“We tend to forget the classic, authentic French flavours. What is really important is to use the freshest and best basic ingredients, and everything to be homemade from A to Z.” – Mercédé Coubard, A la folie Patisserie

Baguettes freshly baked in a suburban boulangerie, to Brie Mariotte and aged Reypenaer in your neighbourhood café; there is no reason why you can’t experience the authentic taste of French staples in Melbourne. Bastille Day 2015 Melbourne brought some of the most inspiring French culinary experts and business owners under one roof at the State Library Victoria.

We asked five experts to share their love for French gastronomy, and while none of them disclosed any recipes, they did shed light on the most delectable items on their menus. Among cheese and macaroon samples and a bustling atmosphere, we got a run down on what French cuisine is to Australians.

1. The Shifty Chevre | 375 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, Melbourne

Built with love for cheese by Tom Petty, Noemie Lacoste and Alex Whyte,‘The Shifty Chevre’ is a Fitzroy based cheese bar and café that is sure to make your fromage dreams come true. With a menu specifically built around cheese and with more than 25 cheeses to choose from, it is a perfect venue catering to both connoisseurs as well as fascinated novices.

Café owner and architect Tom Petty, described how just six months ago, his passion for cheese and wine was realised with ‘The Shifty Chevre’ café, also built and designed by him. One of his aims was to bring back the humble quality of cheese.

“It [cheese] doesn’t have to be too fancy. We want to expose people to a range of different cheeses, especially French ones and educate them on how they’re made and what they taste like,” says Petty.

“My partner Noemie is French; she has a major influence on the food we serve. We have a French chef on-board, who obviously makes everything as if he would make it at home.”

He further adds, “The people of Melbourne are very interested in the origin of food, tasting food, where it’s from, how it’s made. People are very thirsty for knowledge, Melbourne is also the food capital. Quality is very high.”

2. A La Folie Patisserie | 589 Chapel St, South Yarra 3141

Decadent petits choux, velvety Chocolate Saint-Honoré and macaroons filled with creamy textures are set to please with an intense explosion of rich flavours.

“I really wanted to share my passion for French pastries and make them shine, and to show that the basics and classics of French pastries are absolutely beautiful,” says A La Folie Patisserie’s owner, Mercédé Coubard, who is famous for her signature petits choux.

“We tend to forget the classic, authentic French flavours. What is really important is to use the freshest and best basic ingredients, and everything to be homemade from A to Z.”

On French food in Australia, she says, “Australian people love everything French; it’s very supportive and very helpful for business. Australian people are foodies and appreciate good things.”

3. Choukette Patisserie Francaise | 318 Sydney Rd, Brunswick 3056

A mini Parisian paradise for French gastronomes in the heart of bustling Sydney Road, this French style patisserie and boulangerie owned by Nans Wojtczak manages to perfectly encapsulate the core tastes of two cultures in what he calls “pies with a twist.”

“People come mainly for our pastries and pies.” It is no secret that Australians are enamoured of pies, here they are given a French twist with bourguignon and burgundy beef.

When asked how hard it was to bring customers around to the new taste he replies, “It’s not very hard, French gastronomy is very well known in Melbourne, it is a food capital.”

“In France we have patisseries and boulangeries on every corner, whereas here when you bring a bit of French somewhere in the suburbs, lots of people are intrigued and want to know more about French food. They come slowly and try our authentic French flavours.”

4. La Belle Miette | 8 Collins St, Melbourne 3000

Macaroons that exude femininity and elegance in every morsel – that is the prerogative of owners Maylynn Tsoi and Hugh Morley. Available in a beautiful pastel palette, there over 17 flavours to choose from and they all come with stunning ornate boxes that will compel you to say magnifique.

La Belle Miette spokesperson Natasha joyfully shared her thoughts on the business and owners… “Both of [them] are massive francophones; in love with French culture, food and philosophy. They went to Paris to study and started this business in 2010. It is fairly recent and small business with four stores in Melbourne.”

Asked whether the taste and recipes were altered to suit locals, Natasha says, “We have very classic flavour profiles; we don’t tend to go in for more wacky flavours. For Bastille Day this year, we did a take on Paris-Brest pastry and a French choux pastry filled with hazelnut cream, so they are definitely based on Parisian cooking.”

– Photos by Jay Joshi