French Martini

How could we go to French Martini and not even order its namesake drink? Easily really when their cocktail list is that tempting you forget that there are classic cocktails equally delicious worth your time and attention.

I went with the Tiramisu Martini and from the biscuit crumbs around the glass to the delicately decadent combination of cream, vanilla infused alcohol and chocolate this was one dessert in a glass I don't mind sipping. I also had a sip of a friends raspberry and chilli cocktail - interesting but not for this spice-adversed sook!

And cheese lovers be warned there is baked camembert on the menu. Yes we went there. Yes, we cleaned that all-too-small ramekin until there was no gooey cheesey goodness left. Yes, we'll be back.

Lovely find on our first night in Brisbane. We were at the restaurant early and the service was good. The food was tasty and well seasoned. Delicious risotto. They also have a moderately good wine list. Nice ambiance in the walkway. Lovely time... you should go!

Confit duck!

Stopped in here on the Brisbane southbank area to quell our growing hunger. The waitress who served our food was very attentive and very "french". We both decided on the two course deal. You can do either a starter and a main or a main and desert.

We ended up taking the starter and main options. The starter came out being Salade de chevre chaud and was presented very professionally and tasted just delicious.

For the mains we decided on Confit Duck and the "Fish of the Day" being coral trout. Both dishes we presented nicely and the flavours all worked very well together.

Great food with great service and wifi access. Magnifique!

Visited the lovely French Martini in South Bank for the "Martini Club" UYE last night.

The wait staff were all delightfully french and very friendly. I had my taste buds tingled by a delicious Chilli Raspberry Martini (which I highly recommend - just don't nibble on the chilli garnish!) and some heavenly baked camembert.

What a great way to finish off a weekday afternoon with some lovely Brisbane Yelpers!

My partner and I have agreed we'd love to come back here for dinner. Will have to update my review once we've had dinner and drinks here in the not too distant future.

Whilst hunting for a pre-dinner wine recently in South Bank, myself and my partner stumbled across a new member of the Little Stanley Street club, French Martini. This charcuterie, wine and cocktail bar has only been running for around a month, but is a welcome addition to the huge amount of options in South Bank.

The space is small and intimate with an alfresco section as well as some more intimate seating inside. We were served by two young french waiters who were absolutely lovely and apologetic of the cardboard boxes in the corner (clearly still organising some things since opening). My partner ordered a glass of Pinot Noir from Burgandy whereas I opted for a French Martini seeing as the place is called French Martini, so it's gotta be good! Right? Right! It was absolutely delicious! I managed to charm my way into a few sips of the Pinot Noir which was also beautiful. My only issue with French Martini is that it clearly hasn't ironed out some teething issues. For example, the chef was visible from behind the bar and was wearing a grubby old T-Shirt. No uniform, nothing. All I can say is I would be reluctant to eat food made by someone moping around in full vision with a daggy old T-Shirt on.

Aside from my one bone picked, I think French Martini is a gorgeous little spot. The design is beautiful (despite being slightly unfinished) and the bar staff were delightful. This place could become a hot spot for a pre-theatre drink me thinks!

Ok the service is dreadful and slow...the food uninteresting and the price - we'll let's just say overpriced ... I had the pork and it was chewy, the wine list wanting ... I don't think it will be here in 12 months - if you want to try a good French restaurant in Brisbane try 'Sprout' in Auchenflower

One of the better South Bank wining and dining spots and there are quite a few worthy of a visit. Very traditional and good quality French bistro style dining. And if you're not up for a big feed, enjoy a lovely glass of wine or cocktail from the list and a cheese platter. The French staff can guide your choices. The decor is comfortable and romantic with low chairs and tables at the front of the restaurant overlooking the parklands.

The cocktail before dinner was good. Appetizers were good, I had cheese with bread.
For main course, this is where the comes in. The steak was over cooked. I asked for medium rare, and it was completely brown, no pink at all. Then I asked if they could fix it, since I asked for medium rare and this was over cooked. They took it back and the second time was even more well done. When I she saw the even darker meat, she just said mmmhhh and nodded.

This is a review of the set Mother's Day lunch so it is by definition limited, but this visit certainly piqued my interest for a return.

I love French bistro food, steak pomme frites, tartare, hearty salads, these are all things I enjoy enormously and French Martini does not disappoint.

They also stock a really cracking selection of French beer. French beer is brewed in a style much like British bitters, so expect dry, tangy and moreish. Their red beer was terrific and a lovely compliment to the meal.

To start was a baked camembert with a basil pesto and toasted baguette. The cheese itself was amazing and could very much do without the pesto. The serving was generous to the point of perhaps too large, but that's a minor quibble with a dish that is deeply underappreciated. Basically,

Australians are usually terrible at serving cheese, pairings are off, the boards are crowded and they are served too cold. It's mainly a climate thing, and I promise this isn't the start of a 'when I lived in London story.' But it was really nice to see a place serving great cheese in a classical manner.

The pork chop that followed was why one orders pork. Juicy, caramelised, succulent and deeply satisfying, this was a chop treated well. The pork itself was sweet and redolent and evinced quality meat selection. Accompanied by an ecshalot sauce that was sticky and sweet and a salad with sensational vinaigrette, this was the star of the show for a reason.

The Paris mash was also nice, but lacked the insane amount of butter that you order it for. It was more a really nice standard mash than its decedent French cousin.

Crème brulee was fantastic. Beautifully creamy and exactly what you order it for.

This is a good solid 7.5-8/10 French joint. The décor is not attractive which just is what it is, but it's a nice part of town and a nice way to spend a lunch.

French Martini is not Montrachet or Aquitaine, the cuisine is absolutely not haute. It's good solid French bistro and there ought to be a lot more of them.

The cocktails were delicious. We had the three course lunch special for $35. First was a Salade de Chèvre Chaud. It was nice but there was not a lot of cheese. Second, some people had fish and others had the duck. I enjoyed the duck but both dishes were served with salad (again) instead of the vegetables that come with this dish when you order from the main menu. Third, the cheese plate. It was an extremely small serving and was accompanied by salad (yet again). I feel as though making the meals smaller and bulking them up with salad doesn't make this a "lunch special" it just feels cheap.