PM24

24 Russell Street, 

Melbourne VIC 3000

03 9207 7424 

In 1991 Phillippe Mouchel arrived in Melbourne with nothing more than a dream in his heart and a croissant in his pocket. Actually that's not true. This talented and experienced chef was brought over by legendary Paul Bocuse to head the 'Paul Bocuse' restaurant which has since  sadly closed. But it did leave Melburnians with a taste for good french food.

Phillipe Mouchel has wandered since the closure of Paul Bocuse, in Australia and also back in Japan where he had worked prior, but after realising that Melbourne is awesome, he decided to resettle here. Starting with the Brasserie at Crown(closed) and now PM24, in an very odd alliance with the Press Club gang.

I love a restaurant with an open kitchen, I just love the theatre of it all.  At PM24 not only are you treated to a show by the chefs, but also by the Ferrari-red rotisserie, with various meats pirouetting in the flames. Firstly you get hit by the visuals, then the smell. OK I'm ready to eat.

Bread rolls with french butter and fromage blanc     -complimentary

Degustation Charcuterie with toasted sourdough     $25

Goat cheese soufflé w/ roasted beetroot and caramelised walnuts     $21.50

Charred octopus tentacles w/ eggplant  compote,sauce vierge and petite salade     $21.50

Pork Duo. Braided trotter, pork belly, lentils ragout and natural jus      $36

Rotisserie of the day. Lamb shoulder w/ roasted vegetables and jus     $37.50

Dessert degustation. Creme caramel, rum and berry sorbet, chocolate cake and pain d'epices
$19

Cheese. Roquefort, L'Artisan Mountain Man Washed Rind, Cantal Semi-Hard     $8 each

To start with, I was so happy that they brought out that basket with beautiful baked on premises bread rolls with the lovely french butter and fromage blanc(yum), because the chacuterie board was lacking. The chicken live parfait was flavoursome, but there was only a few measly slices of the meat on the board. In fact most of the dish seemed to be made up by the sourdough toast. The Goats cheese soufflé was fantastic, it was light just the way it should be, and the beetroot and caramelised walnuts were a fantastic accompaniment. The charred octopus tentacles on the other hand were a real let down. There was a imbalance on the plate. Too much garnish and not enough octopus, so unfortunately what was meant to have been the star of the dish seemed to have taken a back seat to the garnish. The addition of the Parmesan shavings seemed out of place and added nothing.
The Pork Duo was great! The stuffed trotter was perfectly cooked along side the pork belly with  a tiny fried quail egg on top, all on a bed of lentils. Pork and lentils so classically french, non? Oui! Loved it. But then there was the Lamb shoulder, we had so been looking forward to anything off the rotisserie. However it was quite chewy and fatty. Thankfully the vegetables and the jus that came with it were first class and were quickly polished off, leaving the second rate lamb behind.
Hubby is not a sweets kinda guy so always goes for the cheese platter. There was a choice of 6 on the menu, so by french standards it was a limited amount. However they were wonderful, and with them was some prune compote, lavosh and thinly sliced fruit bread. I chose the dessert degustation and I do not regret it. Sitting on a slate tile was 4 servings of goodness. A lush creme caramel, a scoop each of berry and rum sorbet, a super rich slice of chocolate cake with a biscuit base and a piece of  pain d'epices, which translate to spiced bread(all the time in France was not wasted) and is much like a french gingerbread. Every spoonful was amazing, decadent almost sinful and because I am a trooper I finished all of it, in fact the only reason I didn't lick the plate was because I knew my husband would die of embarrassment.
Regarding the drinks, their wine menu is about 20 pages long with an amazing selection of Australian and French wines of the utmost quality. However you will also find a few wines from some new kids on the block. I chose (out of sheer curiosity) a Japanese wine called Kayagatake by Grace. What a fantastic fruity red. We swiftly ordered the carafe, and I am currently trying to find where I can buy some for home.

The service is great, I am going as far as saying that it was some of, if not the best service I've received in a restaurant in Australia. Prompt, attentive, knowledgeable and friendly without being overbearing.The staff managed to be omnipresent with plates being cleared and glasses refilled at the wink of an eye. Excellent.
The venue itself seems at first quite industrial with it's whitewashed walls, hanging lights and ever so high ceilings yet it still manages to be beautiful and oh so french.  You can hear the murmur of the other tables, but it still felt intimate.
Even with what were major hiccups on the night which were quickly sorted, there were so many good points to this meal, that is truly unfortunate that there were a couple of short comings. On another eve it may have been perfect and I am keen to find out if this is the case so I will definitely be back. I will recommend this place to all the francophiles out there and those of you who are after some lovely french bistro style food, great service, nice wine and without a scary stripy topped mime in site! Bon appetit!

Ratings out of 10
Food 6.5/10
Service 8/10

Atmosphere 7/10

Value 6.5/10

PM24  7/10

Would I return? Yes