Tuesday night was sadly the last night I spent here with my girlfriend as she has to move back to Australia. One of her favourite dining experiences is good french cuisine, so I looked up somewhere nearby and came up with Restaurant Christophe'. Coincidentally we had walked past this restaurant in the past and admired the creative displays in the front window so we were delighted to turn up and discover we had inadvertently booked there.

We really enjoyed ourselves. There was no wine by the glass but they did have half bottles, we had the chablis. The tables are sparse and candlelit, which made for a romantic experience and the place has charm, it doesn't feel like a modern sterile number. The waitstaff were very friendly and helpful and the food was delicate and special, on par with the best french food we've had in Sydney; duck liver pâté and eggplant terrine for entrees, roasted rump / suckling pig for mains. It will cost about 75 euro per head for 2 courses with wine.

Leave room for the cheese platter, the selection is prolific and the traditional white gloved plating process is splendid!

I walk past Bussia each day on my way home from work and always notice smiling faces, glasses of wine and crisp white table settings out on the street front. So one evening when I had an urge for good italian food, upon searching tripadvisor and seeing Bussia come up in the top results, I made a booking and was there 20 minutes later.

The service, food and atmosphere were all excellent. The menu is simple but the dishes are special, 3 entrees, 3 pastas, 1 fish, 1 meat and 5 desserts. The photo is of our entrees, north sea crab done 5 ways and canneloni soup. We both had pasta mains, home made gnocci with lobster and a piemontese with veal and pork. We were too full for dessert, but the desserts that came out to other tables did look spectacular.

I definitely recommend Bussia if you are after a cosy and relaxed italian fine dining evening.