Nichols food and wine bar is a small place divided into two sections: it has a sunken level upon entry that houses comfy couches and mini tables to enjoy wine with friends and a dining section a few stairs up. Exposed red brick walls, dim lighting, black and white photographs, and soft lounge music give the place a relaxed and sophisticated ambiance. Even after a high-paced week, I couldn't help but feel calm in such a space. The service is the same: laid back, but knowledgeable — about both the food and wine.

For a place that seems to be balancing quality in-house made food with choice, the menu is a decent size: there are about five entrees and mains each, around 10 grazing plates, a handful of specials, including 5 desserts. About a third of the dishes are gluten free and any of the pasta dishes can be accommodated upon request (with rice and corn flour pasta).  I was also informed by the waitress that the chef, at times, makes some of the savoury tarts on the menu with gluten-free flour, but there weren’t any available on the night.

After a bit of a wait, my entrée of chicken and prosciutto salad ($12.50) arrived. Graced with spinach leaves, tomatoes and just the right amount of French dressing — it was both generous and yummy. My main meal was exceptional: I had the duck leg confit ($27); it was how it should be — soft, moist and ‘fall off the bone’ type of meat. The dish came with a potato and rosemary rosti, roasted parsnip and plenty of jus — yummy! I also had a side of perfectly cooked green beans ($8) with butter and crunchy toasted almond slithers. A flourless orange cake, served with lemon infused quince and ice cream, sealed off my evening nicely. I left happy and extremely full — and vouched to be back for more.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Nichols food and wine bar,
375 Nicholson St,
Carlton
03 9347 1007

Thankfully, it was easy. As a Breton institution, what’s served here are actually galettes, not crêpes, usually made with a mix of buckwheat and wheat flour. The galettes here are gluten-free thanks to being made completely with buckwheat rather than partially but they don’t have that bitter flavour that I have to mask with sugar and vanilla when I make buckwheat crêpes at home. The owner says that’s because the buckwheat he gets here is very finely ground and different from the buckwheat he worked with in France. I’m guessing it’s worth looking at the country of origin on my next sack of buckwheat flour or going directly to the mill myself.

Le Triskel uses gluten-free soy milk, so not only would my galette be safe for me to eat but I could finish with a café au lait. Almost everything on the menu comes with cheese or bechamel, so if you’re one of the lucky ones, you’ll be fine. I was content with old standards — egg, ham and mushroom or egg and tomato. The cheesy options look absolutely delicious (oh, how I miss melted gruyère…).

All meals are served with a green salad, which is small but fresh and dressed well.

The owner wasn’t quite sure whether any of the French ciders were gluten-free and none of them said so on the label. I took a flyer for one (Manoir du Kinkiz) and tried to look it up online but the site didn’t mention it either. I’ll try to find out and update this review at a later date. 

Of course there are dessert crêpes: pear and melted chocolate, banana and almonds, cinnamon apple with calvados… which can all be done on a 100% buckwheat crêpe instead of the traditional sweet wheat crêpe. 

For a quick lunch at a reasonable price, Le Triskel will stay on the list of places to go for me. Merci a tous. Je vous verrai a la prochaine.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Le Triskel,
32 Hardware Ln,
Melbourne 3000
Phone: 0466 406 404