Bar Margaux
Basement, 111 Lonsdale St, Melbourne, (03) 9650 0088, barmargaux.com.au Licensed Cards AE MC V EFT Open Sun-Thu 4pm-3am, Fri-Sat 4pm-5am Prices Entrées $14-$25, main courses $26-$39, desserts $14-$15 Vegetarian Two entrées, one main course Noise Robust Wheelchair friendly No Plus More late-night good times in Melbourne Minus The morning after the late-night good times
The deft drinks list ensures there will be as many people using Margaux to drink cocktails as there are flocking there for dinner or supper. The cocktail list is compact and leans towards classics. Two of them – a Martini and Manhattan – come in “snack size”, three-gulp drinks for just $12, making them ideal for a midweek pre-dinner tipple that offers a Mad Men-style vibe with half the hangover.
The wine offering leans French, as much through varietal as label, with Whispering Angel rosé from Provence sitting alongside New World versions of pinot noir (Nanny Goat from Central Otago) and a solid list of Champagne that includes non-vintage Krug by the glass.
Bargain-hunters should head to Margaux for the Golden Hour, from 4pm to 6pm every day, when the cheeseburger (rich with a marrow-studded sauce) is teamed with a glass of Burgundy, or moules frites are matched with a glass of Sancerre for just $29.
The value for money is notable. Most of the main courses – including several well-sourced, precisely cooked steaks served with poivre or béarnaise sauce and fries – are priced under $40. Other dishes, such as a superb duck frites that’s served with sauce made from the duck bones, still read as bang for your buck.
Order the soufflé, – particularly if the blood-orange special is on. The kitchen knows what it’s doing.
Bar Margaux might seem familiar, but there’s really nothing else like it in Melbourne. And, as you’re contemplating the menu at 2am, wondering whether to go the boudin blanc or the lobster croque-monsieur, you’ll thank it for its service.