Bistro Guillaume

Asked for a window seat and we're seated in a corner. For entree had 2 serves of snails (tasteless and dull), the octopus salad which was alright to say the best (highlight of the meal). Orange duck (overcooked duck) and crab linquine (too much chilli) these were nothing to rave about and very slow to arrive (the place wasn't even full). The cocktails were bland and basic. If you want a proper French meal go to chez pierre. This was a pathetic attempt at French cuisine. The one saving grace was the lovely lady serving who was very attentive and well mannered. $281 for two people a true joke.

I came here with my friends last night. This is the third time I have been here, but the food and service last night were the worst I have ever encountered.

All food was excellent, except the main, i ordered the chicken and it was extremely salty, and the lemon tart was good but nothing spectacular.

Beautiful on a sunny day.
Great service.
Good entrees (oysters, pâté, bread - all very good).
Steak and fries with bearnaise. Good, but a little disappointed.
Worth a visit.

What a great restaurant. I still rave about the cheese souffle weeks later. Amazing service. Can't wait to go back

ORDERED:
  Bread: two slices and butter ($2.50)
  Poulet Roti: Roast Bannockburn Chicken, paris Mash, Tarragon Jus ($39.00)

  Creme Brulee: Vanilla bean, almond tuille ($16.00)
  [SPECIAL] Passionfruit souffle ($18.00)

My portion was worth $57.25.

REVIEW:
  The Poulet Roti was great but felt unfinished. Having it all to myself, the chicken was delicious and moist, while the paris mash was soft and creamy. Over time, it absorbed more of the tarragon jus, which gave it more of a delicious savoury taste.
However, it felt strangely lacking. There was no real satisfaction once I finished my food. Perhaps from the lack of vegetables?
*Note to self: the pan fried gnocchi is fabulous but may get overwhelming after a while. To be shared.

  Desserts were great. Especially the almond tuille with its crispy, crunchy exterior being a great compliment to the sweet creme brulee.
Passionfruit souffle was the special of the night. It was incredibly airy and made well. The passionfruit concoction that was poured in was a little too tangy for my liking, but still a solid way to finish.

Overall, Bistro Guillaume isn't one of the strongest Crown restaurants in the area. I've been twice for lunch and once now for dinner (what my review is based on).
There are other French places in the CBD that tickle my fancy, like Philippe and The French Brasserie. If you're willing to go outside of the CBD, France Soir is a solid option.

Great Wine list, and a fantastic range of wine by the glass from all over the world.
There are many to choose from and I would ask for recommendations to accompany the meal. It is so great to see some great Australian varieties and to have a choice of wines also from so many french regions too.
Menu: So many choices, for us (3) they allowed a sharing option, so we ordered Entrees like Snails, Oysters, Beef Tartare and Salmon, the we all received plates and tongs. We had whipped cod's roe and that was the goto for the herb bread. The sharing for us was the best way to experience this fantastic cuisine. "Always good to try something you have not tried before". For the main we selected the 600gm Beef Med-Rare and it was sliced ready to share with a sauce on the side that was 10/10.

I think the whole experience of dining here was sensational, excellent staff and they were so good at communication.

I can not say enough positive things about our meal and experience.

Very nice ambiance, you can enter and exit from the outside or inside of Crown.
You can also get points for dining as a Crown member.

Staffs are friendly and the food was amazing. Each dish was serve with a nice presentation and good portion.

Worst experience ever! My beef tartare was so salty that I can’t even taste my main! Overly priced pretentious pub food! For a fine dining French restaurant, they are not even close to the mark. When we tried to passed on the feedback, the restaurant manager was so rude and said that it is only our opinion and did not even bother to listen to the customer! Don’t waste your money going there. You are better off going to MacDonald’s! It is truly disgusting service. Btw, we are a group of qualified chefs with 30 years of experience and we run a hospitality school training pp to be chefs, but obviously according to the obnoxious restaurant manager, our feedback was merely “an opinion”. Lol

Don't miss out on the chicken pate with gluten free bread, or the moules et frites. For dessert, I had gluten free creme brulee

Amazing soufflé roquefort and crème brûlée. As someone who lived in paris this restaurant had absolutely delicious food at a reasonable price.

Didn’t have a booking but we were very glad to get a table the second time we tried. Food was amazing and it was not excessively priced compared with the neighbouring restaurants. Service from our waiter and most of the staff was amazing, just felt a little dismissed by the staff member who took our payment.

This is the Guillaume brand stooping to the level of McDonalds. The setting is lovely, afternoon sun, good people watching as they walk by along the South Bank of the Yarra. The Rose was great and so we looked forward to some great French cooking in a lovely setting. I had the Steak Frites, the stable of French food, the one they nail every time. It was by far the worst version of that dish that I have had. The Frites were bland, neither a shoestring or a thick cut, just oven ready style chips, semi cooked, no seasoning and just dumped on the plate next to the steak. I have cooked better chips in the oven at home. The steak was bland and the texture was gritty and gristly. It tasted like it had been frozen for too long then sous vide with little, if any time in the pan or on a grill. The meat had no flavor and the béarnaise sauce was insipid. Looking at other diners who had the same meal it seems they have a formula that there is a processed slab of béarnaise that goes on every steak. Similar to McDonalds having a machine that spits out the sauces onto burgers. For a dish that is $50+ it is a poor reflection of a great name in Australian cooking. Setting was great. Food was poor.

Disappointed with our choice of mains (gnocchi and duck). Asparagus and lemon tart were yummy though as was the french onion soup.

Absolutely fantastic! Beautiful wine, foods are amazing, Cheese soufflé was completely winner. Thank you for making my husband's birthday special!

Meticulous and friendly waitstaff, delicious food, and welcoming atmosphere. Our table of 8 was very impressed with the service and happy with all of our meals.

The escargot and roast duck breast were incredible, it reminded me of my time in Belgium and France.

Expect to pay $50-$80 per person, for entree and mains.

Food was nice and staff very courteous. Only issue was our table was booked for 7.o'clock but didn't get I until 8.45. The staff were very friendly and apologetic. Would definitely recommend them to anyone and I personally will be returning
Kind Regards Michael

My first visit, Such a wonderful dining experience in this French restaurant along the Yarra river. Warming environment plus the professional service is the most enjoyable part, delicious food really impressive. Many thanks~

Strong recommend to people traveling in Melbourne for a romantic night or friends treatment.

Money spent here is much worth of the value. Would love to return next time.

We booked for 5pm because we had a toddler with us. We're always conscious of how difficult it may be with a toddler and the restaurant and staff were very accommodating. All the other tables at our time had the same thinking as each had a baby or toddler. Overall it was great, the food was great and so was the service. Very happy and will be back.

The only downside was my daughter ate half my serving of duck. The little one ate $20 worth of duck and dined at a fine French restaurant at only 1 year old. Privileged much?

Guillaume is a brilliant chef and this shows in his restaurant. We have eaten here many times, sometimes just my wife and I, other times with groups of friends and never disappointed. Had the pleasure of meeting Guillaume on several occasions, from being in his kitchen, to Audi events in his restaurant (he is an Audi ambassador). He is a warm and very friendly person willing to spend time with his customers. If you love French food, Great service in an elegant restaurant, you can't go past Bistro Guillaume.