Kara Monssen visits Windsor’s new ‘it’ restaurant

The Frog Club

163-165 Chapel St, Windsor

Press PLAY to hear Kara Monssen’s full review

After eating at Windsor’s new “it” restaurant, The Frog Club, I’ve learnt two things can be true at once.

A restaurant can be both expensive and great value. It can also have a mix of unbelievably delicious and disappointing dishes.

Most things on the menu are expensive, but you’ll eat some of the best woodfired duck going around.

You’ll drop $32 for a cheeseburger (which doesn’t crack my all-time top three) but it is wonderfully charry, cheesy and a choice pick after a big night.

Yes, it seems a little tone-deaf to be writing about a restaurant charging $380 for a steak and up to $175 for one glass (yes, glass) of wine in a cost-of-living crisis, though I’d be back in a heartbeat for that duck.

The late-night Chapel Street restaurant is the first by the team behind the pleasant and pretentious South Yarra cafe, Gilson. While The Frog Club isn’t as snooty, it shares similarities in crowd and vibe.

The restaurant fit-out feels classier than its Morris Jones days, with dark brown timber tables, Bentwoods, tan-leather booths and a red-lit courtyard. There’s even a bar hidden away upstairs to start or end the experience.

Former Botswana Butchery and Victor Churchill chef Angel Fernandez is calling the shots here. The snacks are expensive, with some better than others. The Frog Club signature caviar tart ($26 each) is a great gateway into the expensive delicacy if you’ve never tried it before. The clam empanada ($11) was cheesy and chewy. The lobster roll ($21) underseasoned and underwhelming. The comte gorgeres, a savoury choux puff filled with a luscious comte curd, topped with wagyu bresaola ($7 each) is excellent value and seriously delicious. More please. While the crab gratin ($42) is another must, so light it reminded me of the Japanese savoury egg custard chawanmushi.

There are lots of ways to tackle the larger shares, but money is the main way. You could dabble in the $280 seafood platter or $380 for 1kg of wagyu rib steak. Though the $32 cheeseburger would suffice.

You can’t leave without trying the roasted duck ($60), with crisp and fine bubble wrap skin, perfectly rendered fat and a pink sunset sky centre. And if you’re a big kid, The Frog Club DIY sundae is another easy way to drop cash, with an additional charge for each scoop, topping and sauce.

I still had a blast at The Frog Club, with great food, drink and vibes. The price is something to croak about though.

Images: Supplied, @thefrogclub/instagram