Libertine

Libertine is a lovely quaint French bistro on Victoria Street in north Melbourne. The wine list is extremely impressive, as is the menu. It's a petit little restaurant and fairly well priced for the quality of food, ex-attica chef apparently. I found the service to be friendly and enjoyed my experience here very much.

My husband took me here for my birthday after many requests to eat here. I must say this is one of the finest restaurants I have been to in Melbourne. We were lucky enough to be attended by one of the owners (Zoe). We ordered the 8-course degustation menu with matching wines; very reasonably priced at $95 per head plus $55 per head for wine. Zoe was able to tell a story behind each wine served which gave that extra "something" to the night. She also spoke of the chef's choices and was though in her explanations. It was hard to choose a favourite amongst the courses as they all were delicious but I would have to say the escargot in garlic butter stood out.

Went to the advertised "Boullabaise" featuring Blue Swimmer crab and fresh Spring Bay mussels with a "fiery red broth" (their words not mine) special night. The result, while it tasted okay, was very small and devoid of crab. It seems that not all tables are created equal, and our table was Blue Swimmer crab-less.



As fine dining in Nth Melbourne goes its one of the few options I think its overpriced and tries a little too hard. Put the same restuarant onto Flinders Lane or Collins Street and it would really struggle... its lucky it can catch its limited market (even if they do struggle to catch enough Blue Swimmer Crab).

A name such as Libertine in roughhewn and slightly sleazy North Melbourne may rather easily be mistaken for a bordello. Nestled in amongst bottle shops, ladies' recycled fashion boutiques, pubs and bars, the last thing one expects to find is an elegant French restaurant.



Behind the Victorian glass-and-timber door, in a two-storey pre-war terrace, a distinctive European inflection permeates the dining room: elaborate ...read more

Eaten here three times and every time has been excellent. Once with a larger group and we were offered a whole suckling pig which was great, and other times as a couple which is nice and intimate. The food & wine are top notch. The service from their senior people is also some of the best, but some of their B-team are not quite up to their standard. Highly recommended.