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Chez Olivier

places|vic|prahran|chez%20olivier
If the glamourous Greville Street shoppers are getting too much for you, escape for a petit treat at this classy French-inspired wine bar and bistro in Prahran.

Editorial


This sweet little French venue prides itself, and its sister venue in Elsternwick, on being the only Frozzie venues in Australia… that's French for bogan… ooh la la! Seriously though, Chez Olivier is more of an intimate restaurant, but there is a small wine bar and rear courtyard for wine connoisseurs to enjoy the sommelier selected wine list that includes some fine French choices with a smattering of local, and more affordable, options.

By the bottle, there is nothing under $39 (a Sauvignon Blanc from Loire Valley). The range goes right up in both discernment and price from there, only getting slightly obscene at $265 for a limited first vintage Bourgogne Pinot Noir - I just stared at the menu imagining what it could possibly taste like… liquid gold perhaps? For the more realistic wine savants among us, best to stick to by-the-glass options, so try the tidy Riesling from Alsace for $10, or the Petit Chablis (that's actually from Chablis) for $13.

Being a pinot fan, I stuck to a Discovery Road from Gippsland but just as soon felt like all I was discovering was my inner bogan, so I upgraded to a Château de Malleret Medoc, then nibbled on a scrumptious tiger prawn salad while enjoying the bijou courtyard out back.

Inside the style is informal and unpretentious with lots of bottles and small chandeliers and simple wooden tables. The two dining rooms are compact but cosy, and there are also exhibitions of paintings and photography on the walls.

From Thursday to Sunday you can also bring your own bottle of wine (corkage is $11) and they will keep your bottle and put it on display on their 'wall of fame' which is quite cute and explains all the bottles. This is also guaranteed to keep you romantics coming back so you can coo at each other over your onion soup and glance up fondly at that last bottle you had (I just hope it wasn't a cleanskin).

Din Heagney, May 2010

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August 22, 2010


The chocolate fondue is incredible!

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