Maison Bâtard occupies 19-23 Bourke Street in Melbourne's CBD, a project restaurateur Chris Lucas spent almost a decade bringing to life, integrating three heritage buildings into one four-level French dining destination. Lucas, known for Chin Chin, Society and Grill Americano, positioned the venue as a legacy project reviving the elegance of the Italian Society restaurant that first occupied the site in 1927. Executive chef Adam Sanderson, whose background includes Noma, The Fat Duck and locally Ten Minutes by Tractor and Bistro Guillaume, leads the kitchen alongside culinary director Damian Snell. Their approach favours lighter, fresher flavours over classical French heaviness, exemplified by dishes such as 12-hour brined rotisserie chicken with olives, inspired by Paris bistro Allard, and confit Ora King salmon with sauce verte. Each level offers a distinct experience: Restaurant Bâtard spans the ground and first floors with an oyster and caviar bar and smoked mirrors; Le Club is a velvet-clad basement supper club with live performances late Thursday to Saturday; and La Terrasse, a rooftop designed by landscape architect Paul Bangay, gives Melbourne one of its highest dining spaces with its own separate menu. The wine list is led by head of wine Loïc Avril. Maison Bâtard suits special-occasion dinners, business entertaining and anyone after an immersive, multi-level French dining experience in the heart of the CBD, with each floor offering a genuinely different atmosphere within the same building.
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