three Australian venues – France-Soir, Bistro Papillion, and La Cache à Vin – are honouring the spirit of the quintessential French dining experience.
I love a portmanteau as much as the next cook. Chefs guesstimate ingredients, turducken is a thing (apparently) but, the best of the brunch (sic intended) is the blending of bistro and gastronomy.
The French tripartite motto, Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité, could also apply to bistronomy, a style of cooking free from fuss and frippery; fine food served democratically for community with a focus on quality ingredients, classic techniques without the need for double damask tablecloths, and sauces decanted earnestly from teapots or some such; food that speaks of honest hospitality, generosity and affordability.
Whilst the notion of bistronomy has been around for quite some time, it is enjoying a purple patch with excellent examples emerging all across the land.
MELBOURNE MAGIC – FRANCES-SOIR
Jean-Paul Prunetti of Melbourne institution, Frances-Soir.
Photography: Carmen Zammit.
It was a cool and wet spring day when I touched down in Tullamarine. I was in Melbourne for a few days’ work and as the taxi headed into town my thoughts turned to dinner. My hotel was on Toorak Road, so I thought I’d give France-Soir a call, enjoy a steak frites, and be in bed early for work the next day.
It was a great plan, but despite the poor weather and the fact that it was a Tuesday, I couldn’t get a seat until 10pm. It got me thinking: did everyone have the same restaurant ruminations as me? What made this evergreen restaurant so perennially popular?
The Melbourne institution owned by Jean-Paul and Johanna Prunetti has prevailed for almost 40 years. Jean-Paul is unassuming. “I guess we never planned for it to happen, it’s about many positive elements being right,” he says. “It’s about good people and trying to pick those good people who fit in, who are comfortable.
We try to keep things simple.” He says to achieve that is hard. “There is a lot of sacrifice, nothing is easy. I have spent my life in France-Soir. I was on the floor every service for 35 years before I got a manager. I have a passion for food, I am a social person. It’s a hole-in-one really. I love the industry. I have never had a day I don’t want to be here.”
SYDNEY SPLENDOUR – BISTRO PAPILLON
Ludovic Geyer says that getting the basics right is the secret of Bistro Papillon's success.
The Parisian-inspired interiors of Bistro Papillon. (Photography: Kitti Gould)
Bistro Papillon has been on Sydney’s Clarence Street for 15 years. “We are very proud of still being here,” says Ludovic Geyer, who owns Bistro Papillon with his friend Xavier Huitorel. “We stick to the basics. We have to get the flavours right, we have to be consistent.” Ludovic goes on: “Xavier is on the floor working on every single guest to ensure they go away and do our PR for us.”
For Ludo, this is the heart of bistronomy. “We always wanted the business to be small,” he says (the venue seats just 35). “It’s not our style to grow large or take other opportunities. We put all our savings into the bistro, it’s not about a million-dollar fit-out for us.” The esthétique is centred around souvenirs and posters they brought and bought from France. Ludovic is emphatic. “Ultimately, it’s about the food, the service, the atmosphere.”
BRISBANE BRILLIANCE – LA CACHE À VIN
La Cache à Vin's Romain Maunier (Photography: Markus Ravik)
Beef tartare and salmon pithivier are regular favourites at La Cache à Vin.
Thierry Galichet owned La Cache à Vin in Brisbane’s Spring Hill before passing the baton to Romain Maunier and renowned chef Dan Arnold. Romain knows exactly what he wants his restaurant to feel like. “We offer classic flavours and cook dishes that are exactly as people expect – we don’t reinvent the wheel.”
He’s also highly driven. “I have always been the way I am; I am a French bulldog. It’s just who I am. I walk fast. It’s non-stop. It’s the only industry I know and that I love.” He says that a lot of new restaurants have opened in Brisbane. “Some have been French but have no French DNA. You don’t just follow a recipe to know the soul of a dish.”
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