Thursday 20 February 2020

Le Feu Aspendale - Restaurant Review

Our clever and hardworking niece and nephew-in-law have recently opened a café in Melbourne. (No, this isn't it!)  So Mr P. and I headed down to check it out.  Oh, and did I mention it was their baby's (my great-niece's) second birthday?  Such a lovely day, with my aunt there too, so we had four generations, including baby Lolly's great-great aunt! 




a beachy feel with distressed timbers

Mr P. and I were staying overnight with my cousin K., who suggested we try Le Feu Aspendale, in a nearby suburb.  This restaurant is Vietnamese with French inspiration, and as it's in a bayside suburb, the decor has a beachy influence - distressed wood, seahorses, fish and anchors adorning the walls.  Service was efficient, but not overly warm.  It was a Saturday night, and they were busy (we had to go for the second sitting as the first was at 6.30pm, which was a bit early for us).  When it came time for dessert, they chivvied us along and suggested we order pronto!



fish cakes $12

We all shared the fish cakes - four pieces for $12.  They were a bit rubbery, as seems to be the norm with Asian fish cakes.  They came with a very strong fish sauce.  The menu said they were on lemongrass stalks, but it looked like sugarcane to me.  No matter, as we didn't eat the stalks of course:-)  These were pleasant enough for our starter - a bit rubbery, a bit fishy ...



grilled lemongrass chicken $25.90

We had wagyu beef curry on the table, grilled lemongrass chicken with rocket salad and plum sauce, along with lamb ribs and a glazed sticky sauce.  All of the dishes were delicious, with tender meat and flavoursome sauces.  The red chillies on the chicken gave it a shot of heat every so often, when you chowed down on a piece.  The thigh meat had great texture, and flavour; always my preferred cut.



wagyu beef curry $27.90

Mr P. assures me the wagyu was very tender and delicious, swimming in a tasty sauce with roasted pineapple and herbs.  Sorry, no photo of the lamb (it was a very fuzzy shot).  The mains came with a bowl of steamed rice topped with fried shallots.



creme caramel $10.90

After deciding to go for dessert, we chose a creme caramel for me, and fried ice cream for the other three.  Sadly, we were all a bit disappointed, and those calories could have gone to better use:-(  My creme caramel was kinda grainy, and unpleasant, though the popcorn was cute, and the sorbet was splendid.



fried ice cream $11.90

Mr P., cousin K. and friend G. all chose this dish, mostly because of the sugar cube burning in the middle.  Looked funky, but ended up being pretty ordinary.  I like the idea of having a chocolate sauce on top, though.  We declined coffees, and wandered off into the damp night ... 



good advice:-)


The Pickings' Verdict: 8/10

Food: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service:  8/10

Atmosphere: 8/10


Ph: 03 9580 5990
145 Nepean Highway, Aspendale VIC 3195



And as a parting gift, here is a snap of my niece and her daughter, my great-niece Lolly at her birthday party earlier in the day, before we hit the restaurant.  She is a sweet treat indeed:-)




cute as...



Le Feu Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato 


14 comments:

  1. I love the two princesses in their filmy dresses with the great balloon sculpture! Happy birthday, Lolly!

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. hi Mae
      my niece is a balloon lady; she does balloon sculptures etc for special occasions. Hubby looked it up - balloon business i mean. next to coffee, it is one of the most profitable businesses around... this is one of her creations!

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  2. A shame about the desserts but it sounds like some other dishes were good!

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    1. yep it was pretty good, and i was happily surprised about how inexpensive this place was! i expected to pay mega bucks:)

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  3. Happy happy birthday, Lolly!
    The wagyu beef and lemongrass chicken are my favourites.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Awesome! I love seeing your niece and her daughter - what a fun surprise. This restaurant certainly sounds unique. Vietnamese with French inspiration isn't exactly something you come across too often. The Wagyu beef curry sounds intriguing. I think I'd like that, but curries can be hit or miss for me. And the burning sugar cube is awesome! I love that trick!

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    1. hi david
      yes the flaming cube looked funky but it didn't really add anything to the dish!

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  5. Happy Birthday dear Lolly - what a cutie! I think the mains all look and sound delish. Sorry to hear about the dessert though - how disappointing!

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    1. yes it's often disappointing with dessert in restaurants i find. all those wasted calories...:)

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  6. Oh, it's when I see things like this I want to travel! And stop here. I wish them well with their new endeavour. It looks like they might be off to a good start.

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    Replies
    1. thanks jeanie. yes their cafe is doing really well! it's very pretty too in pink and turquoise/aqua?:)

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  7. The grilled lemongrass chicken looks divine Sherry, and Lolly looks so sweet and colourful - Happy belated birthday Lolly xo

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