We had a wonderful lunch at Estelle Bistro on Sunday. At lunch on Sundays the bistro offers a set 3 course seasonal lunch for $60 per person or a $90 four course menu. We opted for the seasonal lunch, which also includes a glass of wine, beer or a mock tail. Such good value. We started with a mushroom volute with a soft poached egg. It was rich and delicious with crunchy croutons. We were also served warm sourdough with butter with this course.
The main was melt in the mouth lamb shoulder with sprouts, parsnip and pumpkin purée. The meat was great and the vegetables delicious.
Dessert was a lovely tart with mousse and a sorbet. I am not usually a dessert person, but this was excellent and was my favourite course of the lunch.
Service was very friendly and efficient but not overbearing.
Ambience was wonderful and even though tables were spaced for social distancing the atmosphere was warm and cosy. Estelle is still excellent, I hope to return many more times.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
My first time to Estelle and I am super impressed. It’s been a very long time since I’d been to a restaurant that’s of such great food quality and service.
My company organised a paid all staff company lunch function. We had a 3 course sit down lunch which we were able to select 1 item from each course option.
🔆LOCATION🔆
Estelle is situated on the main busy strip of High Street, about an 8 minute walk from Northcote train station. Parking can be a little difficult as its such a busy street, but there’s a lot of side street parking around the area.
As you walk into Estelle there is an open space area with a number of high tables, I presume this is the bar area. It looks very stylish and modern décor. To the right through the doors is the main dining area with a large open space kitchen. The space is somewhat dark, but there is a lot of natural lighting through the windows.
🔆SERVICE🔆
The service by all the waiters was impeccable. Seeing that our company had booked out the whole restaurant, to be it looked like an organised chaos. All the staff knew exactly what they were doing and which tables they were looking after. There were at times drink orders were a little slow, but that’s understandable.
🔆MENU🔆
Entree
Pea veloute, falafel, broad bean, yoghurt
Fraser Island crab mornay, curry oil
Kingfish crudo, sesame, avocado
Quail, pear, mulberry, macademia
Main
Hand rolled macroni, cultivated mushrooms & pecorino
Grilled Humpty Doo barramundi, prawns, zucchini flower
Mayura Station wagyu rump, wild garlic, nori
Dessert
Seasonal berries, white chocolate, basil
Mango, coconut pavlova
Rhubarb cheesecake
Artisan cheese selection
🔆VERDICT🔆
I cannot comment on price as it was a paid lunch event by my company. However the menu the restaurant provided us was fabulous. There was great variety of options which made it a little hard for selection. For entrée I had the Kingfish crudo, sesame and avocado. Oh my goodness, I absolutely cannot fault this dish. It was soo tasty, yet light in flavour. I could have easily had another serve of it. For the main, I had the barramundi. The fish was cooked perfectly, with great flavours of
There were sides of Caesar salad and roasted carrots which were both very tasty. I had a lot of the carrots as it was lightly glazed in honey – yum!
The dessert was the Rhubarb cheesecake. I was a little surprised to see it come out as deconstructed. I was expecting it to be a normal cheesecake slice. Regardless, the cake was delicious. Everything that I had I couldn’t fault. Speaking with other colleagues on the table that ordered other types of food, they all thoroughly enjoyed their meals as well.
Pleasant restaurant layout and atmosphere and the wait staff were excellent. The food is inventive and delicious!
Beautiful spot for a special dinner 🥂 had the 5 course degustation and honestly it was a very good first time experience for my partner and I. It was so much fun to watch the chefs and waiters work beautifully together. Thanks for a lovely evening !
Had a nice long lunch at Estelle and food quality was great but overall, all servings were tiny including mains and none of the dishes blew my mind. They were all nice but so tiny servings more like bite size so too expensive for what it is.
We visited Estelle as part of their annual truffle dinners which was brilliant value at $100 for 5 courses or $160 with matched wines.
Our night included:
🖤 Comte soldiers and truffle gougeres (choux pastries)
🖤 Abalone, roast chicken & black truffle consommé
🖤 Pine mushroom & truffle tortellini
🖤 Mayura Station wagyu, soft baked celeriac & black truffle jus
🖤 Jerusalem artichoke, black truffle & chocolate
I found the first two dishes nice but not very memorable, luckily the tortellini and wagyu were both fantastic and I couldn’t choose a favourite between them. Also loved the dessert with Jerusalem artichoke ice cream and a super smooth chocolate base (somewhere between a mousse and ganache).
Loved the gorgeous modern monochrome interior and would love to sit at the bar next time (if eating as a couple) to see the chefs in action. Would return for their amazing pasta alone!
Been here a number of times and never disappointed. Would recommend the degustation so you get to try a variety of their food. Banana soufflé was delicious (and not a banana fan)
The cocktails are clean and professional with clear flavours and aromas without being too sweet or filling which was a nice surprise given the food is also polished and delicate . It’s a well mannered restaurant overall with a sense of value regarding the high quality of the food and service .
Absolutely love this place! Super attentive staff, excellent menu and delicious wines! It’s definitely worth the money to celebrate a special occasion.
Beautiful restaurant in Northcote. Love the courtyard interior. Food always fabulous. Love the Sunday roast. I have been here multiple times & would highly recommend.
Estelle was sublime! Service was excellent. Food was DELICIOUS! The crisps that we were given at the start, could not stop eating. The seafood ravioli was more of a fish ball but sauce was beautiful. Burrata was fresh and creamy. Mains were yum and desserts were seriously delightful. Thank you for having us!
Estelle was a phenomenal experience, located in Northcote you might not be expecting this unassuming gem, but really highlights how great Northcote is!
The food was amazing, everything we ordered (particularly the kingfish) was beyond expectation.
The energy of Estelle was also lovely, very up market and made you feel special.
The service was beyond and very friendly which I think is the cherry on top of a restaurant of this caliber.
I am not sure what I was expecting of Estelle when I was taken here by some friends for my birthday, but it out did all my expectations (which were already high).
Estelle probably isn’t your Tuesday night feed, as it is quite expensive, but if you need a restaurant for a special or more formal night, then this is your place. Have recommended to so maybe of my friends and family.
5/5
I picked Estelle restaurant to ask my girls hand in marriage and she said yes. The food was amazing, the staff were amazing , the staff even gave us a round of applause and a free champagne when she said yes. Great vibe, and a brilliant experience. Full marks to the staff there. If you guys read this, thankyou so much for a flawless night. From Mat & Poppy
Amazing tasting menu. Had my 50th birthday here and the food really was very special. Great service and an all round super experience. Highly recommended
Wow! Wow! Wow! What an amazing experience and night out. Now this is what fine dining is all about. Exceptional food combined with the most warm customer service we've experienced. They know their menu and wine list and were super accommodating. Anything suggested was spot on. The staff genuinely care about the customer, have an eye for detail, are friendly and you could tell, really enjoy working there. Apologising for dessert being a tad late (we didn't notice we were having such a fine time and leaving an additional treat was a gorgeous surprise). Being acknowledged by the team as we left despite them being busy, I mean what else can you ask for? How it's all done in a period where workforce challenges are high is such a credit to this exquisite restaurant. I couldn't recommend Estelle highly enough. Thank you to everyone involved for making our first visit tonight so memorable. We can't wait (and will) be back.
Estelle was a lovely experience. I'd recommend trying the quail entree and the fish main which was blue eye cod.
The staff were friendly and helpful, and were available to answer questions about wine recommendations. Drink options had a number of options. Food service was relatively quick and efficient.
It was a nice atmosphere, the lighting is low and with the exposed brick walls made a nice place for dinner. I did notice at times as the restaurant fills up, it became a little noisy.
It is more of a high end bistro, with the prices for food and drinks reflecting this. Don't expect large portions, but the flavour balances and profiles of what I tried were tasty and worked well together, and with good customer service is still a nice place to visit.
If you go for the three courses, be aware that you will be asked to order all three at the one time.
Make a reservation
Order online
Find the best restaurant in Northcote
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes