La Buvette Drinkery

We let ourselves be surprised by the chef, and each dish was truly exquisite. The flavors invited us to eat more. The mussels were delicious; they were my favorite dish. The velvety texture of the creme brulee was delightful. The design takes you back to French restaurants; the atmosphere is very relaxed. The service is excellent! Highly recommended, and the products are top quality. Alejandra Lorenzo, chef

Wonderful atmosphere - it was a full house and you knew it from the sound and feel, yet we could still have a conversation and hear ourselves think. GREAT food. Snails were small and yummy, but it was the baguette dunked in all the buttery goodness that was the real winner. The steak was a perfect medium rare, seemingly for most restaurants a hard task, but not here. The pommel frites we deliciously crunchy. The French onion soup has so much flavour and depth. The anchovy tartine simply delicious. The service was great. And to top it off, when paying the eftpos machine had tipping turned off - wonderful to not feel obliged to have to go through this painful ritual in Australia. I hadn't hear of La Buvette previously and I don't know why, it's one of the best around.

My previous visit was for a cocktail after visiting Bibliotheca next door. I was intrigued and decided to make reservations for Friday dinner. I did not regret it. On quiet little Gresham Street lies a hidden gem of a bar and venue. +1⭐️ for the welcome. I think the manager must be French and it was lovely to have such a warm welcome in the ever-wonderful accent. What was lovelier is when we left, he remembered my name and said "Merci Michelle" - customers love being called by name! +1⭐️ for the menu and to the chef for creating the menu that had a lovely variety of small plates and mains that had the French vibe to it. +1⭐️ we started with the Duck Rilettes and Escargot - it’s a shame but probably just as well that the escargot did not come with the shell. It was served with the house-baked sour dough which was perfectly warm and crisp. The Duck came with a side of pickled vegetables which balanced it really well when spread on the sour dough. The bread was delicious when dipped into the cooking juices of the escargot. +1⭐️ We had the Boeuf Bourginon and of course Steak Frites. The Bourginon was incredibly tender. For a lady the size of the porterhouse steak was perfect. Most of all, my steak was perfectly medium rare and well-rested. The frites were beautifully cooked and crispy. Kudos to them for remembering that I did not want salt on my fries and cared enough to ask if I wanted salt on my steak. I said just a wee bit. The steak was fresh and beautifully cooked that it didn’t require a lot of seasoning. I did ask for a side of French mustard as it’s how I love having my steak - neat with a bit of mustard. +1⭐️ The vibe of the bar/restaurant is perfect - it has enough energy but it’s not overly noisy. The choice of music kept the vibe going without being too loud. Two down sides: The waitress that served us could not remember our drinks order but the place puts you in a good mood and she was lovely enough that it didn’t matter. When I ordered the "Steak Frites" she asked me if I wanted it with "fries" - I think she might be new and not quite familiar with French culture. I ordered a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon from the board. I chose it as it was from McLaren Vale - I cannot recall the winery and don’t care to as the wine had a terrible after-taste akin to a wet rag. It did not improve with food either. The Merlot that was available by the glass from Bordeaux was better suited and berry-driven. I think that the owners can have a review of the red wine selection as there are better wines locally at the similar price point. I highly recommend this place for a great night out with friends. I will be back.

Fantastic steak cooked to perfection and served with crispy fries (absolutely delicious). The oysters were incredibly fresh and flavorful. Great quality all around. Highly recommend!

We had a catch up dinner with a mate whom we hadn't seen in about four weeks. Atmosphere was was great, music selection was superb for the evening. To start, we were welcomed to our seat with open arms and given our water, which was poured for us (this was not consistent throughout the evening as they were busy). But otherwise service was good. Selected the feedme option which came in at modest $79 per persons. Entrees were good, and the coffin bay oysters were especially fresh and crisp (a must have). Escargot as especially fantastische. Mains consisted of the mussels and steak. Mussels were accompanied with a splendid broth however, we were presented with 13 mussels which although delicious, made splitting our portions an effort in futility. Steak was buttery but could've perhaps used more seasoning. Crème bruleme excellent best we've ever had (must have). 4/5

La Bouvette is a charming little gem! Think sophisticated Parisian vibes with a playfulness that makes you want to settle in and never leave. The food is delicious, the drinks list is exciting, and the waiters are all divine with their beautiful French accents. We kicked off our night with champagne (you must!), the marinated olives (generous and plump!), and the oysters with mignonette (so fresh!). We also couldn’t resist ordering the sourdough baguette with the most indulgent French butter (OMG!) because what’s more French than bread and butter right?! A big bowl of mussels came next which were served with more sourdough bread. We weren’t disappointed so we used the bread to mop up the delicious creamy white wine and saffron broth and sipped on a bright French rose. We enjoyed the pommes frites and then opted to skip more mains in favour of the Crème Brule which was decadent and sweet and the perfect end to our meal. A special shoutout to La Bouvette’s take on the Espresso Martini, it was simply delightful and not too sweet. We also appreciated the space with its moody lighting and music that was played loud enough to create atmosphere, but low enough to hear each other talk. It’s not a super young crowd either which makes this place a nice change from the bars along peel street and leigh street. A perfect spot for a date night, or night out with a small group of friends!

Ended up here randomly to refresh myself after some street photography. Highly recommended if you a fan of french food and want to try a selection of french wine. The venue was cosy with some great french electronic/fonk playing in the background.