Chef Luke Mangan is well known in Sydney for his restaurants Luke’s Kitchen, Luc-San and even his 2022 pop-up restaurant in Sydney Harbour Bridge’s south-eastern pylon.

Now the chef, who once trained under the revered Michel Roux at The Waterside Inn in England, is opening a “relaxed” French-style bistro in Melbourne.

“We’ve created a thoughtful menu full of classics like steak frites, an incredible twice-baked gruyere souffle and apple tarte tatin, with modern twists,” Mangan said in a statement.

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The bistro will be in Hotel Indigo Melbourne, a Flinders Lane hotel inspired by fashion photographer and “king of kink” Helmut Newton. The new restaurant will take over the former Beso space, a Spanish restaurant that closed after less than a year. Bistrot Bisou is expected to open at the beginning of next month.

Mangan is joined by head chef Rory Kennedy (ex-Vex Dining and Bar Romantica). The team plans to make use of the open kitchen’s woodfired grill and will smoke salmon in-house. The wine list will lean largely French and Australian.

Mangan says the restaurant’s leather banquettes, marble benchtops and red leather bar stools will make you “feel like you’ve taken a trip to Paris”.

Bistrot Bisou is expected to open in June 2024 at 575 Flinders Lane.