Baguette

Ph: (07) 3268 6168; 150 Racecourse Rd, ASCOT 4007 www.baguette.com.au

Modern French, $$ +, * for Food & Ambience
Open Mon-Fri noon-3pm 6pm-late Sat 6pm-late, Closed Some public holidays (open Xmas Day, Easter Sunday); Licensed, BYO, Corkage mon-thu only, tables les; AE DC MC V EFT, Seats inside 85, Outside seats, Kids welcomed
Chef Bruno Loubet (27-12-07) Owner Francis & Marilyn Domenech (27-12-07)

Mietta's Review
This long-established very professionally-run business is moving on. Day-to-day control has been handed to the Domenech family scion, Geoff, while parents, Francis and Marilyn, take life a bit easier. Recent renovations somehow manage to leave room with a domestic (albiet in a good suburb of course) feeling. Still the new bar is a step forward that been welcomed by regulars and locals. Chef, Bruce McKenna, continues to put out the Spanish/European dishes that suit the situation and the service is as correct as it's always been. The place is ideally pitched for its comfortable, but not flashy, neighbourhood.

Other published opinions

Courier Mail food and wine guide Queensland 2008 Score: 16/20, Two Hats "It's one of those stalwart places where decades can pass but never the enjoyment of returning to the pretty, light-filled dining room or leafy courtyard, and the atmospheric corridor bar that links the two"

Gourmet Traveller 2008 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: * "Despite turning 30 at the end of 2006, this suburban institution has refused to rest on its reputation, upping the ante by hiring Bruno Loubet to take charge of the kitchen"

Brisbane News Dining Out Guide 2007 "The French gentleman of Queensland's culinary scene, Bruno Loubet, has returned to Brisbane, teaming up with fellow Frenchman Francis Domenech, who with wife Marilyn (and now son Geoff), has run Baguette for 30 years"

Gourmet Traveller 2007 Australian Restaurant Guide "This much-loved suburban restaurant has the heart of a rural French bistro. Run by the same family for more than three decades, there's a welcoming air to the lounge bar and beyond to the garden-edged dining room, which also doubles as owner Marilyn Domenech's art gallery."

Brisbane News Tony Harper, 19-2-2007 Food 8 Wine 6.5 Service 9 Ambience 8 "I made a Thursday night foray into the upper reaches of Racecourse Road. There is a timeless air to the place, despite the modern bar and lounge area, which is a recent addition and the latest in a series of makeovers since 1977. We emerged from the bar into the dining room, which is comfortable, elegant and charming. The service at Baguette is slick, and we were happily ensconced with drinks and menus within three minutes of walking in. I'm happy to say that the service didn't falter as the night wore on, and that's a rare event these days. While the menu has morphed from its original French theme, there is still a core of French dishes (souffle, calves' liver, duck with sour cherries) to be found among the modOz fare."

Courier-Mail Goodlife Restaurant Guide 2006 "The grand dame of the Queensland restaurant industry has been owned by the same family for three decades. Baguette owners Francis and Marilyn Domenech still steer the large garden-rimmed dining room and atmospheric bar with the help of several family members and some long-term staff."

Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide "this restaurant is the patriarch of Brisbane's dining scene, laying remained in the same family's hands (and thus spectacularly consistent) for nearly three decades. Considering some of the staff have been here for almost that long, and the restaurant is located in garden-like Ascot, many customers have come to treat the place like a second home."

Brisbane News Eating Out Guide 2006 "Consummate restaurateurs Francis and Marilyn Domenech have been satisfying diners for years, but they never cease to innovate or keep ahead of trends. The new-ish Lounge Bar is popular with locals"

Courier Mail Good Life Lizzie Joel 7/6/05 score Food 16 Wine 16 Service 18 Ambience 17 "There's nearly nothing to say about Baguette that doesn't sound cliched as it has stayed in the same family and maintained an incredibly high standard of food and service over its 20-something year reign. The score Food 16 Wine 16 Service 18 Ambience 17"

Courier-Mail Goodlife Restaurant Guide 05 ** "A stalwart of Brisbane dining, this stately restaurant owned and operated by legendary restaurateurs Fran and Marilyn Domenech for nearly three decades, has stood the test of time"

Gourmet Traveller Australian Restaurant Guide 2005 "Baguette is one of those institutions all cities are proud to boast and locals look at as a second home. Run by the Domenech family for more than 25 years, it has remained in the same location, adapting as the times required."

Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Australia 2004,'Baguette has changed its decor and ambience to suit the times, but the level of service and the quality of the cuisine have remained as consistent as patriarch Francis Domenech's warm welcome....a menu made up of modern classics and seasonal specialties, includiing some of the best seafood on the eastern seaboard.'

16/9/03 won RCAs award for Best Informal Dining

Courier-Mail, Goodlife, Dining Out, Lizzie Loel, 25/9/02. Score Food, wine, ambience 16/20, Service 18/20.

2002 Eating Out Guide, Brisbane News