Bon jour, mesdames et messieurs!
It’s Bastille Day on Monday 14 July. Why not get out and celebrate liberty, equality and fraternity with our Gallic brothers and sisters?
To help, our gourmands have stormed the city to find the best French treats for the weekend, for Monday and beyond. Here’s how to spend a day in Canberra… French style!
Bon appétit!
7.30am – Breakfast
Well, it has to be a croissant, doesn’t it? A staple of local bakeries, they’re pretty easy to track down in any suburb, but Loading Zone is a great stop-in for city-folk. For the hungry and hardy, Ham & Cheese makes for a pleasing filler, but we prefer simple style to let the pastry shine through… get them fresh in the morning and add delicious, creamy butter and just a smidge of jam. Voilá!
12.00pm – Lunch
Since Michael and Peter Harrington took control of Sage Dining Rooms, a certain joie de vivre has permeated through the menu. In a restaurant that has always played with French flavours as well as adopting a modern (and more generous!) interpretation of Nouveau-French cuisine, Sage is a fabulous place to spend an afternoon as the sun warms you through the windows of Gorman House.
Be sure to have a look through their extensive wine list (the Bordeaux are to die for), and take yourself on a journey across the regions of France as you are filled with fabulous flavours. In the best French tradition, don’t bother going back to work.
3.00pm – Afternoon tea
Feeling a little flat? Well, it’s time for a sugar hit!
Autolyse has been a revelation since opening on Lonsdale Street. While it has become known across the city for delicious bread, their macaroons are enough to make Adriano Zumbo feel nervous. There’s typically a range of flavours available, so grab a box of six and share them among your best amis.
5.00pm – Aperitif
It’s the best time of the day. An aperitif is the early-evening drink that prepares you for the rest of the night ahead.
Stroll in to Knightsbridge Penthouse and grab yourself a cocktail. There are a number of French classics, but we suggest you slide in for a Sidecar. The International Bartenders Association recommends a simple combination of cognac, triple sec and some lemon juice – and it’s guaranteed to get your night off to a good start.
7.00pm – Cinema
The Lumière brothers started modern cinema in 1895, and since then the French have been at the cutting edge of visual story-telling.
Why not bring a bit of glamour into your night at the movies? Palace Electric is currently showing Yves Saint Laurent – the biopic of one of Paris’ most influential designers. Absorb Alain Guffroy’s beautiful production design and learn what it’s like to spend a life at the top of one of France’s fashion houses.
10.00pm – Aperitif
After all that it’s time for another drink, and it’s definitely time for another cocktail. Polit Bar is probably THE place for serious boozing on the Southside, and, given its late opening hours, is the perfect spot to kick back with something tres elegant.
Given the late hour, we recommend you nestle in with a French Martini. Made with vodka, Chambord (raspberry liqueur), and pineapple juice, it will freshen the palate and revive your spirits for the rest of the night.
1.00am – Hors d’ourves
So, you’ve made it home, the time is well past midnight, but you’re not quite ready for bed. Luckily, before leaving, you put a bottle of Mount Majura 2013 Chardonnay in the fridge, while removing the packet of truffle-infused Brie and left it on the counter to warm.
All you need now is music. If you love the classics, how about a little bit of Serge Gainsbourg? For the modernists, you can’t go too far wrong with the amazing electronic duo, Air.
What a célébration de France it’s been! Definitely time for bed though…
Bon soir!
