In those days gay meant something completely different, as I dutifully ­explained to my youthful companions as we shared a goat’s cheese soufflé ($16) at ­Madame Rouge in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley. I can’t say I saw any butterflies dancing, but it was splendidly executed. The same could be said for the tarte aux pomme ($15) at the other end of the meal. The apple tart was a sweet treat with flaky pastry of a standard you might expect at Galvin la Chapelle in London’s Spital Square, a Michelin-starred restaurant which specialises in this fare. It’s worth a trip to London just to taste the Galvin brothers’ tarte Tatin. The Madame Rouge tart was enriched with the addition of Calvados (apple brandy) ice cream.

So just when you thought Fortitude Valley had become too hip for its own good, along comes Madame Rouge, ­serving French bistro fare with its heart in another age. An unkind observer might dismiss it as a themed restaurant. In truth it is. But it has truckloads of atmosphere and competent cooking, so what’s wrong with that? If restaurants were people, ­Madame Rouge would be a can-can girl cartwheeling across the stage like a ­dancer in a smoky Montmartre club immortalised in the paintings of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

Madame Rouge is a sultry dame with dark red carpets and curtains. In a corner, beyond the marble bar, we squeezed into a half-moon banquette and enjoyed the theatre of it all. The room was filled with jazz and Latin rhythms. Hot wax dripped from the candles into a silver tray on our table just as Peggy Lee broke into Fever.

Then the entrees arrived. The duck liver parfait ($20) was another mem­orable dish, although my tasting panel gave a unanimous thumbs-down to the rubbery chargrilled octopus ($20) served with paprika-stained kipfler spuds.

The wine list was a trophy cabinet that included Louis Roederer Cristal ($490), Leeuwin Estate Prelude Chardonnay ($78), and Felton Road Bannockburn Pinot Noir ($145). There were many sub-$50 bottles, and our French guest mercifully chose a bottle of Veuve Ambel Cremant de Bourgogne ($58).

The last time the gang was here it was a Spanish restaurant called Gorditas. ­Madame Rouge is the brainchild of Mary Randles, partner of e’cco bistro maestro Philip Johnson. Johnson helped inspire the menu.

Our main courses continued the hit parade of French classics. We shared a slow-cooked duck leg with lentils and black cabbage ($32). A deboned quail stuffed with chicken mousse ($19) resembled a squashed tennis ball but was nonetheless tasty.

My least favourite dish was a lamb breast with petits pois (sweet baby peas with butter and speck) a la Francaise ($34). However, the gnocchi a la parisienne ($30), with blue cheese, tomato and basil, was a triumph, a simple vegetarian treat that worked on every level. It won my panel’s dish-of-the-day award.

This review originally appeared on couriermail.com.au.