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Best Cafe/Brasserie List: Bistro Thierry, Toorak

You could hardly be more French in style than Bistro Thierry – it’s bonjour when they answer the phone and bon chance when it comes to the wine list, which has been designed to match a menu filled with French bistro classic dishes ranging from escargots to boeuf bourguignonne and tarte tatin. There are bentwood chairs, French posters and a miniature Eiffel Tower to make sure your culinary bearings are properly aligned.

Sip on a Paul Blanck riesling from Alsace while debating whether to have the Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin Les Marchais or the Marc Rougeot Corton Grand Cru Burgundy with the duck leg croustade and duck breast confit. Maybe you’ll go for broke with a bottle of Romanée-Conti La Tâche, at $2800. Prices generally are very reasonable, which, along with the guidance of sommelier Gianluca Montebelli, makes Bistro Thierry a good place to explore vintages of French wine.

Montebelli, though Italian, grew up in Liguria, near the French border, where he worked in several restaurants. He was also employed in Monte Carlo and London, and brings 27 years’ experience to the wine list, where his passion for red wines from the Rhône Valley and white wines from Alsace is evident.

In the past 18 months, Montebelli has more than doubled Thierry’s wine list. Also interesting are the comparative listings from Australia and other parts of the world. There’s a strong array of Victorian pinot noir and the shiraz range is impressive. If you can’t stretch to a glass of the Rémy Martin Louis XIII ($140) at the end of the meal, try the more affordable 1967 Comte de Lamaestre Armagnac.

Bistro Thierry, 511 Malvern Rd, Toorak, Vic, (03) 9824 0888, www.bistrothierry.com.

TEXT NIGEL HOPKINS

This article appeared in the August/September 2008 issue of Gourmet Traveller WINE.