La Lune

Samuel Davies and Helen Pow have both spent time living and working in New York, and their East Freo eatery, La Lune, is an homage to the little bistros they’d frequent in Lower Manhattan and elsewhere: places that are fun, casual and support their surrounding neighbourhood.

They’ve taken over the former George Street Quarters to create an all-day venue, open from morning to late, which serves everything from coffee to crème caramel and cognac suppers. Framed vintage liqueur and exhibition posters crowd the walls. Bentwood chairs, mirrors, frosted glass and other yesteryear flourishes are everywhere. The floor is caked with black and white tiling, including a mosaic spelling out the restaurant’s name.

The cooking, meanwhile, isn’t exactly your grandmere’s French or something you’d find at worn comptoir somewhere in Paris’s 6th arrondissement. Instead, expect the kind of slick brasserie cooking served at NYC establishments such as Balthazar and Buvette.

For those landing on La Lune for snacks and something light, there’s house-made charcuterie (chicken pate, duck rillettes and rabbit and pork terrine, say) and cheese. A traditional niçoise salad and asparagus vinaigrette tick the boxes for lighter lunching. For those chasing something a little more substantial, consider the entrecote (the French word for boneless ribeye) with cafe de Paris butter, hanger steak au poivre (pepper steak), or burger. West Australian seafood is another key part of the equation.

The breakfast offering features plenty of house-baked pastries, egg dishes and French open-faced sandwiches known as tartines.

The drinks list includes a solid showing of French and Australian wines, on-theme cocktails and a selection of pastis, France’s famous anise-flavoured liqueurs: all excellent choices for those seated at the bar or on the terraces outdoors.