Le Mistral - WILLUNGA

We came for lunch on a Saturday in July. The weather was terrible, cold and raining with forecast of storms. Le Mistral was dry and comfortable- not hugely warm which was good as we didn't freeze when we left. It is a small restaurant, wooden floors and chairs with small tables. it looks rustic with simple table settings. As it was our first visit- we decided to go 'traditional' in our choices. When I think of French food I think of decadence in relation to butter and garlic, cheese and pastry. We had the onion tart and snails with beef cheek croquette to start- the snails were lovely, firm but juicy and dainty- the croquette was moist. The aioli was subtle in flavour although you could taste the anchovies- it wasn't strong (and I don't like anchovies at all). The tart was a perfect balance of crisp pasty, sweet onion, creamy cheese and lightly acidic tomatoes to balance. The side bits of salad were dressed and tasted lovely. We decided to share the Rib eye house special - the herb salad is the perfect side- with pickled beetroot and luscious herbs- it balances the richness of the rib eye perfectly. The Bearnaise was smooth and the French fries seasoned perfectly and crisp. Couldn't really taste the coffee and pepper butter that was with the rib eye- but the meat was so lovely we didn't care. We ordered a side of green vegetables with almond and garlic butter. This turned up as brussel sprouts, broccolini and sauteed kale. The flavour on this was amazing! The garlic level was perfect- this met all expectations. We had chosen at the beginning to have the set 3 course for $59 (which just means you order what you want but order all three courses at the beginning. Creme Brulee and Souffle for dessert. Both lovely- was the souffle a little eggy? Was the creme caramel a little too sweet?? Matter of opinion- we loved the both. This is a small menu small establishment next to a pub in the heart of Willunga. Did we feel like we were in a rustic French farmhouse? No, just we did feel indulged. Lovely menu- will keep eye on the website for updates to see what changes they have so we can go again (this is only thing that would stop us immediately re-booking- the limited menu- I don't eat seafood so the options are limited at the moment from what we saw).

Great food in a very friendly environment. We were two couples who had a very lovely afternoon together. Well recommended

We had the set menu and we were so glad we did. We each chose something different and shared enabling us to try a bit of everything. The food was amazing and the serving size was perfect. By the end of the meal we all felt pleasantly satisfied. The service was excellent, our waitress was always there when we needed yet we were never interrupted unessecarily and enjoyed some quiet time to ourselves. We were there to celebrate my birthday and was so happy to have a little booth in a nook all to ourselves. The atmosphere in the restaurant was wonderful and we enjoyed lively conversation in between listening to the lilting tones of French lounge music. It was perfect. In the end we spent three hours enjoying beautiful food, French champagne and each other's company. Thank you so much Le Mistral for sharing delicious French food and for making my birthday special. The candle with my soufflé was such a nice surprise (now titled my birthday soufflé).

Our group of 14 could not fault any of our 3 course meal. We all envied each other for their choices, but also loved our own. Presentation was 'spot on' & time between courses worked well, neither rushed or dragged out. The apple tart dessert was to die for, the lightest crispiest pastry ever!!! We felt quite spoilt when we received homemade nougat with our coffees at the end. On a cold winters day it was a cosy atmosphere. The only negative was perhaps the higher local wine prices being in a wine district, but a choice of international wines was a bonus.

The scoring system in TripAdvisor is a bit annoying. We liked our meal here a lot. It is good but not perfect so would give a 4.5 if was allowed.Four of us dined on a quiet and wet Sunday evening. It is a classical French restaurant. Nothing on the menu is out of the ordinary but it is a very good eating experience at a fair price. If you want to dine at very good value the 59$ for 3 courses is top value but limited choice. Some of the more expensive dishes have a small surcharge. However, by Melbourne prices it is still good value. You can get a very good wine for 45$ also.For entree we had the snails which my wife loved and we had the scallops which also were cooked perfectly, a good start to the meal.My partner and son shared the huge 800gm Rib Eye with bernaise sauce, fries and a good salad. It was cooked exactly as ordered, medium rare and was divine eating. Top marks to the chef. My son's partner and I had the bouillabaisse. It was very good, not quite to the standard of the beef but still vg eating. It had a nice broth with two lovely garfish, to be excellent the puppies and mussels needed to be better - larger. The accompanying sourdough and vegetables were also very good.We finished off with excellent desserts. Hard to select the best but the chocolate fondant special was special and the peanut butter ice cream with the chocolate tart was also divine. My wife absolutely loved the almost perfect soufflé.Highly recommended if you are in the Wilunga area. A very good and very fairly priced dining experience.