Melbourne's Best Creperies

If you're in the mood for French but can't afford the steep prices associated with this cuisine, why not indulge in a crepe or two? Creperies in Melbourne have received a popular following, after all, who can resist the supple, tender and delicate flavours of the crepe - sweet or savoury. Here are my favourite Creperies that I'm sure will make you lick your plates clean - Bon Apetit! Fraus Crepes & Chocolat When sisters Alex and Sonia Marciano traveled to Tuscany, Fraus was discovered. With a passion of serving dishes with quality ingredients, the Fraus experience is definitely memorable. Choose from a selection of wheat and gluten-free galettes (savory) and crepes (sweet), and not to mention their chocoholic's dream - thick, traditional Italian hot chocolate. The savoury dish of choice is the smoked salmon galette filled with melt-in-the-mouth salmon, rocket, capers and sour cream. And if you can stomach dessert, the apple and cinnamon crepe is simply delightful. 345 Victoria Street, North Melbourne 3051 (03) 9328 8999 www.fraus.com.au Choix Creperie Cafe If you've never been to France but have reminisced about the day you wonder down a cobbled laneway towards a chic eatery that serves an abundance of fresh crepes, then Choix is for you - but good luck finding it! Nestled in a hidden laneway, this cozy creperie is adorned with kitsch decor from a bygone era and a handful of wooden tables. The best dish in this petit salon is the duck galette, where succulent pieces of Peking duck are encased in soft decadent silk-like dough and garnished with plum sauce and a sprig of spring onion. Tres bien! Shop G22, Liberty Lane, 620 Collins Street, Melbourne 3000 (03) 9629 1883 Breizoz French Creperies Bringing you a selection of buckwheat and wheat crepes from recipes that originated from Brittany, Breizoz offers an authentic menu and atmosphere at two buzzing Melbourne locations. As owner and pastry chef Jean-Marie Blanchot suggests, his crepes are best enjoyed with a glass of apple cider ala Brittany and Normandy. For those with a grumbling tum, look forward to the selection of nearly 50 crepes, not including their daily specials. My favourite is choosing one of their half a dozen les crepes flambees varieties including: Grand Marnier, chestnut and rum and the delicious praline and Cointreau ... a flaming experience that definitely lingers on the taste buds! 139 Nelson Pl, Williamstown 3016 (03) 9397 2300 Cnr. Gertrude and Brunswick Streets, Fitzroy 3065 (03) 9415 7588 www.breizoz.com.au Roule Galette - French Creperie Let Michel and his staff bring a little bit of France to you as soon as you step foot in his tros chic creperie. If you are fortunate to indulge in a crepe on a sunny Melbourne day then sit outside in the laneway and enjoy the sounds of Michel singing French or playing French music as you watch the passers-by. The menu is nearly all French but don't despair if you are not up to scratch with your pronunciation as Michel will relay your orders in his 'typically' French accent. The chevre galette is do die for, filled with farm goat's cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and covered with fresh spinach. The escargot galette is simply that, a traditionally Bretagne buck-wheat flour crepe filled with eight snails and smothered in a white sauce with garlic and parsley - that's one to build my strength up for! Scott Alley, 241 Flinders Lane, Melbourne 3000 (03) 9639 0307 www.roulegalette.com.au Ichipan Crepes Although Ichipan may stick out like a sore thumb in terms of not being typically French cuisine, it is definitely Japan's take on the crepe! Situated in one of Melbourne's newest laneways in Melbourne Central, Ichipan brings back my happy memories of Tokyo's Crazy Crepes - a tiny booth fronted by display cabinets filled with plastic models of every crepe variety you can possibly fathom! Ichipan Crepes is just as quirky and colourful as its Japanese counterpart and even serves the myriad of crepe varieties - strawberries with nuts, chocolate and cream; Nutella with chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce and nuts; banana and chocolate; and not to mention the savoury crepes including chicken, cheese and virtually any other combination you want to concoct. L1, Shop 148 Knox Place, Melbourne Central, Melbourne 3000 (03) 9654 9775 Reviewed by Monica