Montrachet — Restaurant in Brisbane City

I just want to preface this by saying that whilst it’s not the best French food I’ve had (by a mile), I REALLY REALLY loved this restaurant and it honestly may be one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had in Brisbane. It’s to the point where a person like myself that usually values food taste the most can forgive and discount some aspects and consider it just part of the experience, due to how much of a joy it is to come dine here. Montrachet is truly in their own league on the Brisbane dining scene (I mean tbh there’s not much to contend with..) and I truly believe that they compete with some top Michelin starred restaurants around the world that we’ve been to for the service and experience they deliver. It is for that reason that I would consider this now as one of my most memorable dining experiences in town and a special place you’d reserve for anniversaries, birthdays, etc.

Just thought it was important to put that first and foremost before I get critical into the food so anyways: duck breast. Wow- absolute stand out, only duck I’ve had in the last 2 years to contend with a top Paris bistro that required 1.5 years advanced booking for me to dine in. Actually Rosmarino’s duck is also just as good but Montrachet’s was generously portioned, cooked to perfection and the pairings were sublime. I wanted to lick that plate clean. onion soup, meh. souffle, very good, loved the seafood flavour that came through. Didn’t bother to read the menu properly so was very pleasantly surprised. Something different from the usual cheese and etc. Would absolutely reorder this and thoroughly enjoyed each spoonful. steak tartare was well prepared and I can’t fault it at all. foie gras …. was ok. It’s better than Boucher. La cache does do it better though. None in Brisbane can seem to make a foie gras to contend with Syd restaurants. Brioche was yummy though the BUTTER (!!!) that they serve with the bread pre meal was so good I was shook to my core. We now regularly get the little tubs from king st bakery. Never change this, please. bouillabaisse is my favourite dish usually but man our soup was flavoured/spiced so weirdly I couldn’t get past it. Never had this issue before ordering Bouillabaisse at any other restaurant and have tasted many homemade variations so we were both pretty thrown off- tasted like star aniseed or something idk it tasted like an Asian pork stew broth with five spice and star aniseed HAHA, I thought my tastebuds were tripping out until I saw the look of absolute confusion in my sister’s eyes. I feel like that flavour clouded our ability to taste the rich tomalley that you usually expect from a bouillabaisse broth, however it could just be the chef’s regional specialty to flavour the soup this way- it was absolutely by no means unpalatable but just not what I was expecting. Anyways, weird broth aside, the seafood was enjoyable and lightly cooked as expected of this dish. The scallop was huge and juicy, the fish was fresh and delicately cooked just prior to serving. I have mixed feelings, hesitant but game to try again in the future. dessert: wowowooww the dessert was soooooo gooooooooood I thoroughly enjoyed the signature dessert. Flavours combined well. creme brûlée was faultless, not too sweet (which is absolutely a good thing) and creamy.

Just want to finish again by saying that it was one of my fav dining experiences in Brisbane and I can’t wait to bring family and friends back to eat the roast duck like wooooooweeeee that duck and the bread with the butter is an experience in itself. I don’t think I mentioned this in detail but the service was truly impeccable from the moment you first walk into the door to the moment you step out. Saw the waiters scanning every table walking up and down both sides at every point of our 3 hour meal- I remember my water would get topped up before I even had the thought. Everyone was so friendly, non-intrusive and professional. Sommelier’s recommendations for wine were also perfect and he was just in general a top bloke, recommended...

Brisbane's BEST RESTAURANT by far.

My wife and I dine out all the time as if it was our job. Europe, USA, NZ or Australia. It is our thing to hunt down the best experience possible and we do not penny pinch in our efforts to do so. We often engage staff on to see how they respond and because we love to hear their ideas. We appreciate and respect those who do this for a career and Montrachet is the best team example I have seen in QLD yet. Possibly the best overall dining experience I have had in Brisbane in the last 10 years. There is a starvation in Queensland for places that can naturally emulate the flair of a good European restaurant. We heard good things about the new Montrachet and were eager to watch them "do their thing".

This Friday evening we booked to sit at the bar and not a table on purpose. We can see more interaction between the staff and watch them work. For us we want a show. A great dining experience is like a "ballet" and this is Montrachet. Complex, but fluid and smooth. The entire team have genuine natural smiles with good candid natures. This is hard to find as many staff are often routine, caught-up and complacent. It is clear the Montrachet team like each other and if not, they certainly respect each other. We watch for this team interaction often and seldom see things working this well. I particularly noticed the 'fit-out' was top notch - super clean and well designed. Sitting there at the bar sipping my wine and watching the harmony of the place, I would not have known which city I was in nor which country. I was lost in the atmosphere of dinners arriving with staff busily and eagerly pleasing those that sat down.

The food was superb. Scallop and Tartare entrees beautifully designed and presented as expected and accompanied with lovely local breads and unique butters. The mains were so good I had two!! Venison outstanding and Lamb although not my style was excellently designed and cooked. Very tender cuts which to me can only be carefully chosen and accompanied by lovely delicate sides. The wine menu was very good too with excellent support from all staff. Great selection of French wine by glass on Coravin which to me is a must today. A friendly happy Sommelier who was very switched on to all those that used him and conversational without being pretentious - bravo. The whole team read people well and showed enthusiasm. Quite a sense of maturity with how they all handled their roles which I think is rare down under. Irena needs a mention - she was personal and sweet with big smiles. Excellent evening - there was nothing they could have done better for us.

A notch up on the old Montrachet by far.

The recent awards for Queensland Restaurant of the Year should have gone to Montrachet and not to some stuck up 'scene' in a Hotel.

Well done team Montrachet...

I have never been more disappointed with a fine dining experience in my life.

The last time I visited Montrachet was when it was under previous ownership, and I had fond memories of not only the food, but the ambience and service as well. On this basis, I decided to celebrate our third wedding anniversary at Montrachet Bowen Hills on Friday evening - not a great idea!

We arrived at 8:07pm for an 8:30pm booking. When we entered, we were "greeted" by a petite, middle-aged blonde waitress, who snapped at us for coming early. She very curtly told us that there was "no space in the restaurant" (despite the fact that there were at least three or four tables completely empty and ready to go for the 8:30pm wave) and made no attempt to check which table we were allocated. She then pointed us in the direction of the bars at the nearby hotels commanded us to "come back at 8:30".

While I can appreciate that seating times are implemented for a reason, particularly rush hour on a Friday evening, my wife and I walked away quite appalled by her general lack of manners.

Thankfully, when we returned at 8:24pm, we were greeted by a different waitress who actually seemed pleased to welcome us. We were ushered to our tables and proceeded to order. We were fortunate not to have to deal with the initial waitress for the rest of the evening. I did note, however, that one of the other wait staff (not our server) was dressed in black skinny jeans and joggers - not the most professional attire, and certainly not befitting of the restaurant's image (in my opinion at least).

We ordered the foie gras and escargot to start, which were reasonably tasty, but the foie gras was definitely not worth the $39.50 price tag. In fact, the best part of our entrees was the puff pastry that came with the escargot!

I had hoped that my wife, who was having French cuisine for the first time, would be blown away by the flavours as I was at the old Montrachet - alas, this was not to be, and after a 35 minute wait after our enteees, the mains were even more unimpressive!

We ordered the confit duck leg and the lamb rack, both of which were underwhelming. The lamb was basically tasteless and the ratatouille was reminiscent of tomato paste straight out of the can. This was largely similar to the white bean base that came with the duck - the only consolation that there was some extra flavour from the pork and sausage in the mix.

By the time we were done, we decided to save our money rather than risk finishing on what would probably have been mediocre dessert.

We ended up heading over to Welcome to Bowen Hills, where we were able to have a much more enjoyable second meal for a fraction...