philippe

went here for valentine’s day and it’s the first time i had french in melbourne. everything was cooked so perfect and so well, the ceviche was probably the best i’ve had so far in melbourne. it was busy thatnightbut loved every second of it, there was someone playing an accordion as well. such a beautiful night.

haven’t been here for ages. i was told by a friend that they would have a jazznightevery first monday of the month. we were sitting at the bar, ordering delicious cocktails, wines and food. service was amazing! lovely crowds and vibes, beautiful jazz musics serenading our dinner. this place would be great for special occasions and a date. definitely would come back next month for another monday jazz session night

my friend recommended philippe as one of his favourite french restaurants a few years ago. my partner wanted to take me out for a nice birthday dinner so i picked philippe. the restaurant provides discounted evening parking at a flat rate but we already make other arrangement. it was a cosy restaurant located in the basement at the lane way next to grand hyatt hotel. it wasn’t packed on mondaynightand there was a live french singing performance about to finish when we walked in. the service could be more attentive as we have to ask for the menu and waiter to refill our water. we ordered the bone marrow, duck for 2, chargrilled broccolini , pinot noir and beer. we were told the duck will take 45 min to cook. complimentary warm baguette was served with butter and salt. the bone marrow was average but the duck was beautifully cooked. we are so stuffed after the main course that we couldn’t have dessert. you also get 25% discount up to maximum of $40 with the entertainment book voucher.

booked the restaurant last minute vis phone as we’d heard some good news at work. the front of house was very friendly and i asked him whether they had vegetarian options for my partner which he explained helpfully.

then we got to the restaurant a couple minutes later and were greeted by the same friendly person and taken to the dining room. our waiter (wish i had his name) was also incredibly welcoming. he took our wine orders first and i had the beautiful vouvray! he then explained the vegetarian options and also our degustation menu which sounded amazing but unfortunately we weren’t that hungry but i thought it was very thoughtful that the person had remembered that my partner is vegetarian.

we started with the mushroom veloute and the salmon. both of which were exceptional and great portion sizes. we then proceeded with the mains of john dory and cauliflower steak. i liked the john dory itself but unfortunately not a big fan of the sauce itself and my partner also found some flavours in his dish not quite matching to his liking which is the reason why i’ve rated it 4. mind you though the french butter and bread was divine

all in all a greatnightfor a last minute booking. will certainly recommend my friends and will be back. best service we’ve experienced in a while! :)

to quote my partner after our dinner here ‘that was so yummy, i’m actually shocked!’ we had the natural oysters, the foie gras pate, the wagyu tartare, the wagyu rump steak and the spring lamb. the least favourite was the foie gras but that’s because of our palettes, not at all the restaurant’s fault. it was still a good dish and the brioche was to die for. we went on their jazznightwhich really added to the experience. will definitely go here again when we’re feeling like good french dishes.

i’d been here three times now, once for lunch and twice for dinner. each time i was impressed with their service and attentiveness.

the most remarkable time was just recent when i had a catch up with 3 other friends, whom i haven’t seen in a while due to us staying in different cities. it was a fantasticnightout.

some of us had arrived early so we hung out at the bar for a drink while waiting for our table to be readied. we then moved to our table to have charcuterie while waiting for our friend who was running late.

we had the best rotisserie for the night, both the duck and the chicken- cooked to perfection and i continued eating the duck even though i was so full because it was just so tasty and tender!

we also had the wagyu rump steak , which again was just so deliciously cooked. perfect medium rare.

accompanied by a very wide range of wine list, this place is a must visit if you haven’t already!

i will definitely choose to go back again when i feel like having really good french food!

the perfect venue for either a weekday client meeting or datenighton a cold winters evening. whilst the tables in the restaurant are great, i find the best experience is at the bar where you can have some interaction with the staff at the bar/oyster & cold bar. this time we sat at the oyster bar. our freshly shucked oysters were a perfect combination with our french chardonnay. the other bonus being at the bar is that you have access to $2 oysters all night. you can also access the full restaurant menu in addition to a bar special which was beef bourguignon tonight ($25 for the main plus a red wine ! such good value). we ordered a main size steak tartare to share as the entree - it was well seasoned with a smoked slow cooked 63 degree egg yolk - dare i say it’s probably the best steak tartare in melbourne! the delightful service, together with the wonderful food completely made the evening - our generous tip tonight reflective. new favourite place. husband was very full and happy.

in terms of french bistro food philippe mouchel is the undisputed king. pm24 was one of my favourite places to dine so i was excited to try his latest endeavour, open for just over a year located where the old brooks used to be (i still crave their delicious cheesecake rip brooks).
the atmosphere is refined and sophisticated and his signature rotisserie chicken was just as succulent as i remembered. exemplary service renders this the perfect place for datenightor a special occasion and don't you dare leave without trying the insanely delicious desserts. for what you get in terms of ambiance, food quality and the level of skill in execution i consider this to be extremely reasonably priced

went to philippe lastnightfor my birthday dinner. had a lovelynightbut there were a few negatives.
positives- the quality of the food. i ordered the wagyu tartare with horseradish cream for entree, the rockling with fennel purée and spinach for main and the chocolate and caramel fondant for dessert. the tartare was delicate and i loved the combo of capers and the horseradish cream. the rockling was delicious and perfectly cooked. and the chocolate fondant had a brilliant oozing centre. the venue itself is also elegant and an open kitchen is always a winner in my books.
now on to the negatives- we had an 8:15 reservation but when we arrived on time the girl unapologetically told us to leave because our table wouldn't be ready for another 20 minutes. wasn't very impressed with that considering we had a booking. there was also a mix up with our order. our table ordered two tartares- i asked to have mine mild because i don't have a great chilli tolerance. however, my dining companion ordered hers spicy. but after three times of me asking the waiter if he was sure that he'd given me the mild i still ended up with the spicy. it was far too hot for me and unfortunately really affected my overall enjoyment of the dish. i also felt that the meals came out a bit too fast. kind of got the sense we were being rushed even though there was no need given that we had the table for the rest of the night.

since the exciting news earlier this year that philippe mouchel was back, i've been waiting for the perfect occasion to dine at philippe and tonight was the night.  as you walk down the stairs into the restaurant, you are greeted by the sight of the rotisserie and meats - indeed, the decor and atmosphere is classic and quintessentially français.  
i was absolutely impressed by the knowledge, attention to detail, skill and most importantly passion of all the staff - from the person greeting us at the door, to our waiters for thenightand of course monsieur mouchel himself.  despite a busy friday night, he took the time to greet and talk to every single diner at every table throughout thenight- it may seem like a little thing but it certainly added a great deal to what was already an exquisite evening.   it was lovely to also see him looking over everything to come out of the kitchen and add a little touch of finesse here and there, as well as serving guests too!  as for the food - divine as usual!  the beetroot cured king salmon was a particular jewel of the menu, as was the chocolate fondant!  every dish was perfectly put together - not only a delicious meal, but a piece of art as well.  i cannot speak highly enough of philippe - surely one of the gems in melbourne's ever-growing dining scene.

philippe, a little hidden gem! french, one of my favourite cuisines. my partner once tried their famous chicken rotissoire a long time ago, and one spontaneousnighthe decided he was craving some expensive chicken haha a beautiful, romantic restaurant and i loved the decor at the entrance. service was on point, super friendly, knowledgable and attentive staff. food was absolutely amazing, most immaculate tender chicken breast ever (of course for that price), the skin was stuffed with mushrooms and it brought so much flavour to the chicken breast it was superb. what a memorable night. the snails, de-shelled, were good but i found them a little too salty.

i created a zomato account just so i could post this review as ever since finishing dinner at philippe lastnightto say i was disappointed would be an understatement.

i had been keen to get to philippe since it opened not long ago so much so i decided to book a table for my birthday dinner, the 7 of us sat in the private dining room.

from the get go it was lacklustre to say the least the ambience was dull, intense bright lighting..kanye west playing in the background..it just didn't have the elegance and charm of other institutions like france-soir or bistro thierry.

our first round of beers ended up on for table/floor although an accident and not the gentlemans fault it just added to a very average dining experience.

the service was painfully slow even though the restaurant was half full, we were constantly having to top up our own glasses.

the food was average..the steaks for the price we paid and the lengthy time it they took to arrive at the table were overdone and basically cold. with little sauce, a tasteless purée and polenta chips which looked rather unsightly and didn't taste that much better.

it's a shame to have to write this negative review as we were all very excited to come and dine at philippe..the odd slip up and a wait for food wouldn't bother me or most people generally but for the price you pay you expect a level of service/food but it definitely did not reach expectations, not even close.

although africa was lovely to deal with over the phone.

my fiancee and i were big fans of pm24 and deja vue, so it was only a matter of time before we dropped past philippe to give it a go.

the restaurant is very beautifully appointed in its tucked away location off collins st. the bar, upon entry, looks fabulous and would be great for a cocktail prior to dinner. the table spacing (as noted in a review below) was very generous allowing for a very intimate dinner. from the moment we entered, service was outstanding.

for entree we shared oysters and the kitchen charcuterie selection. both were very enjoyable, with the oysters in sea water jelly being a particular treat! for mains, i had the beer braised beef cheek which was perfect. the dessert, a chocolate caramel fondant, was also to die for!

the wholenightwas a wonderful way to spend our anniversary and we will definitely be back! sooner rather than later

i think dining here is a bit like going to see an orchestra perform the classic symphonies. it's not hip or 'on trend', but you soon remember how much skill is required to execute at this levelnightafter night. i walked away feeling appreciative.

all i can say is wow! we visited philippe for a special occasion and we were completely blown away by the food and service! this is one of the best dining experiences we have ever had and we will be back! thank you to philippe and his wonderful team for making our specialnighteven more memorable.