P M 24

Classic French perfection. From the baguette (lightly crispy but moist and dense in the middle) to the steak tartar, twice baked cheese soufflé, and ‘solid’ chicken and excellent ‘beef duo’ PM 24 brings Paris to Melbourne with a wine list from either. Nice club music soundtrack. Not nouvelle so come hungry or stick with two dishes and get there before 8 if you want a shot at the specials. Bravo!

I will start by saying the people we went to Sunday lunch with have been regulars… having been regularity over the last 10 years, therefore the service was amazingly personal and boarded on feeling like one if the family!
The food was well portioned, not so much I could not have 2 courses and yet not so little I could fit a third (as much as the desserts sounded amazing). The presentation was great and the flavours amazing; the chefs really knew how to bring each dish to life.
Next the wine waiter did a brilliant job at matching what others have feared (steak tartare) and his recommendations were all very reasonably priced, which is always appreciated.
With a great atmosphere and a nice location this is a place I would visit on my next trip to Melbourne — recommend you check it out too.

PM24 occupies a rather un-​Melbourne space. That is, it is easy to find, neither behind a hidden door, sunken in a basement nor secreted down a laneway. Situated between the hum of the theatre district and the bright lights of the Federation Square precinct, it faces a constant stream of vehicles and is noticeable from afar by the gleaming window frontage and a broad monochrome signboard. Contained within an E-​shaped lay-​out, PM24 is all traditional Parisian bistro. A thousand shades of brown. The severity of utterly spartan furnishings (dark wood chairs, cool marble tables, austere grated windows) and the glare of the open kitchen and a bar exposed to the watchful eyes of patrons, are offset by blood garnet banquettes and medieval wrought-​iron chandeliers ensconced in the soaring ceilings. Noise levels are high, bouncing between the high ceiling and the stripped hardwood floorboards.
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Similar to another French bistro CBD counterpart (Bistro Guillaume), the glamourous waterfront predecessor to PM24 relocated and relaunched in 2011 to embrace the more rustic roots of French gastronomy and restaurant dining. But a change in circumstances does not necessarily mean a change of character. Although it is no longer a fine-​dining option, PM24 has retained, to some degree, the sophistication of its predecessor. Offering French bistro dining that is distinctively more elegant and refined than that plated up at most other Melbourne French bistros (similar in style to PM24 is South Yarra’s A La Bouffe), PM24 turns out a confident retinue of generously proportioned, big flavour bistro classiques and one very lucid dream of French dessert traditionalism in its soufflé (other desserts are forgetable, though). We do miss the former bourgeois PM, but we quite like this more accessible PM24. All in all, it will probably outlast the many over-​hyped restaurants and food trends bombarding Melbourne.

Fantastic food, the rotisserie is amazing!!!

Wonderful. Beautiful French food and impeccable service make this one of my new favorite places to dine. Highly recommended are the burgundy snails, the rotisserie milawa chicken and the dessert degustation. You will not be disappointed.

Each year a group of us try new restaurants as part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival Express Lunch. This year, we thought we’d try Phillipe Mochel’s and George Calombaris’ new French restaurant PM24.
Coming from the Calombaris chain, I expected the restaurant may be similar in many respects to his other restaurants (which isn’t a bad thing by the way). However I was pleasantly surprised. No cookie cutter replica here. PM 24 is a refreshing, modern French bistro and rotisserie set in warehouse style settings and the Express Lunch was a perfect way to sample some of what this great restaurant has to offer!
For entrée I enjoyed Organic Chicken liver terrine, toasted sourdough and onion jam. For those into terrine, it was up there with the best I have tried. For main, I chose pork belly with white bean ragout. Both were delicious and the serving sizes healthily large! The front of house staff were also very accommodating. One of our guests arrived unannounced, however was happily seated even through the restaurant was at capacity. I look forward to having dinner at PM24 sometime in the near future to further explore all it has to offer.

One word. Rotisserie.
My mouth just started watering at the thought.
Seated close to the open kitchen, one look at Phillip Mouchel putting the final touches on the rotisserie chicken was enough to make up my mind. Yes, it is the most you’ll ever pay for what is essentially BBQ chicken — but it’s also the best chicken you’ll ever put in your mouth. Do not overlook this on the menu!
We also tried the snapper which was to die for. I doubt anything on this menu would let you down, it all looked incredible.
Unfortunately we didn’t receive great service there. Our order was stuffed up twice and the staff were less than attentive, however the times they did interact with us we weren’t disappointed, so I don’t want to be too quick to judge them on that.
An ideal place to take a loved one for a special occasion… too pricey for a first date, but somewhere you might consider for a third! ;)

This was my second visit… And I was looking forward to forming a view. My partner on the first visit had reservations and my experience had been satisfactory.
This dinner was with a colleague who I had not seen since Boston. Lots to look forward to…
Well our entrees came out apart and yet there were both the same, The charred octopus was with beans and lemon vinegar dressing and we both enjoyed…
The mains came and my colleague enjoyed his pork trotter with beans. I had continued my seafood approach and had ordered the gold band snapper filet. It was substandard so much so I had to send it back… I cannot recall the last time I have ever had to go to such lengths… And surprisingly the waitress tried to advise me that was how it was meant to be! The replacement dish was better … well it needed to be! This experience was consistent with comments my partner had made about our first visit.
It is disappointing when staff try and justify the unjustifiable … and for me, well I will give this place a long break. It needs to get some fundamentals fixed and more so as it is relatively expensive.
And while the wine list contains some good quality wines they too are expensive… so a restaurant that is inconsistent and is not yet anywhere near value for money!
Disappointing as it has a promising formula.

The best service we have had in Australia hands down. For the entrée I had the goat cheese salad with beets [delicious], the rotisserie pork loin special [really good, not that memorable but good], potatoes au gratin [cheesy goodness] and for dessert I had the canale de Bordeaux cake with honey ice cream [just the right size to end the meal]. I did try the rotisserie chicken that they are famous for, and it was good, but again, not mind blowing.
Our server was great, attentive and helpful. We finished the meal with a delicious imported French liqueur called Le Birlou. On first taste it has a nutty hazelnut flavour. They bring you some ice and once you drop in the cubes and let them melt a bit the flavour changes to apple. If you like sweet… this drink is for you.
At the end of the meal they brought over a jar full of pink fluffy goodness and cut off pieces of homemade strawberry marshmallow. Nice touch!

Wow what great food! A rotisserie to get your taste buds going as soon as you walk in the door and a great wine selection is enough reason to visit. The service was pretty good although somewhat awkward. I shared the duck which was good, not the best I’ve had, my friend had the rotisserie chicken and wow it was divine. Definitely worth going.

When Phillip Mouchel is in the house, he resides over the kitchen pass with an air of authority. The ‘big man’ of French cuisine in Melbourne oversees classically French dishes prepared in an open kitchen — pure eye candy for food lovers. The rotisserie takes centre stage, a useful piece of culinary art that is responsible for the most delicious roast chicken you might ever taste.
The menu is very very French (snails, fois gras, steak frites and all the other usual suspects) but it needn’t be a typical French restaurant experience. The huge space has been carefully designed to create an environment that feels special without being stuffy. The professional service is laced with good humour and personality, meaning you don’t feel silly when asking for clarification about menu items. The sommelier is approachable and always happy to guide you through what is, honestly, a gigantic list (stick to the European wines which, for some reason, offer better value than the Australians).
My menu picks — the charcuterie degustation, mussels, anything from the rotisserie and, if you have room, the delicious crêpe for dessert.