Member Review by R.P. Goldsmith

Authentic French crepes at bargain prices?oui, merci!

Away from the rest of the cafes and restaurants in Gertrude St. Fitzroy, sits the Breizoz French Creperie, a small restaurant that you can imagine would fit in quite well in a small laneway in Paris, or a small town somewhere in rural France. The emphasis here is on simple, quality produce, traditional cookery and great prices.
The menu consists of ?Les Galettes?, (savoury crepes) which are actually a buckwheat crepe differing from the crepes used for sweets. It starts simply -each galette has a few ingredients folded into it - you may like a simple butter or mushroom crepe to start with or maybe ham & egg or another simple choice. It gets more complex from there with goats cheese, ratatouille, smoked salmon, spicy lamb sausage or any of the regular specials making tasty and interesting choices including several suitable for vegetarians. Prices vary according to the type and amount of ingredients in each crepe, with most crepes somewhere around the $8 mark, and nothing over $15 (for Black Pudding & Onion or the biggest - The Brick or "Le Pave").
Traditional ciders imported from France for authenticity and priced at just $13 per bottle make the perfect accompaniment. Australian ciders are available too, and are slightly stronger in the alcohol department, but why not stick with the authentic stuff? Truth is, the French cider suits the flavours better anyway.
?Les Crepes? for dessert again start with simple choices such as Butter & Sugar, Jam or Honey & Lemon. More involved flavours include Chestnut, Banana & Chocolate or Jaffa among the popular choices. Special choices from the flamb? menu include Grand Marnier or Praline & Cointreau. Their creamy real vanilla ice-cream (made on their Williamstown premises) is an added bonus. Standard desserts range from $5 to $9 or $11 for most flamb? options. They do great coffee too.
Service is fast and friendly, the d?cor is simple (think French provincial) and I always find this a perfect spot for a quick, authentic and delightful bite. Perfectly suited for a quick pre-theatre dinner, parking is usually available near the door on Gertrude St. Prices are such that if you are still hungry you can just order another and know it will definitely not break the bank. You can certainly indulge here ? go all out with two galettes, a dessert crepe and a glass of cider and you will walk away well satisfied for under $30.