A French flavour continued after Bastille Day last week, with Graham Fear turning on beef bourgignon and Paris mash, But first, with assistance from Steve Liebeskind, he had some smashing entrees, particularly a spanner crab mayonnaise (with fresh crab wrangled by Graham from a grateful client) served on ceramic spoons; also a very good foie gras imported from France and smoked salmon with mascarpone in novelty edible pastry spoons. The principal aperitif wine was the 2006 Anne Semillon from McWilliams, mature and drinking well albeit straightforwardly . There were others, including the seasonally popular amontillado sherry from Lustau.

The main course had been advertised as burgundian pie, but what we got was superior beef bourgignon in a bowl topped by a crisp cap of puff pastry. No matter: the meat was wagyu, cooked with speck pieces but without thickeners in a mirepoix of aromatic vegetables with plenty of good (WA) red wine and herbs, notably bay leaves and thyme. Great consistency and flavour, and served with a separate bowl of severely artery-clogging Paris Mash, smooth and oozing dairy. Both ideal on a fine but cold winter's day. The matching wines, served masked, were from the cool climate end of the shiraz spectrum: a 2011 Jamsheed syrah from the Grampian area in Victoria, and a 2010 Clonakilla Hilltops shiraz from near Young. Both had the elegance and pepper influences of cool climate grapes, the Clonakilla being bigger and better balanced, the Jamsheed showing some green fruit characters.

We were still (just) in France for the cheese, an Ossau Iraty ewes' milk number from the Basque area in S-W France. Inside a hard crust was a moist pale semi-hard paste with oily, nutty flavours, a touch of lanolin and a lovely granular texture. It was well matched with a salad of sliced pear, walnuts and watercress dressed with a balsamic dressing, and with a contrasting set of reds: a soft earthy Macquariedale Thomas shiraz of 2003 from the Hunter; and an inky, hot and porty Kalleske Pirathon shiraz of 2007 from the Barossa, featuring an alcohol count of 15%.

The coffee was an unidentified house blend from Forsyths, good rich chocolate in the mouth balanced by some acid notes but a relatively short finish.