Le Doyenné x Brae
- Gastronome and the City
- Mar 26
- 2 min read
Birregurra, Victoria. Melbourne Food & Wine Festival 2026.
Before the table, there is the place.
Late March in Birregurra carries a particular stillness. The orchard softens at the edges. Light diffuses across the farmhouse. The season begins its quiet turn. It is here, at Brae, that Le Doyenné was set.
For one afternoon, the sensibility of Le Doyenné, known for its seasonal, farm-led approach outside Paris, met Brae’s philosophy of place. The result was a menu that moved with autumn's expression. It reflected what was growing, what was ready, and what would soon pass.
The opening set the tone. A cold pressing of late summer fruit and vegetables, followed by barbajuan and Brae Farm crudités. Bonito with confit shallot carried quiet precision. Beans and mussels, lifted with clam juice and yellow wine, drew the palate toward the coast without leaving the orchard.
Courses unfolded with restraint. Pumpkin braised with seaweed, finger lime and garlic chive. Shiso leaf and golden beetroot. Liquorice root with wakame and roasted fig. Each combination appeared simple, yet lingered with intention.
A Brae Farm vegetable garden course marked a point of alignment between land, season and philosophy shared across both kitchens.
From there, the structure deepened. Southern rock lobster with bisque carried weight without excess. Aged Berkshire pork échine with ratatouille anchored the menu, paired with a Macedon Pinot Noir that mirrored the landscape in tone and subtlety.
Dessert returned to the orchard. Frozen berry crumble with chocolate and coconut cream. Plum with aniseed myrtle. Rhubarb and fennel mille-feuille. A choux à la crème to close.
Wines moved between South Australia, Victoria and the Loire Valley, reinforcing the dialogue.
The defining moment was not on the plate.
Four guests, previously unacquainted, were brought together on a communal table. Conversation developed organically, through alignment.
There is a particular kind of luxury in this. A mutual experience guided by the same pace as the kitchen.
For a few hours, the moment extended beyond the courses. It became something held collectively, defined as much by those seated as by those cooking.
This is where the collaboration found clarity.
Le Doyenné was complementary to Brae. Through the orchard, across the table and into the rhythm of the afternoon. French ethos, grounded in Australian soil.
Seasonal. Country. Elegance.
Brae
4285 Cape Otway Road
Birregurra VIC 3242
Australia
+61 3 5236 2226
@braerestaurant
Le Doyenné
5 Rue Saint-Antoine
91770 Saint-Vrain
France
+33 1 60 80 00 99
@le_doyennerestaurant_
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