estelle bistro

a perfect evening!. i visited estelle bar for the first time last week, and i am still raving about it to whoever stands still long enough to listen. you don’t go to estelle simply for food, you go there for the experience! i was absolutely blown away by the attentiveness of the staff and their knowledge of local and imported wines. the food was simply devine! we had the 7 course dego and each one was amazing. my husband and i agreed that we were taken on a gastronomic journey. special mention goes to the smoked eel. wow. i will definitely go back again (maybe not quickly, it kinda hurt my hip pocket), but will no doubt return. thank-you so much estelle for making an ordinary sunday night extraordinary!

the estelle was wonderfully warm, casual and stunning. we had a 9 course dego and were impressed at each of the dishes. the waiter knew his product exceptionally well and we were treated to a first class experience. i cannot speak highly enough of this place. it is now in the 'top 5' for me. do it!!!

second time not so lucky. this was my second visit to the estelle and having raved on and on about it, i just had to share it with friends - mistake. unfortunately, it seems the attention to detail and to their customers has fallen in priority. the waiter was ok, but there was certainly nothing friendly about him and we had to ask for information about the meal he slapped down in front of us. the portions of each meal has shrunk since they first opened and i found myself quietly wishing i'd taken my friends to the press club instead.

estelle bar & kitchen is quite the dream collaboration. chefs scott pickett and ryan flaherty have joined forces to produce this little space that certainly delivers awe and wonder. scott (whose leadership brought the point in albert park two chef hats) and ryan (an alumnus of the fat duck, el bulli and arzak) grace the kitchen with their presence. the dining area is cosy and very snug. from where we were seated, we could peer into the kitchen, where scott and ryan were hard at work. amuse bouche the cooking style is modern australian. the menu is seasonal and unique. the food we were served was executed incredibly well. i dare say it is equivalent to (if not better than) any two hat restaurant in melbourne. one thing is certain; the flavour combinations that appear on your plate are classical, tried and true pairings that work.  the only dis

wow. great atmosphere, great service, great food. crab mornay was amazing. will be back again soon.

good but arrogant. i went to the estelle with a visiting friend, we hadn't made a booking so sat at the bar which was fine. we decided to go with the 5 course degustation. the service was friendly but professional, the wine was served with a very rehearsed introduction...in fact when we asked a question the waiter didn't know more than the prepared speech!! the food, however, was the display of an arrogant, indulgent kitchen...one of the beauties of northcote is its love of its localness, this restaurant has missed the mark here.

this is an extraordinary place. nothing is as you would expect. the chap in charge takes an intimate interest in everything that's happening throughout. the "adventurous" matched drinks selection was truly magical

what happened to the wonderful sommelier and lovely waitress . gone with the serving size . 7courses and still hungry

i've been to restaurants, and then i went to the estelle. what a joke. we ordered the 5 course degustation with 'adventurous' wine matching - all i can say is the their version of 'adventurous' must indicate that the wines do not match at all, not only this, 2 out of 5 courses were vegetarian - none of us are vegetarian, nor did we request a vegetarian menu - the rest were hardly worth writing home about. the service was non-linear, plate clearings were patchy, dishes were boring and uneventful, our host could hardly speak english and the 'ambiance' was non-existent. we will not be back to the estelle, and we will discourage our friends and family from visiting from this poor demonstration of fine dining

great find. had a really great lunch here the other day. my wife and i dropped in as we were in the area and had heard whispers of good things. problem was we only had 45 minutes, not a good amount of time for a place like this but credit to the boys on the floor and the kitchen team we squeezed in a 3 courses that ended up being sort of 5 as we had to share a dessert as well since everything that proceeded it was so good.

i'm not really into this sort of food, it can be too wanky and pretentious but eveything they bought out really hit the mark. they managed to keep simplicity whilst being wound up in a technique and trickery. so i could only say this place is melbourne best when it comes to "modern new age abstract gormondisation" considering what you pay for similar and even lesser fair at vue, jaques and attica this place is a diamond in the mine of melbourne's food scene.

the venue is cute and fun, the staff were great and its very reasonably priced.

not the sort of food i want eat every week, but i cant wait to go back and spend some real time there.

great job

amazing is an understatement.. some tiny flaws but overall we had a truly fabulous 7 course dinner. the meat dishes were the least successful, but they were still delicious. absolute highlights were the beetroot and goat cheese dish, tuna sashimi with horseradish cream and red cabbage gaspacho, and the earl grey meringue crisp with figs. atmosphere was lovely (got a bit noisy after 8pm) and i am sure the estelle's popularity will boom in no time! really excellent value for money.

its good - try it

overall, it was a really great dining experience. the atmosphere at the estelle was warm and relaxing, the staff were all friendly and provided excellent service.

we sat at the bar and and ordered the 5 course tasting menu (ben rolls his eyes) for $70.

seriously awesome. i think previous reviews say it all. the place is comfortable and inviting and the food is so well thought out and executed that it was one of the best i've had this year. i dine out quite a bit and as a bit of a compliment to the chef i found the food better then jacques reymonds which i had been to the week earlier and payed three times the amount, keep up the good work and all the best of luck this year