When multi-award-winning restaurant Montrachet went into administration earlier this year, its future appeared touch-and-go.
The restaurant sits in Bowen Hills, a desirable suburb in Brisbane’s inner north. Launched by Lyon-born Thierry Galichet 20 years ago and purchased by Shannon Kellam’s hospitality group BCN Events in 2015, Montrachet has often been touted as Brisbane’s best French restaurant.
But things took a tumultuous turn for BCN Events when the group went into voluntary administration in May this year. King Street Bakery, Mica Brasserie, The Kneadery, and Lumiere Culinary Studio ceased trading, along with Kellam’s meal kit delivery service Click Chef.
The group’s liquidators released a statement at the time, saying “BCN Events appears to be a casualty of the headwinds facing the hospitality industry”.
One of the last-standing pillars of the group, Montrachet soon followed, calling in administrators in early July.
“It is with a heavy heart, that I regret to advise that we have made the very difficult decision to place the business into administration,” Kellam said in a July statement.
The restaurant continued to trade and encouraged parties interested in purchasing the business to reach out. By the end of July, five parties placed offers, with “an established interstate restaurateur” progressing to negotiations.
The established restaurateur turned out to be the sole owner and executive chef of Canberra’s acclaimed Les Bistronomes: multi-award-winning, Michelin-trained chef Clément Chauvin.
Chauvin has been named as The Australian Hospitality Award’s Best Chef of the Year, and he has twice earned the Best Restaurant of the Year title from the Restaurant and Catering awards.
Chauvin promises to deliver a fresh perspective on modern French cuisine, with the same elegant yet welcoming ambience Montrachet is known for.
Iconic menu items like the double crab souffle, traditional French escargot, bouillabaisse, and steak frites remain as part of the offering. But diners can expect new creations, including Le Duo D’agneau de Printemps (spring lamb two ways), Le Pithivier (roasted pumpkin and mushroom pie with sage and brown butter crumble), and Le Boeuf-en-Croûte (beef Wellington with a red wine jus).
Montrachet is now open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday and lunch Thursday to Saturday.
Images: Markus Ravik
