C'est Bon Restaurant & Le Bon Bar — Restaurant in Brisbane City

I've never met anyone who's favourite steak is a "porterhouse". In fact, I've never even seen or heard anyone order a porterhouse. I'm willing to bet you probably haven't either, allow me to elaborate a little on how I can be so certain about this...

1222AD.

Normandy.

South East of Caen.

There's a stiff November wind but it isn't raining (for once right?).

A small trading fleet has just arrived from Norway and made their way inland to peddle their wares of copper pots and goose resin. They are tired and the journey has been long but their spirits are lifted by the prospect of the bartering for cattle they will have ahead. You see, Norway has no native cattle, any cows you might find there today originate from this ancient trade network between Normandy and Norway who had historic ties stretching back centuries. Normandy on the other hand had little access to copper in these times which was vital for the rendering of geese to produce valuable resin, used for the lubrication of wheels and such. Whilst this trade network is mentioned little today, at the time it was a vital part of the northern European economy and without it pivotal historical moments such as the battle of Beurgenblois may never have taken place; Spain would be entirely different now had it not. The Norwegian traders have much to gain but also potentially a lot to lose.

A little known fact about Norwegians: mad for beef but, due to the lack of native cattle throughout history, have a mild intolerance to it that varies from person to person. In Norwegian, "Pørtehulmse" translates loosely to "heart of the beef" and describes a part of the cow so rich in the substance they are mildly allergic to that most won't take the risk. For this reason, dating back to the ancient days of the "Porterhouse Trade Route", this section of the cow was usually brined and sent to nearby Sweden where people's digestive systems were more tolerant to beef. The Norwegians saw no value in this cut that was practically toxic to them so the Swedes were able to get it very cheap, usually a quart of goose was enough. Over time, it became the most popular meat in Sweden and the Norwegian supply wasn't enough so they had to seek alternative sources to meet demand. This demand has grown over time as the Swedish population has to the point that nearly all of the global supply of this cut now goes there where it is eaten by almost all of the population for almost every meal apart from when they're eating those wheels of ryvita stuff.

All the Porterhouse steak is in Sweden and that's why you probably don't order it.

Anyway, had the Porterhouse and a bottle of Chambleuse D'avignon Tremblabegneaux. Fantastic selection, you simply MUST dine here.

5/5 good steak,...

Don't expect to take home left overs!

Came for my wife's birthday. She was wanting to try a different French resturant than our usually favourites.

It was fairly easy to get a table for the Wednesday night.

We were sat inside in a smaller room. The atmosphere was alright, but was not anything special. The chair I was sitting on was quite high and slightly uncomfortable.

Service was hit and miss. Simple things like forgetting to bring ice when we asked. Not being offered a food menu at the start - only given when I asked. When we finished the ice for our water, most fine dining establishments would ask if you would like more ice, however, this was not even asked as the cup was taken away. It just didn't seem as professional as other resturants of the same perceived calibre.

Food: We choose this resturant because my wife loves Zuchinni flowers and we saw it in the menu. However when we ordered it, we were informed that they ran out. The resturant was not busy and our reservation was at 7pm.

The potato flatbread was alright... But the escargot duxelle was lost under the garlic cream. It also was a little bland.

Then next, were 3 entrees.. Tartare - 7/10 - nice, but too sweet. I like sweet food, but this was just over the line for me and I know my friends would not like it. I enjoyed the first few bites though!

DIY Crab - 6/10 - I thought I would give it a go.. But you had to add in your own levels of 6 or so seasonings. I found that it left too many variables to the taste. I was not a fan

Gnocchi - 7/10 - texture was very nice, but the sauce was not incredibly yummy. It was a little bland - but nice.

Mains: I would not call either main French. Maybe in technique - but definitely not in flavour. For me it was more Asian.

Pork - the taste was delicious. There was a lot of fat, which was unfortunate, but still the best flavour of the night.

Qual - it was alright. Not a fan of the lentil and tangy sauce. A little unbalanced.

Side of beans - it was different. Neither here or there.

We were so full after Entree, that we only ate a little of the mains and wanted to take away the rest. We were informed that we could not take any thing home. I understand the logic, but most resturants do allow take away now and if they are concerned they will have a release form for patrons to sign.

As we did not want to waste our food, we were forced over eat. This really did not leave us with a good final impression on the resturant - as we felt too full and left with a sour taste.

Not sure that we will return. Over all...

Went to C’est Bon for dinner. It was a cold night but it was colder inside than outside. As soon as you were taken into the restaurant, it hit you. We raised this with the person who showed us to our table and she responded that the waiters get hot running back and forth. But she adjusted the air conditioning and it made an immediate effect. However, she was right as the waiters soon adjusted the control back to cold. It is extremely rare to see people eating with their puffer jackets on! That’s how cold it was. The food was excellent! The wait staff not so much. C’est Bon offers share meals and promotes this. They have a share menu. We did not order from the share menu and were quite specific when we ordered we were not sharing. However, We decided to share some oysters to start. My wife was having the Moreton By Bug Eclair followed by the Qld Beef Tartare and I ordered the Veal Wellington (no entree). For sides we ordered the Fermented Potato Bread and the Roasted Sprouts. Well the wait staff did not translate this too the kitchen. After downing our oysters, we received the Fermented Potato Bread. Then my wife received her Moreton Bay Bug Eclair. She then received her Qld Beef Tartare. Meanwhile I received nothing. We queried this. This is how it gets served. After my wife finished her meal. We then got the Roasted Sprouts and the Veal Wellington (there were no potatoes as a side). So I had to sit and watch my wife eat and then only after she finished, and we waited, did I receive my main meal. Again, we were not sharing the meal and made it clear upfront. It was so disappointing. And so cold! When it came to dessert, we could not stay any longer it was so cold so we left and went to the ice creamery for dessert (to warm up). The other thing I found strange was they had a shared menu. But some things on the shared menu was not available on the main menu; for example the gnocchi, Mahi Mahi and the Dry Aged Duck Breast. Again we did not order from the shared menu. All in all while the food was very good, the service and atmosphere was poor. If you see people eating with their puffer jackets on in a restaurant, it is far too cold. Make sure people want to share their plates as some do not and we made that clear. To wait for my wife to finish her main meal and then she had to watch while I ate mine is unacceptable! This is not a place I would...