Restaurants in Melbourne come in many forms. We’ve done dinners in trams and had burgers in old train carriages on rooftops. Now we have Le Plonc, a restaurant and wine bar that’s been, er, plonked in designer-furniture showroom James Said in upmarket Armadale. Yes, a place where you can have Champagne and filet mignon, then take home a plush royal-blue armchair in the back of your Range Rover.

Le Plonc is the first Aussie venue for Melbourne-born lawyer Nadia Karkar and her husband, joining their two Californian wine bars of the same name. Before you visit, know that the High Street venue is a bit fancy. You’ll see it in the Hollywood-glam interior designed by Greg Natale, feel it in the heavy crystal tumblers and skinny cutlery on the black-laquered dining tables and hear it in the tinkling jazz piano on the playlist as you walk in.

You’ll also taste it in chef Allison Hartmire’s cooking. Butter-poached prawns, for instance, loll in a golden bisque that’s so good I curse my skinny spoon for not being able to scoop up the liquid quickly enough. The signature duck confit à la Plonc is also very good, all crisp skin and tender meat and served with a zingy salad of watercress, fennel and orange to counter the richness.

You’ll need a side – try the buttery mash spiked with French truffle. And perhaps double down on truffle with the excellent gnocchi pan-sizzled in butter with sage and generously finished with giant curls of truffle.

Most mains are over $40 and you’ll need an entrée and dessert to fill up, so it’s no steal. Fortunately the French- leaning wine list has some relatively reasonably priced drops by the glass.

The prices here won’t deter the well-heeled Armadale folk or special- occasion diners, but those with less- deep pockets should proceed with caution or perhaps to the nearest rooftop train carriage.