They had me at ‘bottomless fries’.
Last night I went to the opening of Les Bubbles, a French bistro in the soon-to-be Little Wick region of Fortitude Valley, on the corner of Wickham and Little Streets.
Housed in what was once an illegal casino, bathhouse and brothel at the center of the Fitzgerald inquiry of the 1980s, the first thing that caught my eye was the neon sign above the bar proclaiming, “We regret to inform you we are no longer a brothel”.
With the building’s colourful history splashed across its exposed brick walls, this was my kind of place.
The card decks of the 70s and 80s have been replaced with red leather booths, a black and white tiled floor and an open kitchen—staffed mostly by French chefs—runs almost the length of one wall.
In the restaurant, the cocktail menu is short, but what they do, they do well and I highly recommend the Cheeky French Maid, a refreshing twist of vodka, pineapple, creme de cassis and lemon served over crushed ice. I could have sat and drank them all night long.
When it comes to food; it’s hard to go past the Steak Frites … mostly because, aside from dessert, there’s nothing else to be found on the menu!
Don’t worry if steak isn’t your thing, there are vegetarian and pescatarian options available on a separate menu.
Obviously I ordered the Steak Frites ($33), served with the Cafe de Paris sauce. The dish also comes with a warm baguette and creamy butter, fresh salad and bottomless fries.
Yes, bottomless fries. If you keep asking for them, and eating them, they’ll keep bringing them.
Having said that, if I ate a bottomless amount of fries, I’m fairly certain I would end up with a bottom of Kardashian proportions!
My steak was cooked to medium perfection and practically melted in my mouth although after indulging in more than my fair share of bread, and Cheeky French Maids, I couldn’t fit in dessert (where’s my second stomach gone?!), so I’ll be heading back to try the chocolate soufflé.
Once you’ve finished upstairs, head down the stairs to the side of the bar to the Bath House, an underground bar with a 15-seat spa bath and, according to the website, “enough alcohol to fill it 20 times over. Ask for a drink anytime shy of 3am and your request will be serviced in exactly the manner you desire”.
Bonjour!
Also, keep an eye out later this year for the opening of Little Wick Winery which will be Queensland’s first urban winery where all wines will be available on tap, taking it straight from the barrel to the glass.
Enchanté, Les Bubbles, I’ll be back for sure.
Les Bubbles is open 5pm until 1am, seven nights a week and Friday lunch from 12pm. 144 Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley.