Noir 175 Swan Street, Richmond, Victoria 3121

"Food and wine list was fabulous. Authentic French cuisine. Service from staff was friendly with a lovely warm 'at home' feeling - unfortunately difficult to find elsewhere in Melbourne and even internationally since the COVID pandemic! The staff were so warm and personable without being over the top. We also loved the bench seating areas which made it easy to relax and rest your handbag or jacket. Will definitely be back!"

"On a week night Noir boasts the tranquil ambience of a french fusion dinner experience. A group of 4 of us decided for a dinner outing at Noir. To our suprise we were met with a dimmed dining room, and well taken care of by both the server and manager. The food was scrumptuous and provided an explosion of flavours, the deserts were a great addition to the 3 course meals. The wines list was extensive and with the resturant’s manager, the accompanying wines made dinner more enjoyable for everyone. I highly reccomend that you give Noir a chance for an adventerous dinner experience."

"Delicious French cuisine that was enjoyed by everyone. We ordered the set menu ($59) but had vegetarian requirements and they were happy to change the menu to cater. We also wanted to try the snails which we ordered separately. Small compact restaurant but very comfortable and not too fancy that we had to eat quietly. We were served by a lovely waitress (name was Meaghan I think) who was so accommodating and gave us a lovely friendly happy vibe. Delicious food, fantastic atmosphere and great service what more could you ask for."

"Delicious set lunch under $50- two courses with a glass of wine. We both had the kingfish tartare as a starter and it was light and fresh and delicious. My bouillabaisse as a main was wonderful and felt like a warm hug on a cold autumn (feels like winter!) day. Again, the seafood was super fresh. I tried my friend’s polenta w chestnut pesto and that was wonderful as well. We vowed to bring our friends to try their dinner menu one night!"

"The inside of Noir is simple but elegant. It’s a relatively small joint, and from your table you can see the small team of chefs working efficiently in the kitchen. Prawn Tortellini. The fact they served whole prawns along with the prawn in the tortellini was oddly amusing to me. Not sure why. In any case the whole prawn and the pasta itself were both perfectly cooked. The bisque was delicious, although the dish could have perhaps done with a little more of it. But it’s depth of flavour and the acidity from the tomato nevertheless did there jobs. It was surprisingly light as well. The only thing I could say is that the tortellini could have perhaps used a bit more seasoning or a squeeze of lemon or something. The snails, to be honest I don’t have much to say except it was pretty bloody good. I haven’t eaten much in the way of snail so don’t have much to compare it to. But my tongue liked but I was giving it so that’s good enough for me. For mains, starting with the duck. The fat was really well rendered, so no issue with having to cut off excess fatty bits. Not the best duck dish I’ve had, but pretty decent and no real complaints. The steak was served with chips and a simple salad. The chips were decent and the salad was adequate, but let’s face it, in a dish like this, everything but the steak is basically irrelevant. With that in mind, the steak was juicy, tender and flavourful. Not to mention perfectly cooked. And the sauce wasn’t too bad either. The last main was the lamb. The parsnip purée was delicious and the brussel sprouts weren’t too bad, maybe a little over charred. Which is a shame, because the lamb was tough beyond measure. It took me somewhere from 20 seconds to a minute to chew through each mouthful, and even longer to actually cut a piece off in the first place. I’m not sure exactly how they cooked it, but if they grilled it I would seriously consider reviewing the cut or the cooking method, as lamb leg does not lend itself well to quick cooking. It’s a pity was the lamb was actually pretty tasty. The whole dish was just overshadowed by how tough it was And dessert: pineapple soufflé. I’m ashamed to say I hadn’t had a soufflé before this point. But now I shall go out of my way to have more. Extremely light, heavy pineapple flavour. Very enjoyable. There was a slight bitter or acrid taste, so not perfect. But I’d still eat it again. A very enjoyable night, with one unenjoyable dish (which I do not think reflects the overall quality of the restaurant, but is reflected in my score nonetheless). 7.75/10"