Bistro Theirry

12th June 2012

After heading out for more marathon training and returning to the office to pick up some stuff i ended up being too late to go around to a friends to hand over some DVDs, so being close to 9pm and way too late to go home and cook i decided to head out for dinner. After checking they would be still open (and not too upset about having someone come in so late) i headed to Bistro Theirry for dinner.

I headed into a restaurant with dim lighting, fancy table settings and a very french themed interior and waiters with heavy french accents that felt like it could have been right on the banks of the Seine. After taking a seat looking out onto Malvern road, i was offered a wine list and 2 menus, regular and a list of specials for the day.

I selected a glass of Chablis that was very reasonably priced at $12 and the wine list was very extensive with a slight tilt towards french wine but a big mix and very reasonably priced (no massive mark ups). For the food there was a dozen options for entree and main courses. I decided given the time frame that asking for the full three courses would be a bit much and given my love of deserts i went for the main and desert option.

For main course i went with a fairly simple dish of traditional steak frites. A thick juicy and perfectly cooked eye fillet steak with a perfect pink inside and had a crust of peppercorn accompanied with the pepper sauce. Excellent sourced meat and the double pepper flavour gave it a real boldness. The thin fries were crisp on the outside and moist on this inside. I also ordered a side dish of haricots verts sautes. Sauteed green and white runner beans in a delicious mix of garlic (that could be smelt as soon as they arrived) and thinly sliced almonds, it was perfectly cooked and an excellent tradition side dish.

For desert i went with another french classic of Crepes Suzette which was a masterclass in classic french cooking. A large thin crepe folder in the middle of the plate with a perfect grand marnier and orange sauce liberally covering the crepe. Topped off with orange sorbet and to finish orange rind that had been caramelised and covered in icing sugar. Great technique and additional touches created a flawless piece of french cooking and an sumptuous desert.

With the bill (a reasonable $90 for 2 courses, a side and a glass of wine) i also received 2 complimentary dark mint chocolates. A very traditional french restaurant that sticks to tradition and creates memorable hearty french classics with some modern touches. If you are out in toorak this is well worth a visit and is up there or close to the 1 hat french restaurants.