I am guilty of studying a restaurant’s menu in detail before I get there which can kill the joy of a great dining experience. The new Autumn/Winter degustation tasting menu at C’est Bon in Brisbane helped me rediscover the joy of a surprise and break this bad habit. Each course unfolds on its own terms, with the full menu revealed at the end of the night. The C’est Bon Chef’s Tasting Menu was waiting for us on the table, sealed with a red wax seal. When we opened it, we discovered not a list of dishes beautiful black and white line drawings of food items like a duck, goat, crab and a mushroom. With a pictorial degustation menu like this, each dish is a surprise. We loved how the menu gave us an idea of what to expect for each course without spoiling the surprise.

There is also wine matching available with the five and seven course C’est Bon degustation dinner at an additional cost which I would highly suggest that you do. Our first wine match, a glass of Franck Bonneville Champagne, got our meal off to a great start and was a perfect match for the delicate pumpkin tartlet and rich goat rib. Things got even better when the ‘bread’ arrived. The pain au bourdin is a twist on pain au chocolat, with the filling replaced by rich and tasty bourdin sausage. This was a standout dish and I am still regretting giving some of mine to my husband as I was worried that I’d get too full. Of course, I didn’t. With Chef Andy Ashby in charge, I should have known I was in capable hands and the meal would be perfectly proprotioned and paced.

The next dish is a showstopper featuring crab, corn and caviar and a chardonnay from Margaret River. Next, we moved on to the mushroom dish which has nicely balanced textures and featured pine needles and black garlic. This one of my favourite courses, although my husband didn’t care for the acidity of the French savagnin paired with this dish. Good news for me as I got to finish his glass, a fair trade for the earlier (foolish) sacrifice of my pain au bourdin!

For the next dish, we agreed the rich yet refined flavour of the Domaine des Sables Verts, Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux 2022 was the perfect match for the duck assiette. The creative presentation of the croquette using a duck foot could be a bit confronting for some diners, but we thought it was great.

From here, we moved to a rich veal delicate roast chicken served on a bed of mushrooms and corn. The dill garnish really added to this dish which was delicious, and shown off to the full with a perfect wine match, a unique vin jaune from the tiny Jura region in France. I’d never tasted a wine from the Jura and loved the gentle fizz and crisp apple and citrus flavours that reminded me of a classic French cider.

The creative cheese course resembled a granita, and came with fig and honey. It was sweet and savoury at the same time and superb. Dessert was almost too pretty to eat with crisp, colourful Autumn leaves made from celeriac. The custard apple ice cream was scooped tableside from a hollowed out celery root. The wine match for the cheese and dessert courses was a French sauterne. Loosening the belt a notch, we prepared for the encore, a trio of petite fours including my favourite, a macadamia nougat. When you dine at C’est Bon Restaurant & Bar you certainly don’t leave hungry – or disappointed.

C’est Bon is located at Woolloongabba near the Princess Theatre and the Autumn/Winter Chef’s Tasting Menu is available from Thursday to Saturday. It comes in two formats: five courses ($125pp) or seven courses ($155pp). For the wine pairing, you can choose from the Five Course Tour d’Australie ($69pp) or the Five Course Tour de France ($119pp), or the Seven Course Tour d’Australie ($99pp) or Seven Course Tour de France ($149pp).

Disclosure: The writers dined as guests of C’est Bon Restaurant and have also eaten there at their own expense. C’est Bon is one of their favourite Brisbane restaurants.

If you’re looking for accommodation in Brisbane, we have reviewed the Treasury Hotel, The Calile, The Alva Hotel, Ovolo The Valley, W Brisbane, Capri by Fraser Brisbane, Hilton Brisbane, The Johnson, NEXT Hotel Brisbane, Sage Hotel James Street, The Westin Brisbane, Oaks Brisbane Festival Suites, Royal on the Park, Ibis Styles Elizabeth Street, Sofitel Brisbane, Crystalbrook Vincent, The Inchcolm, Chester Hotel, and Pullman Brisbane Airport.