Entrecôte

$ 2 oysters. $ 12 glasses of Champagne (the real stuff). Charming waiters. Frenchy vibes. One of the meatiest cheeseburgers known to man. Steak and endless frites. Entrecôte is what I imagine heaven is like. It’s fun, decadent, doesn’t take itself too seriously, and has enough options to keep each day a little different, but not so many that you need to waste precious time making decisions.
This isn’t complex food, it’s not food that requires discussions on how it was made or where the ingredients are from. Nope, it’s delicious classic food that lets you get on with what’s most important — enjoying the company of your friends. You’ll eat and drink way more than you intended, but by golly will you have a fun night.

So I’ve been to Entrecôte twice, and I’ve walked out the happiest gal about town twice. Never have I felt so fancy and special in a place so relaxing and unpretentious.
The first time I ventured in was to indulge in what is likely the happiest of Happy Hours — $ 2 oysters and $ 12 glasses of Mumm champagne — that is ACTUAL champagne, people. I refer to this kind of treat as Choysters and I guarantee you, you’ll feel like a French royal by the time you finish that second glass.
My next trip was for dinner. I was so excited to try their famous Steak Frites — Grilled Hopkins River Porterhouse, with salad and BOTTOMLESS FRIES. Can you feel my excitement as you read?! The steak was cooked to absolute perfection and the salad gave much needed greenery to the dish.
This is such a fun destination if you’ve had a GREAT day at work and want to celebrate or are celebrating an anniversary of birthday but don’t want anything too over the top.

Entrecôte has opened a branch in Melbourne CBD after having being in South Yarra for some time. I have colleagues obsessed with their steak and endless fries special. So far I haven’t made the time to go to the restaurant. However their coffee window is right on my regular path through the city. This end of Colins Street/​Lane is a little light on for quick takeaway coffee. There is a branch of Oli and Levy around corner which always has long queues. Or there is the snobbish service at Dr Morse near tram stop. Thus this little window is a welcome development.
Coffee standard is good — for excellent coffee you’d need to head a few blocks over to Traveller or Tom Thumb. But it is cheap. $ 2.50 for small coffee is excellent value. Clearly they have worked out their price point compared to competition. Hopefully with a bit more experience the level of coffee making will improve over time.
But the pastries and sandwiches — ah, now we’re talking! The range is excellent and I can testify quite delicious. There are some very reasonably priced sweet and savoury items for those looking for breakfast to go, express lunch or sweet afternoon snack.
The overal ambience is sweet and cute. Sure the staff probably love wearing berets in winter, let’s see how they feel in the summer! But it makes for a welcome little reprieve from the city and allows five minutes to pretend you are back in Paris rather than the more prosaic Paris End of Collins Street.