bistro gitan

i honestly refuse to believe that anyone would write a bad review of bistro gitan. the staff are warm & friendly, the food is absolutely delicious and the atmosphere is wonderful. easily in my top favourite spots in melbourne.


-----25 may, 2012-----

a fantastic dining experience!. i would gladly come back here again and again. went with 5 people and tried all different menu items and everything was superb. i had the escargots, home town hapuka, pear tart and left there incredibly content. wine selection was excellent, many great liqueurs available and the coffee was perfect. service was amazing and atmosphere was very warm and friendly whilst being quite a fancy dining experience. would happily recommend to afrenchfood lover. you will not be disappointed!!

simple tastyfrenchfood and clearly a neighbourhood darling.

had lunch here today based on a friends recommendations. was not disappointed with good service, greatfrenchfood and a well presented premises

their entree and side dishes’ taste is very blur. main course is okay. i like gratin, well done. an ordinaryfrenchrestaurant

jacques reymond was my favouritefrenchrestaurant in melbourne..great service and impeccable food and i was a bit upset when it was closed. i had been meaning to try bistro gitan owned by one of his kids and today it is! the whole meal was beautiful. we ordered the croque moussier, gnocchi, fish, potato and cheese gratin and chocolate pudding. every dish was finesse! loved it.

had a lovely lunch here with a friend. beautiful building converted from an old victorian pub. warm inviting interior. we chose from the ‘formule express’ lunch menu -$40 for two options & glass of wine. my friend chose the corn soup which was a creamy veloute topped with truffle oil, the scent of the truffle wafted up intoxicatingly from her bowl. i chose the kingfish hiramasa, cured fish with compressed apple, pork crackling & soy citrus dressing. light & fresh & just enough to whet the appetite for the main. a small panier of bread was served with the entrees. for main my friend chose the snapper fillet, crumbed & fried served with a thick yellowish rouille & a salad that included rings of calamari. i had the spatchcock with a mustard crust served on a bed of braised cabbage & bacon. the bird was beautifully moist & tender but was a little too red around the bone for my liking. a bowl of moreishfrenchfries completed the mains. we went the whole hog, so to speak, for $8 more & each had a lemongrass infused creme brulee. cracking burnt sugar top & a luscious creamy custard with a pleasing hint of lemongrass. overall a delightful high quality lunch at a good value for money price. service was friendly, prompt & attentive. our two youngfrenchwaiters threw in the occasional “merci” “de rien” & “monsieur” which added to the ambience. my only quibble, being seated not far from the door, having several deliveries come through the dining area. having high-vis vests & trollies stacked with crates pass by your table while you lunch, may not be good look for a classy eatery where the diners seemed well heeled or well suited. maybe i’m just a snob...

elegantfrenchin friendly refined surroundings. i'd heard the name jacques reymond since moving to melbourne, and always assumed i'd eat at one of his restaurants. he closed his solo doors before i got around to it, but remains involved with bistro gitan, jointly operated by three of his children.

managed to get a last minute booking on a weekend night. friendly service, good wine list and afrenchinspired menu greeted us. oysters were great, beef tartare was ok . not chopped fine enough for me a lacked seasoning but the ingredients were good. the garfish was fresh and tasty but could have had more of the baby squid in the salad as advertised.
the mains were good, well cooked and presented nicely.
desserts were good, especially the lemon tart.
overall a good experience, just a little pricy

@bistro gitan
to sayfrenchis my favourite cuisine would be an understatement!
everything we tried was fantastic, my friend gaya and i started with a dirty martini and a mohito.
we shared several dishes, the escargot and parfait were fab! the raw king fish is definite. we had one of the specials which was the quail and we both had serve with their potato gratin. the list of wines were impressive and complimented the food well. will be a regular visitor here!

this place is easy to get to now that the tram is at the front door. once inside i was greeted by a friendlyfrenchbackpacker (i presume), like most places it can take awhile to get a drink, keg of the month was from beechworth, a little light but it was a warm day, so i had two. zucchini flower looked good but didn’t have the flavour that i would expect from a place like this. l go for the specials so pork belly it was, couldn’t complain, a little flavourless but nice.
overall a great place and a nice atmosphere for a high end restaurant at the top end of toorak rd.

gitan was good a year ago!
the food now however has dropped dramatically.
the service has dropped dramatically
in short over priced sub standardfrenchfood with service not with smile but an attitude.
don't go here!

food isfrenchwith some modern fusion 10/10. great combination of classicalfrenchand modern australian flavours.
atmosphere 9/10 more classic casual
service 10/10 - attentive and impeccable.

very pleasant casualfrenchbistro on a light filled corner.  service was friendly and food was well paced. particularly liked the beef tartare in the lettuce and the pate, we also had a special of scallops with a corn puree which was delicious.  we tried the fried zucchini flowers but the batter was too thick. for main i had garfish colbert, which was nicely cooked, but salad underneath a little pedestrian.  crème brulee was very well executed though!

beautiful setting, recommended for a romantic date at night or a business lunch in the afternoon.

attentive arrived offset by not so much choice on the menu. had the the specials on the board for entree and main of ox tongue and pork scotch. i was not disappointed. the ox tongue sliced to the thinnest, and just cooked so the meat kept its tenderness.
pork scotch was cooked twice - so soft it melts in the mouth.

highly recommended if one likesfrench and doesn't mind selecting from a small menu! the additional pluses to the food: great service and setting within an old victorian building just completed the atmosphere!

firstly the setting is amazing, tucked away and not in the heart of any main eatery strip. the building is warmly lit and the decor inside is everything you would hope for in afrenchbistro. the staff are very attentive and willing to help as soon as you open the door. we organised a small birthday party and they could not have been more helpful. there is a small bar in the middle to enjoy a couple of drinks before your meal. the menu here is typicalfrenchbistro style with a gypsy twist. flavourful, warming and delicious,