Sunday Lunch: Flouch's, Kyneton

Those who remember Michael Flouch's terrific classic food at his earlier eponymous restaurants in Mount Martha, Mount Eliza and Armadale will be pleased to know he has opened Flouch's "Mark 5" in country Kyneton.

His spacious casual bistro with an open kitchen (pictured), dark bentwood chairs and pendant lights spreads over two shop fronts, formerly Orr Bros Hardware Merchants at the Mollison Street end of Piper Street.

He has aimed at the "middle ground" and offers breakfast all day — buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup, smoked salmon eggs on spinach and rosti potato or the "croque-monsieur", with shaved leg ham, Dijon mustard, Jarlsberg cheese and bechamel sauce.

We do see the odd breakfast come out on this busy Sunday, most come for his roast of the day — beef with Yorkshire pudding ($28) and other contemporary dishes such as roasted duck on a risotto of spinach and roasted mushrooms, chicken and leek pie or beer-battered fish and chips.

His French-style gnocchi ($16) is light and flavoursome with blue cheese and cream and is topped with roasted quartered beurre bosc pears. My husband opts for a wild field mushroom risotto ($23.50) finished with porcini. We choose a chardonnay ($9 a glass, $34 a bottle) from Paramoor Winery.

For main course, I choose the fish of the day: chargrilled New Zealand king salmon ($36) on wilted spinach and topped with a refreshing basil, dill, red onion and tomato salad, while my husband, like a lot of others, fancies the burger special ($18.50) with 200 grams of beef on toasted damper with bacon, cheese and salad and terrific hand-cut wedges.

For dessert, we can't resist Flouch's legendary tangy lemon tart ($8.50) and a generous slice of German apple cake ($6.50) with cream. And the coffee's good, too.

Flouch's, 12-14 Piper Street, Kyneton, 5422 3683. Open Wed-Fri 11am-3pm, 6pm-close, Sat 10am-late, Sun 10am-3pm. See . To stay: nearby options include Babette's Bed & Breakfast (babetteskyneton.com.au), Eat Sleep Kyneton (eatsleepkyneton.com.au), Circa 1860 (circa1860.com.au).

Reviewed by Tricia Welsh.