Dinner @ Les Boucheries Parisiennes

It certainly was a very pleasant surprise to receive a message from ex-Fenix manager Matt last week, letting us know that he was now working at Les Boucheries Parisiennes. Matt was a most genial host that would always be guaranteed to find some really interesting wine matches for our degustation meals, so armed with that information, we've scurried along for dinner - as a special treat, the Chef has prepared a degustation meal for us as well!

Les Boucheries Parisiennes opened in 2005 and is housed in what used to be Hagger's and is owned by the man behind Laurent Boulangerie - so it's not that surprising that the bread was very good. It's brought to the table, warm from the oven, housed in a string tied flour sack.




Onto the meal:


Rabbit and Duck terrine with baby carrot and beans with a portobello mushroom dressing

A light and fresh start to the meal - Paalo thought that it was very good but was served a touch on the too cold side.


French Onion Soup with Gruyere Toastie
I do love these Villeroy & Boch cups and what a lovely way to serve this deliciously rich soup. A classic dish.


Pan-seared Scallops on Mushroom Risotto with truffle beurre noisette

Sounds simple but this was a stunning dish - 3 perfectly cooked scallops sat on an equally perfect risotto - the scallops seared on one side leaving the inner flesh wonderfully translucent. The sweetness of the scallops seemed to be magnified by the creamy risotto and the earthy elements of the mushroom and truffle.


Venison with parsnip puree, sautéed baby spinach and mushroom raviolo

The venison was served as thick slices - cooked rare, it was deliciously tender. As I seem to keep asking myself when I eat venison, why don't I cook venison at home? It's a great meat and when served like this, shows you just how good it is.



Cheese came next - an excellent selection of 5, served at the correct temperature and accompanied by quince paste and two types of bread.


Coffee Pannacotta, buttermilk foam with freshly cooked doughnuts

The doughnuts are another legacy from Laurent and they are the lightest and softest examples we've ever tasted - these are deep fried clouds of fluff.

Paalo though that the pannacotta wasn't quite as creamy as he likes but I thought the buttermilk just gave it an interesting edge.

I suppose one good thing that has come out of the ashes of Fenix is that we've been forced to try new places and I'm sure we will be returning to Les Boucheries very soon.

The details:
Les Boucheries Parisiennes
268 Toorak Road, South Yarra

Phone: (03) 8256 1636

Open:
Lunch - Tuesday to Sunday: 12pm to 2.30pm
Dinner - Tuesday to Saturday: 6pm to late

Web:
www.lesboucheries.com.au