Philippe
French$$
Celebrating a decade of decadence at the Paris End.
Ten years is an eternity in restaurants. Most don’t get nearly that far and yet Philippe feels like it’s been there for many more, quietly influencing Melbourne’s French restaurants from underneath Collins Street.
Chef Philippe Mouchel’s advocacy for the food of his home town Rouen means this is one of Australia’s only restaurants where you can order canard a la presse, a uniquely visceral (and delicious) presentation of duck, prepared with theatrical flair at your table. Elsewhere, fans wax lyrical about the chicken breast. Stuffed with brioche, black truffle, a little foie gras and plenty of butter, it makes plush luxury out of a maligned cut and is proof of this kitchen’s bona fides.
French onion soup hews to Mouchel’s father’s recipe and is alive with cider, while devilled eggs, presented on a bed of shredded iceberg lettuce and improved with the sweetness of Queensland spanner crab, are gleefully twee. Long live this basement bistro of carnal pleasures.
Good to know: Canard a la presse must be pre-ordered with plenty of notice; allow two weeks to avoid disappointment.
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Last visited: July 2026
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