Julien's Bowral Brasserie — Restaurant in Bowral

We, the party of six, have frequented this highly regarded fine dining restaurant for years when it was then owned by resturanteurJohn. He kept the high standard that tempted our returns year after year. I was pleasantly surprised but with trepatations that I was speaking to a French accent new owner Gerald , who has decades of cooking and owning restaurants including Singapore. The amosphere of the place still the same, if anything it is brighter now after some refurbishment . I am glad to report he has kept the photos of the beuatyful cheeky girl on the wall. homely and friendly service. We chosed Escargots , Tuner Tataki, Mousse de Foies . For mains we had Duck Cofit, Trout in baking paper wrapped. Black Angus Tenderloin and Mussels Provencales. I had the Lemon Sole grilled. Both the entrees and mains proved to be excellent. I like the My fish was really very tasty topped with herb butter. The winelist is now changed to all French but that wasn't a problem as Gerald very kindly recommended a Rhone Valley red that was deletable. Gerald then pushed out the dessert cart loaded with goodies that we have forrgotten the doctor's advices on limiting our sugar intakes.

Gerald also told us he owns the patisserie Les Gourmandises at Bong Bong St at Bowral, and Le Bistro Gourmand - Station St, Bowral, serves cooked breakfast and lunch.

All in all , a very enjoyable time in a friendly , homely and...

Let me start off by saying, if you are in Bowral or the surrounding area, you must dine here. Here’s why…

The food: The baguette with Julien’s butter is worth getting for the butter. His blend is so moreish I could literally sit down with a tub of the stuff and eat an entire stick. For the entree I went with the seared scallops. These were cooked to perfection. The puréed pumpkin and scallops’ sweetness complemented each other and their melt-in-your-mouth softness contrasted perfectly with the crispy fried pumpkin. For the main, I went with the steak fritte. This is a high end version of a steak, fries and salad. The steak is an excellent 200g of black Angus, cooked perfectly to my liking of medium rare. The jus is rich but not overwhelmingly rich, the French fries are cooked to perfection and the salad dressing complements the dish. This is one of the most enjoyable steaks I’ve ever had.

The service: Excellent. Friendly, timely and highly professional overall. The restaurateur took the time to ask in person how our experience was going.

The feel: The restaurant has a great atmosphere. You feel as though you are in a French restaurant.

I have spend a lot more money in other restaurants for much less quality food and...

We booked for 2 people. We arrived on time, we were seated and then waited for 30 mins before any staff member came near us. Apparently the owner is the only person who takes orders. He took our order for food and wine. The wine arrived but then we waited for another half an hour for the entree. In the meantime other tables arriving after us had received much prompter service and were enjoying their meals. After waiting another 30 mins for the main course we had the audacity to complain to the owner, who literally walked away without bothering to aplogise or even pretend to listen or make an excuse. Service is abysmal! When we eventualy received the food it was delicious but didn't quite match the menu description. We were not offered a dessert menu. When we asked for the bill the assistant was very apologetic for the delay, but a little too late for us. This is a restaurant that we won't patronise again. It must rely on locals who accept the churlishness of the owner as normal behaviour. No stars...