C'est Bon - Wooloongabba, Brisbane. Even at a two-story height, C'est Bon is narrow in space - though it goes deep into the building - thus it is still very small. A key word to describe it is intimate. Thus, there is credit given that it is much in the vein of how restaurants are back in France. It is far from the most baby-friendly of places, especially when the baby in turn is hyperactive. They do not provide high chairs plus there is a wall of all sorts of wines to choose from. Combine those two aspects and a baby will likely spell disaster. Other than that, this place is absolutely worth the trip and every penny - high quality food, all with fantastic presentation and made with the greatest degree of care and finesse.
By a great stroke of luck, I found myself here. I had always wished to go to this restaurant but could not readily justify given the cost. The stroke of luck came in the form of my big sister having attending a dinner function (paid for by her scholarship foundation) here. Ultimately, this was a good chance for indulgence.
The staff delivered exquisite service from beginning to end. No aspect was left unorganised. They make sure that each diner is left with a drink, and for the lot of people who ordered the lamb for dinner they brought up steak knives to replace the regular knives. It even came down to the toilets, where next to the basin there was a pile of neatly folded face washers to dry your hands along with a bin to collect the used ones. An extra bonus is that they get impressed if you speak French (even just a simple merci). In spite of being a really busy night for them, they managed to keep calm and eager. All this made the difference from a restaurant that could be well appreciated, to a dining experience that was worth all the while. It never hurts to additionally have good food as well.
After setting everything else up, and a bit before handing out the menus they present two lots of bread. These are placed spaced out on the table. The first lot of bread was in a ball-shape and infused with butter. The second lot - most likely to have on the side with mains et al - contained baguettes cut into segments, and good quality butter on the side for spreading. The said butter was at that just-right consistency where it is neither too hard to spread hard nor soft and formless. The butter was served on Chinese-style soup spoons.
Being the lone non-drinker, I checked if they could to a cafe au lait (first: I like coffee and second: while I cannot deny how much I trend towards ordering a cappuccino, when in Paris....) and I was in luck. The coffee had a smooth texture and was an easy-drinking beverage. Its flavours were subdued in intensity.
Even opting for the set menu - a three course prix fix - there were not any weak choices. For the entree and main, I pretty much knew the item which I wished to order; it came down to a bit more weighing up for the dessert. Nevertheless, I had a three course meal planned and ready for consumption. Had I chosen from the a la carte menu I would have been there for quite some time.
To begin, I chose "Parfait de Cannard" from the entree selection. This is duck liver pate served with a side of brioche and some chutney. Half of a slice was on the side with two slices of toasted brioche, a little side salad and a dab of fruit chutney which seemed to be cranberry. Most of the time, the situation would be that there is more bread and less pate (or dip) however this time around it was the inverse; that is not a complaint. I utilised some baguette to finish it off. The pate was akin to a meaty butter, smooth and delicious; you could not have too much of it in one go. The brioche was well toasted and went well spread with both the pate and the fruity chutney
My big sister and her husband shared the dĂ©gustation dâentrĂ©es - a platter selection of entrees. From this, I managed to sneak a taste of an escargot (snail) and a bit of tarte fine Ă la tomate (tomato and onion tart topped with blue cheese). The escargot was marinated in a garlic-parsley sauce, with each of the three flavours not over-riding one another and actually being subtle; it is not for everybody - the escargot - due to its texture but I am game to try any new meat. The tart was delicious, proving just how much caramelised onion and some sort of strong cheese can never go wrong in my view. So far, the food was very impressive. At a lot of places, the entrees and mains are starkly different to each other. Here, the entrees could easily stand on their own as a satisfying enough main with the quality and care given while also being able to co-operate as a full meal.
Which brings the dinner to the main course. My choice from the selection was a signature classic from the French cuisine: Canard a L'Orange. This dish is simultaneously simple and impressive, it is a cut of duck, cooked til the skin is crispy and the fatty parts of the meat is like butter. On the side is sweet potato mash in a liquid-esque consistency almost like a whip; this is on a bed of braised red cabbage and topped of with a drizzle of orange-Grand Marnier sauce. Everything about this dish was perfectly done. It is an example of a dish where the process of cooking might well be simple to describe, while the results pay off magnificently.
I am not expert on the cuisine, but from hearsay no good French meal would be complete without a fine dessert and/or cheese selection to finish it off. Initially, I had ordered "Bavarois Glace Chocolat Blanc Caramel" from the desserts section. This is an iced white chocolate and caramel parfait served with a caramel sauce. However, after some things happened there was a bit of a switch around and I instead got to sample the dégustation de desserts instead. Much like the entree platter, this order serves for two people and is only available as such. It is a selection of five signature desserts: creme caramel, chocolate tart, creme brulee, passion-fruit souffle and crepe suzzette. Additionally, there is whirled toffee encasing the sweet in the middle. This makes for a great aesthetic.
As always, creme caramel was reliable and smooth (ditto to the creme brulee with its burnt caramlised crust). the crepe suzette added a more tart/sour flavour needed to balance the tastes of the platter out, the passionfruit souffle was moreish and soft then last (and certainly not least) the chocolate tart was deliciously dark creating a further diverse balance with the flavours showcasing how distinct the desserts were.
At that time, I could not stay any longer due to the baby nearing its bed-time coupled with the ride to pick the four of us up (note: there was a lot of drinking, and I cannot drive). This made the dessert a bit on the rushed side, and there was no waiting around to be had. We still got to give a graciousness to the waitstaff for providing such a great meal to be remembered.
At a great restaurant, you leave with a full - or at least satiated - belly from some great food. A fantastic restaurant, it has to be more than the food that leaves such a positive impression on your mind. The latter was as such with me at C'est Bon. The waitstaff showed immense dedication to providing the clientele a wonderful dinner, there was a lovely aesthetic to the old-style building along with the views from the top level and the food was something special. More than ever I am now really keen on exploring French cuisine further, and would consider the chance to go back here. This is, without hyperbole, one of Brisbane's best and finest restaurants.
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