Madame Rouge is for the drinker, the thinker and the stayer. A rush to turn over tables gives way to a desire to have diners settle in and make a night of it – working their way through a heavily French-accented wine list of keenly priced, quality bottles, or perhaps a Frenchie-inspired cocktail or three.

And what a place it is to linger. Rich leather booths, dark-stained bentwood chairs and timber tables surround a central, curved bar glistening with hanging wine glasses. The whole space is moody, faintly lit and wrapped in red curtains for a touch of theatrics channelling France’s famed cabaret days at the Moulin Rouge.

Food is equally sumptuous, favouring French classics such as the timeless coq au vin featuring fall-off-the-bone tender chicken pieces lazing in a syrupy red wine sauce salted with speck and a coronary-inducing Paris mash. Confit duck follows a similar format: tender protein, crisp skin and a meaty jus to bring it all together.

Desserts are equally traditional: crème brulee, tarte au citron or, perhaps, raspberry soufflé – puffy, subtly flavoured, well-executed and accompanied by an obscenely good caramelised white chocolate ice cream.

Madame Rouge is the work of Mary Randles, wife of acclaimed E’cco Bistro, Brisbane chef and restaurateur Philip Johnson, and was created as a tribute to an old bistro she used to frequent in France. Although most diners will likely never go to the original, Randles’ nod to it certainly takes our hearts, minds and stomachs there.

Must-eat dish: Duck liver parfait
Instagram: @madamerougebistro