Resto Bobo, Windsor by Log Lady

Last Thursday I went along to the launch of new restaurant in Windsor – Resto Bobo.  These guys specialise in French Tarte Flambé, which is something I had never heard of or tried before and the only thing that came to mind were the desserts that are set alight on a diner’s table. But no, French Tarte Flambé is kind of like a thin pizza; it’s made of a thin base, a white (cheese) sauce and matching topping. 

La Fermiere

Resto Bobo is situated within the trendy part of Chapel Street in Windsor, amongst other big name restaurants such as Hawker Hall (from the owners of Chin Chin) and Saigon Sally, but Resto Bobo stands out as the only French restaurant serving Alsatian food. The restaurant space was a previous Op-Shop on Chapel Street. It has had a stylish fit out with hard wood floors and an open kitchen, but the space still feels cosy and communal.

Fromage

The owner, Dan Xerri, is relatively new to the restaurant business and came across Alsatian cuisine whilst working in Strasbourg as an Engineer. His experience in France and the food clearly had an impact on him, which led him to try out his own venture back home.

At the launch I tried a number of the Tarte Flambe’s on the menu. The first was the Traditionalle Ail-Cibo. This one had Emmenthal cheese, onion, chive and smoked bacon. This was served with a dry white wine from the Alsace region (Pinot Blanc Domaine Mittnacht Freres). It may have been that this being my introduction to Tarte Flambe, and not having tried anything of the sort before, but this was but far one of my favourites of the night. The dish itself was very simple; the combination of the smokey bacon, with the rich Emmenthal cheese was a delight. The matching wine also really set off the flavours.  So if you go, ask the waiter to recommend what wine might go well with the Flambé that takes your fancy.

Then there was the A la Peshe. This one included almond nougatine, dried raisins, salmon and a hint of lemon. This one made it to my second favourite; the saltiness of the salmon was really offset by the slight sweet flavour of the almond nougatine and the dried raisins.

The other dishes I tried were the La Fermiere (see first pic) – Buche de cherve goats cheese, prunes, pine nuts, thyme, honey – also very tasty.

La Belle Vie – Bleu d’Avergne cheese, vanilla poached pear and rocket - was also very good, but the blue cheese in this one was quite strong so if you’re not a fan then possibly one to avoid.

The final dish I tried was the dessert, Blueberry Smashee – this uses a sweet Tarte Flambee, with smashed blueberry and mint on top. If I had to choose one dish that I was going to be really picky about, it would be this one, I wasn’t the biggest fan of this. That said, I am very interested to go back and try the sweet Tarte Flambee with Nutella, or the sweet Tarte Flambee set alight.  Yes, they do that as well :)

Verdict

We really liked it.

Mid value.

Overall

I really liked this restaurant, and would definitely go back. I can imagine a Sunday afternoon at Resto Bobo ordering a charcuterie board, Tarte Flambees and wine for an early dinner. And the price of food and wine was mid-range, so could make for a semi-regular favourite, particularly for people who live locally.

Overall this was an excellent restaurant; the food was simple but done very well, fantastic wine selection, the restaurant space cosy chic, and the owner’s passion for the food and culture of Alsace is intoxicating. Highly recommend!

The Eat and Be Merry Crew were guests of Resto Bobo.

Find it at

Resto Bobo
110 Chapel Street
Windsor VIC 3181
Phone: 03 9042 8168