Maison Bâtard had become Melbourne hospitality’s white whale – forever on the horizon, just beyond reach. Now, eight years after Lucas Restaurants took possession of the Bourke Street site, the four-storey mega venue reveals (almost) all on 26 November.

When Chris Lucas acquired 19-21 Bourke Street in 2018, it was already a tall order – a narrow wedge of a building on the top end of Bourke Street. However before it could be completed, an opportunity too good to resist arose: the owners of The Italian Society, an iconic 1930s-founded restaurant that formerly occupied 23-29 Bourke Street, offered the iconic space to Lucas, effectively tripling the footprint overnight. Looking up at it now, you’d never know this beautiful building was ever divided.

The launch next week will unveil three of the four levels (a basement late-night jazz club will debut on New Year’s Eve), all modelled on French gastronomy. Extending over the first two levels, the signature Gallic restaurant will deliver the grandiose first impression that’s become Lucas Restaurants’ MO.

Lucas Culinary Director Damian Snell has developed the menu with Executive Chef Adam Sanderson, a graduate of The Fat Duck in the UK and Copenhagen legend Noma. The menu is filled with heavy hitting Gallic favourites, from a classic roast chicken (from on a rotisserie constantly rotating behind the open kitchen) to a classic fruits rouge with feather-light Chantilly cream and fresh seasonal berries. A caviar menu offers delicate small bites; while the oyster bar offers a daily selection representing up to 10 distinct regions or species.

A grand staircase ushers guests upward through the second-floor salon –  anchored by an antique French chandelier Sarah and Chris Lucas picked up in Europe – which will act as overflow for the restaurant and event space. It keeps winding on up onto the crowning affair: the Bâtard rooftop bar Le Terasse.

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Drawing inspiration from the legendary bar of the grand Hôtel Costes in Paris, the open-air terrace is flanked by cafe seating, including a sunken marble Champagne bar. A 50-year-old maple tree was craned in to complete a lush internal garden, where the doors will be thrown open on warm days. On cold days, the internal fireplace calls. 

In keeping with the Francophile theme, Champagne dominates a drinks list curated by Lucas Restaurants’ director of wine Loïc Avril, as well as lesser-known Champagne cocktails and classic martinis. The snacky all-day bar menu includes still more caviar and bigger plates such as the signature Le Cheeseburger – an allegedly ‘drip-free’ take that the Lucas team is confident will soon rank among Melbourne’s best. 

Maison Bâtard opens on 26 November at 23 Bourke Street, Melbourne, with Le Club opening on 31 December.