Bistro Guillaume Dining Room at Crown Casino Entertainment Complex, Melbourne - Australia

I went to Bistro Guillaume (8 Whiteman St, Southbank - Ph: +61 3 9663 3888) at Crown Casino Precinct for dinner. This Bistro is owned by Guillame Brahimi who also owns Guillame Benellong in Sydney Opera House.  So Bistro Guillaume doesn’t have the view of the Sydney Harbour & Opera Hourse, it does however offer fabulous food and the view of the Melbourne Yarra River.

The occasion was a 30th birthday party for a good friend. We arrived at 21:30 just in time for dinner (late session since we didn’t book earlier). Ok so first up was drinks, I noticed the they didn’t have as many local wines as I would have liked. After looking at the list of Champagne/Sparkling Wine by the glass I had no choice but to have a french champagne because there wasn’t  any local sparkling wine. I started with a glass of Non Vintage Pierre Peters ‘Grand Cru’  Blanc de Blancs from Mesnil sur Oger France for a price of AU$24.

Mai and her champagne at Bistro Guillaume

For starters we shared a Charcuterie (a selection of Cold Meats) designed for 2. Clockwise - It has sausages, terrine du jour, pickles, Jamon Iberico, Duck and Chicken Liver Parfait, Duck pate, Pork Pate, Rabbit pate, peach and ginger chutney and mustard. It was served with Rye bread. The Charcuterie costs AU$27 and it was divine.

Charcuterie (A selection of cold meats to share)

By the time the starter was finished I was ready for my second glass of wine and decided to go for a glass of Chenin Blanc by Domaine Pichot ‘Vouvray Sec’, Loire Valley France which cost AU$14. It tastes very fresh and fruity perfect for my main dish.

For mains, I had an entree size of Seared Scallops with Jerusallem artichoke veloute, baby spinach and chicken jus for AU$16. The scallops were juicy and freshly cooked to perfection. The whole dish with my Chenin Blanc was simply harmounious.

Seared Scallops

My dining partner had chosen a Duck Confit with a tombe of carrots, fenel, leek, spring onion, speck and puree de pommes de terre for AU$38. The duck was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. It was lovely.

Duck Confit

We decided to share a side of Ratatouille - a lovely peasant food :). It was served in traditional french crockery.

Ratatouille

For dessert, we shared a selection of Sorbets. The sorbets were lovely as you can really taste the individual fruit flavours. The green one is honeydew, the yellow is apricot and the red one is strawberry flavour with a really nice refreshing tanginess. mmmmmmm perfect!.

Selection of Sorbets

Lets talk now about the ambient of the restaurant. It was 70% full when I arrived but I really like the fact that we can actually talk in the restaurant unlike many places where you have to shout to hear youself think. The ambient was very relaxing and pleasant.

The waiters were very friendly. It felt like dining in Melbourne really - Nothing pretentious about it just good food, great ambient, friendly service. If I am trying to close a sales deal, I would definetely bring my customers here as we could enjoy great food and can hear each other do our serious talk in a very relaxing environment.

Will I want to have a date here? hmm….probably not for a first date, it has to be someone I have known for sometime as this is a restaurant not to impress your date but to simply enjoy great time together. It is also a perfect place to bring your parents or in-laws for many reasons above.

A nice and relaxing ambient at Bistro Guillaume

The overall bill came to AU$180 including tips which I consider a good price for fine dining. As I said, nothing pretentious about Bistro Guillaume. Will be my regular hangout for sure.

Bistro Guillaume has a nice bar underneath the restaurant. As I left the restaurant, a couple of ladies were complimenting on how lovely my dress was. Overall, I had a really pleasant Saturday evening.

PS: I I saw Derryn Hinch (TV/Radio Personality)

What I wore to dinner at Bistro Guillaume

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3. The Best Peking Duck Experience In Melbourne - Quanjude (Restaurant Review)
4. The Fat Duck - London, UK (No. 2 ranked restaurant in the world) Review
5. Il Bacaro (Italian) Restaurant Review - Fine Dining

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