Hervé’s Restaurant & Bar

Hervé’s Restaurant & Bar is a stunning loft-style French restaurant and bar occupying the top floor of an old dance studio in an historic Albion timber mill.

The jewel in the crown of Craft'd Grounds, the old timber mill-turned dining and drinking hub, Hervé’s is accessed via downstairs where, to the rear, a set of stairs and a lift will take you to the next floor.

The striking raked-ceiling space is divided into two, with a chic lounge bar featuring a terrazzo topped bar to one side of the stairs and elevator and the dining room, with its exposed iron beams, polished wooden floors and bespoke lighting to the other.

As well as a dining destination, Hervé’s is the perfect spot to drop in for an after-work drink and delectable bar snack, with a concise menu of bespoke French-style cocktails and a staggering wine list including a vast selection from the best wine regions in France as well as a dedicated list for Corsican wines (a must-try!).

A walkway connects the bar and restaurant, hemmed by an open kitchen with a number of chef stations, featuring a seafood section, a woodfired oven and a pastry counter.

Diners can take a seat at the European cafe style tables with Bentwood chairs, or along one of the banquettes which divide the room into sections. Bifold doors open onto tiny balconies and one area to the rear can be partitioned off for group gatherings.

The exquisite menu, made from carefully sourced quality products, includes Amuse Bouches such as Pomme Soufflé with Oscietra Caviar; Coal Fired Flinders Island Scallop or 2gr Wagyu & Snail brochette with Cafe de Paris.

Entrees might include Ravioli of Rock Lobster (highly recommended); Potato and Leek Veloute and Hand Cut Black Angus Steak Tartare, while a dedicated oyster/caviar/seafood menu offers Sturia Caviar with buttermilk crumpet & Tommerup's Farm creme fraiche; signature oysters with natural with tabasco & lemon or XO Kilpatrick from the coal oven, as well as a decadent Seafood Platter (oysters, Flinders Island scallops, Moreton Bay bug, king prawns, Fraser Island crab and tuna crudo).

A small selection of steaks includes dishes like 180g Black Angus Tenderloin or 2TGR Pure Breed Qld Wagyu MB7 with horseradish mustard and shiraz jus and other mains include Coal Grilled Moreton Bay Bug (must try); Artichoke & Little Acre Mushroom Fricassee and Wood-fired Fillet of Murray Cod.

With an emphasis on the first courses, Hervé’s pays homage to dessert with a daily made creation by the inhouse baker/pastry chef (who also makes the heavenly inhouse baguettes) and might include a traditional French tarte or similar.

Good to know - The laneway out back of Craft'd Grounds, which will feature a plant wall, will be the street entry to Hervé’s Restaurant & Bar once completed.

Need to know - There is on-street parking available on Collingwood and Fox Streets, as well as a small public car park backing onto Crosby Park.

The menu may have changed since our visit.