First Look: Entrecote’s Lavish New Bar, Gigi, Is a Taste of High-Society Paris
Jason Jones and Brahman Perera have adorned the 60-seat salon and outdoor terrace with Persian rugs and chandeliers. Order luxe (but playful) French-Australiana bar food like beef bourguignon party pies, “petit franks” and a standout chicken sandwich.
by Sarah Palmieri · BroadsheetOne in, one out. So it is on Greville Street, where Gigi Salon á Champagne last night replaced Rufus, the champagne bar named after Winston Churchill’s dog. At the helm are restaurateur Jason M Jones and interior designer Brahman Perera, the power couple behind Entrecote and Hopper Joint.
After a five-month renovation, the hidden upstairs space has transformed into a 60-seat salon, gallery and outdoor terrace taking cues from high-society Paris. It’s all adorned with Persian rugs, crystal chandeliers, velvet banquettes, and walls hand-painted by Melissa Macfarlane.
“We wanted to bring back the exuberance of the ’80s,” Jones tells Broadsheet.
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Jones, who began his restaurant journey in 1994 with Jason’s Restaurant in Gippsland at the age of 17, marks this opening as his 32nd restaurant. He’s committed to the area. “If it’s not on Greville Street, I won’t be doing it,” he says.
The drinking-friendly menu is a playful mash-up of vintage Australiana and classic French food. Party pies come filled with beef bourguignon, footy franks are rebranded “petit franks” and the prawn “cocktail’ette” comes with Marie Rose sauce mousseline. Fun!
Straighter dishes include caviar rosti with crème fraîche, a tuna tartare tartlet with piment d’espelette pepper, a hulking emmental burger, chocolate mousse with Chantilly cream and Jason’s self-proclaimed “best toasted sandwich”, the Happy Chicken.
On the wine list, find gems like Suenen champagne from Champagne, Tolpuddle chardonnay from Tasmania, and Tenimenti d’Alessandro syrah from Tuscany, just to name a few. And when it comes to cocktails, there’s an Espresso Martini with chocolate truffle, brandied cherries, and coconut madeleine; and the Gigi, made with elderflower, sweet pea and gin.
Melbourne is embracing the trend of restaurants opening spin-off bars. Think places like Gimlet’s Apollo Inn, Scopri’s Bar Olo, and France-Soir’s new Le Splendide. There’s something romantic about grabbing a drink at one spot, then strolling over for a meal at another.
“It reminds me of when hotels had great bars and restaurants – where you'd hear, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll have a table for you here and there,” Jones says.
Gigi Salon á Champagne
1/143 Greville Street, Prahran
No phone
Hours
Wed to Sun 5pm–1am