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Bistro Thierry

Bistro Thierry
Bistro ThierryEddie Jim EJZ

14/20

French$$

It's been called the 'Toorak Canteen', but this oh-so-French brasserie is posher and pricier than the nickname suggests. Since 2000, devoted locals have flocked to this mirrored dining room for reliable Gallic food served by black-waistcoated French waitstaff. All the brasserie darlings are here - beef bourguignon, steak-frites, chocolate souffle - and there'd be a revolution if that changed. More adventurous touches come from the daily specials. Thus crisp-skinned half duck, twice-cooked to moist, fat-rendered perfection, may be matched with baby artichokes and white asparagus or, in cooler weather, confit red cabbage and waffle fries. For hors d'oeuvres, perhaps four plump diver scallops perched on a pea puree with a drizzle of blue swimmer crab bisque or escargots, baked in their shells in a classic garlicky butter and parsley sauce. Finish with a sweetly sticky caramelised tarte tatin and ponder how it is that French women don't get fat.

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