Fries, finger food and foie gras at The French Food Shop
Escargot, croque-monsiuer, criossants – it doesn’t get more authentically French than this. Fortitude Valley’s hip new destination for French cuisine doubles as a comfortable cafe by day and a chic wine bar by night.
Cassidy Shorland and Ghislain Pourbaix are two French ex-pats that have opened up a brand new eatery on Brunswick Street, taking cues and inspiration from traditional French cafes and wine bars. The French Food Shop aims to mix quality French bistro style cuisine with a tapas-style menu, supported by an extensive list of French wines and spirits. Cassidy and Ghislain took over the location – formerly occupied by G-Doggz – and converted it into a versatile space that caters for early morning breakfast hunters and sophisticated evening bar flies with Parisian flair. The eatery is divided into three forms of service, a daytime cafe, a nighttime wine and tapas bar and a takeaway frites kiosk for late night wanderers.
The French Food Shop’s cafe menu boasts an exceptional array of bites, from croissants, croque-monsiuers, quiches, sandwiches and mains. Smaller dishes include Le Campagnard sandwich with bannette bread, ham, Swiss cheese and butter and the L’Oeuf a la Coque – otherwise known as boiled egg with bread soldiers, accompanied by beurre escargot (snail butter). When the sun goes down The French Food Shop dims the lights and turns into fully-fledged wine bar. Patrons can snack on charcuterie boards heaped with cheese and French salamis or select from a range of special canapes and finger food offerings. Puff pastry filled with snail, black and green olives mixed with capers and oven-grilled bread with goat cheese honey and pistou are some of the goodies available for snacking. After 10:00pm, the wine bar closes and the Friterie opens – offering takeaway fries topped with homemade sauce and accompanied by grilled sausage. 50 wines have been sourced from France, as well as several Belgian beers and spirits from French colonies. Cocktails include traditional mixtures, as well as old fashioned bistro concoctions utilising a range of syrups. Head to the Stumble Guide for opening hours and contact information.
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