Bistro Flor - Carlton North

It was a special occasion in the family as my parents were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary and so we all wanted to go somewhere memorable. A previous family gathering at Bistro Flor was such a success that this was the chosen venue for lunch.

The name is apt as the surrounds look sound and feel like a bistro, and the small but perfectly formed courtyard is a welcome suntrap in the warmer months. I would assume that children do not frequent the venue that often however the little people in our group were well catered for.

Coming from a family that is not shy of a good meal or bottle or two of wine, we were in for quite an afternoon. The choice of entrée between us included the following:

• Harvey Bay Scallops with confit fennel and candied pancetta (special)
• Cured kingfish, candied fennel, confit lemon and pine nuts
• Pickled veal shank terrine, onion jam and watercress salad

My selection was the veal shank terrine, and it was so delightful I insisted that everyone sample this dish. No one was disappointed.

To accompany the food we enjoyed a bottle of Stefano Lubiana NV Brut (Ganton, Tasmania), followed by a Keller 2007 Gruner Silvaner Trocken (Rheinhessen, Germany). Both the sparkling and the Gruner Silvaner were appropriate selections for the mood and food!

The timing between entrée and main was spot on, and just as my taste buds were beginning to demand more food, the following mains were served from the menu:

• Homemade Tagliatelle with rabbit, tomato, smoked bacon and pangrotato
• Snapper fillet, pickled wild onions and cherry tomatoes with artichoke paste
• Confit duck leg, pork and bread terrine, blood orange sauce, apple salad
• Provençale style seafood stew (Bistro Flor version of Bouillabaisse, as a special)

I was drawn to the homemade Tagliatelle, as was another diner in our party and we both thoroughly enjoyed the textures and flavours offered in this dish. The general feedback on the mains was very positive and there was some food swapping before the plates were cleared.

We concluded our dining experience with a selection of Australian and imported cheeses served with muscatels and home made lavosh. This was accompanied with the Ambra `Montefortini’ 2006 Sangiovese (Tuscancy, Italy) and was surprisingly lighter in style than I had anticipated.

All in all a great time was had by all over three generations and we even managed to pull ourselves away from the restaurant before evening service began! Thank you Matthew, it was another memorable dining experience.