I loved this place. Took the family and all of us enjoyed it. It's looks a small place but very very welcoming and obvious French from the menu to the accents on the staff.
The food was amazing. The sharing plates to start followed by mains of coq au vin and French onion soup were all demolished. There's lots of French beer and wine to wash it down with.
We couldn't resist desserts. The crepe Suzette and Creme Brûlée were fabulous.
The staff are friendly, attentive and knowledgeable.
I'll be back.
It's like walking into Stefan's home and having an amazing home cooked French meal. The food here is traditional and super tasty, hospitality is outstanding and must mention the pate..it's mouth watering and seriously to die for. Sitting at the bar is my new favourite spot, very social, you get to see the chef in action and even lick the pate bowl if you're lucky!!
Only called in for a quick red & dessert but was very impressed with a Small French Bar. As the name implies it’s very compact but packs quite a punch with an interesting French wine list & accompanying fare.
Made my back to SFB for dinner last week and I have to say the food was spectacular, but the front of house service was curt at best and overall very disappointing I’m sorry to say and quite unexpected:-(
Small intimate restaurant which is very popular. We ate there on Christmas Eve and the place was bustling. Service is friendly and helpful and we really enjoyed the food. We like it when they have special menu nights.
The cafe is great too serving more casual but good food if a bit of a tight squeeze.
Great restaurant with friendly and knowledgeable staff. Food was generous and homely and delightful.
Thoroughly enjoyed the experience and will be back. Highly recommend this valuable addition to footscray.
Simply amazing! The reviews are right, this place is to die for. We dined sitting at the chefs bar & marvelled at him efficiently getting all the meals out so speedily. The escargot were perfect, the bouillabaisse was jammed with seafood & the creme brûlée was lovely (could maybe have used a slightly thicker toffee to crack). Service was wonderful too. Will 100% be back & have recommended to all our friends!
We love this bar. What it lacks in size it more than makes up for in service and flavour. The only downside is that with just one (albeit very flavourful) main option, The Vegetarian isn't keen to go more regularly, which is all that stops us from overindulging more regularly. I'd visit just for the cheese and cider!
Love visiting Stefan’s for a cold winters dinner. Stefan is amazing at what he does. Highly recommend the bar seating for date nights. Steak is always cooked perfectly and the parfait is amazing just on its own. Specials are always very good. My go-to for French!
What a lovely experience :) We were lucky enough to sit at the bar and be able to see Chef Stefan work his magic - he makes it look so easy, he’s such a pro! It was so nice to chat with him. And the food and drinks were absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to come back :)
I had been encouraged by friends and hospitality professionals to visit this place. I did last night with a mate. What a delight. A French oasis adding to the increasing diversity of Footscray as a destination for food.
We sat at the bar and watched Stefan cook our dinner. Bouillabaisse! All ingredients fresh on the day. We chatted with him about it and the accompanying drinks. We watched him engage similarly with the other diners.
The choice is limited but VERY French VERY fresh and expertly put together. Table staff are warm, friendly and knowledgeable. But it revolves around Stephan. He is the conductor and principal artist in this band
We’ll be back for the upcoming Bourguignon evening. Merci beaucoup.
4 of us went for an evening dinner after hearing about this little place. Well we arrived in this great french atmosphere, food was absolutely fabulous. We ordered and ate the entree, mains and dessert without any anticipation whatsoever, the food was very authentic french with so many fantastic french flavours. The food and atmosphere was so good we even drunk 2 fine bottles of french red. The service was very friendly and very attentive which a lot of other places lack. The pricing was very fair for what we had it was not expensive at all.. We all can say keep up the good work and of course the food, it was like being in France we will all be back.
The staff member was fantastic, provided a supper service. The cheese platter was delicious, the combination of the taste sensation of the cheese with the wine was top notch. For a main I enjoyed the rib eye fillet, cooked to perfection.
A rustic cute little french bistro with gorgeous french food and french music in the background. If you're lucky the chef might start singing too 😄. The food was excellent I cannot fault. We had 4 people in our group so was able to try all dishes on the set menu. My favourite is the raw salmon, bouillabaisse and the steak with a big slab of pate. The creme brulee was the best way to finish the night. I would come back just for that. The staff were lovely. Very impressed with this little gem in Footscray. This is definitely on my favourite list now. Thanks small french bar for such a lovely night.
What a delightful little restaurant.
The food was authentic and delicious.
Great to sit at the bar and watch the chef's expert skills. Could not pick my dish of the day. They were all amazing.
Amazing food. Amazing value. Amazing flavours. The restaurant is very cosy and the chef and his staff are great. Sitting at the counter/bar is best as you can chat with the chef while he prepares the meals.
What a little hidden gem. Set menu (options for courses). Stopped in on off chance for dinner. Seated at bar with ability to interact with owner/cook. Everything tasted fantastic with them actually tasting home made!!
When we booked, we choose to be seated along the bar table where we could watch Stefan work his magic pumping out the Charuterie and Cheese, Entrees, Mains and dessert by himself in such a small space. Food was delicious and so satisfying and meals were perfectly timed between each serve. Dat and I shared each meal with each other so we ordered most dishes and can’t wait to go again to try what we couldn’t fit it.
* Entree*
Perfectly cooked scallops.
Escargot with a mushroom sauce and bread to soak up the sauce.
*Mains*
Salmon in a puff pastry filled with rice and egg and a lemony white sauce.
Special of the Day was Steak with Duck fat potatoes, salad and Pate
*Dessert*
Vanilla Creme Brûlée
Poached Pear with a house made chocolate sauce topped with Vanilla ice cream and Almonds for a nutty Crunch
I’ve never had steak and pate together so this blew my mind, I will never make it without it again. We made a booking online and dinner was prepaid at time of booking. Make sure to book in advance to avoid disappointment.
Thanks for being a lovely host Stefan, can’t wait to visit you again
Fantastic little place that is honestly so unique and authentic you will keep coming back for more!!
Set menu with a delectable variety of French cheeses and well cooked proteins!
Their charcuterie board was top notch and included Comtè and Fourme d'Ambert slices
We were a group of 4 which was perfect: For appetisers we got the salmon tartare which was so fresh and my personal fav was the French pancakes with the blue cheese sauce! For mains, lookout for their daily specials- we had the scotch fillet which was cooked perfectly, beef pastry with goats cheese which was delish, and the bouillabaisse was the star of the show in my opinion because of the garlic infused aioli. The chicken dumpling/leek dish was unfortunately a let down because it was too salty but nevertheless okay. Dessert was fantastic with the chocolate desert being so so rich!! And I personally fell in love with the apple/almond tart which was buttery goodness!! We booked early and paid in advance FYI
An absolutely glorious experience! I was transported to Paris through the incredible food and unique atmosphere. The open kitchen, friendly staff and incredible food make this place so special. Do yourself a favour and drop in for the 4 course set menu.
Lovely quaint restaurant with good service and authentic French food. We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner and will definitely come back again.
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