ON THE RICH LIST

Showcasing buttery pastries and a sauce made from seven different cheeses, this new French eatery is dedicated to decadence, writes Amber Macpherson

IT’S a restaurant with a name that will make you blush and a menu worthy of an ooh la la. Paris Brest recently opened in Southport and it’s serving up French fare with flair.

With eateries dedicated to the culture’s cuisine few and far between on the Gold Coast, owner Virgil Penalva is offering a day and night menu covering savoury and sweet dishes.

Buckwheat crepes with comte cheese, fluffy quiches with creme fraiche and spices, a fourcourse degustation and five types of croque monsieur are luring Francophiles, all made with imported French cheeses and deli delights.

As for the sweet spread, there’s the signature Paris brest — a crispy baked choux puff with praline cream bursting through the middle, like a macaron on steroids — as well as a tarte tartin, steamed chocolate fondant and a cabinet full of just-baked treats.

Virgil had been living and working in Australia for five years before opening Paris Brest, identifying a gap in the market for authentic French food.

“I’m from Monaco,” Virgil says. “My brother and I have got five restaurants in America.

“I came here five years ago to expand it here. I went to work in different restaurants to see how it works over here, and what’s missing. I decided to do something French. So this is my first little baby bistro. It’s French street food.”

The menu pays homage to “borrowed” family recipes, with many options typical of a decadent French diet.

“I picked some of my grandparents’ patisserie (food) for the menu,” Virgil says.

“I make a Paris brest with strawberry and almond, white butter cream with orange and almond essence.

“My grandparents did that for Mother’s Day one year and I remember thinking I’m going to keep that, and put that on the menu.

“I use bechamel, a cheese sauce made with seven different cheeses in it, very healthy — I guess,” he laughs.

Virgil’s business skills, however, came from a very different chapter of his life.

“I did an internship as a pastry chef … just for the love of food,” he says.

“After I went to the French Foreign Legion. I did that for five years, in the meantime building a restaurant in America with my brother.

“It taught me a lot of discipline, the worry of the detail.

“Make sure you sell the right thing in any job you have. It helped me make decisions with this business. I learned a lot.”

Virgil plans to host dinners with set menus for weeknight diners, as well as baking handmade croissants and offering small takeaway dishes for late-night snackers.

But if you’re after the signature Paris brest pick-me-up, you’ll have to arrive early.

“I sold out today,” he says. “It’s very popular.”

Paris Brest is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, at 18 Young St, Southport