Whenever anyone hears you’ve been to Maison Bâtard – a four-level French fantasy inspired by the best brasseries of Paris – they have one question: should they go? The answer is an immediate and emphatic: yes.
The latest blockbuster from Chris Lucas is a big-budget, unashamedly extra spectacle worth experiencing firsthand. It’s a full-throttle feast for the senses, offering just-shucked, ice-cold oysters with punchy mignonette; extravagant whole-roasted duck in creamy tomato béarnaise; and wobbling vanilla flan as good as any Paris bistro.
There are similarities to Grill Americano, the restaurateur’s Manhattan-inspired steakhouse a few blocks away. But six years in the making, Bâtard is bigger and better. Behind its heritage façade – once home to the original Society restaurant – a sweeping staircase connects a velvet-clad jazz bar in the basement, a salon of semi-private rooms on the first floor, and a magnificent terrace (said to be modelled on Hotel Costes) complete with a 50-year-old maple tree on the rooftop. It’s here, you’ll find Bâtard’s more democratic menu – including a towering club sandwich for $28.50 or a $75 bottle of Domaine de Verquière.
For the full Marie Antoinette moment – tables groaning with wagyu, caviar and lobster – the ground floor dining room is the place to hold court, as Sinatra-style tunes roar over the din of glamorous diners. Early hero dishes hit nearly every lacquered table, including a thin omelette rolled around crisp potato chips, drizzled with sauce Parisienne and crowned with Oscietra caviar; or 12-hour rotisserie chicken, seen spinning in the open kitchen, cooked Alain Ducasse-style in a pan of its own juices with burnished skin and, arguably, too many pitted green olives.
Eight cuts of beef are beautifully charred on the Josper grill, with luxurious sides – Paris mash with untold amounts of butter, cauliflower baked in molten Comté cheese, or French fries, perfected after a research trip to the motherland. Trolley service adds theatrical flair, with Champagne (including 2015 Dom Pérignon by the glass) presented at the start of the meal, and an almost-mandatory chocolate mousse scooped tableside to finish.
As you’d expect, the wine list by Loic Avril is a beast, powered by a mighty, French-leaning cellar, with cheeky cocktails such as the Dirty Bâtard (its spin on the classic Martini sweetened with Chartreuse).
Teething issues with seasoning and temperature are but a petty quibble in the grand scheme of things. And when it comes to grand cultural moments, no one delivers quite like Lucas.
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