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Canberra's best restaurants: Le Tres Bon

Kirsten Lawson
Kirsten Lawson

Le Tres Bon chef Christophe Gregoire in his kitchen at the Bungendore restaurant.
Le Tres Bon chef Christophe Gregoire in his kitchen at the Bungendore restaurant. Jeffrey Chan

Top 20 restaurants, Food and Wine Annual 2014: number 20.

This is French country kitsch taken to quite an extreme, even to the stylish French knick-knackery sold at the counter.

The cottage is small and a piece of Bungendore main-street history; the dining is in intimate little spaces on little tables, wooden floors, an open fire turning cheeks a glowing rose in winter, always our preferred time to visit. That's not only for the fire, but for the truffles, given owner and chef Christophe Gregoire's friendship with truffle supremos Peter and Kate Marshall. It's also for the Alsatian French country comfort food which always works best when it's cold outside.

Le Tres Bon, restaurant, Bungendore.
Le Tres Bon, restaurant, Bungendore.Supplied
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Duck rillettes are a rustic version, substantial shredded meat with bread, cornichons and good fresh greens. Gregoire's snails are a favourite, with butter, garlic and pastis, served gratin-style. Duck a l'orange, cassoulet heavy with white beans, a Toulouse sausage and duck confit; a gelatinous dish of beef cheeks, red wine and mushrooms, none of it is surprising, all of it is firmly provincial and firmly French.

Gregoire had a French restaurant some years ago in Manuka, but it was only when he moved with his family to this historic cottage in Bungendore that he came into his own – the theme works so well with the setting and allowed Gregoire to give full rein to the influences of his childhood in Alsace.

What else for dessert than crepes suzettes? And to drink, the short wine list is based on some selective and lesser known wines from nearby, and some mid-range decent and enjoyable wines from France.

Best dessert: Vacherin.
Best dessert: Vacherin. Jeffrey Chan

Not all critics seem to rate Le Tres Bon – perhaps it's the old-fashioned menu, call it retro, or the almost kitschy set-up, call it romantic, but we like it a lot, and think it is absolutely worth the drive to Bungendore.

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If you want to go further still, you can sign up for one of Christophe and Josephine Gregoire's food and wine tours to Alsace and see for yourself the region that inspires this Canberra chef.

Le Tres Bon
40 Malbon Street, Bungendore. 6238 0662. letresbon.com.au
Owners Christophe and Josephine Gregoire; chef Christophe Gregoire
Lunch Wednesday to Sunday; dinner Wednesday to Saturday.

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Kirsten LawsonKirsten Lawson is news director at The Canberra Times

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