Rouge Cafe - Glen Eira

Great little intimate place where the service is fast, not rushed and friendly. Not a lot of seats, but you feel it is warm and welcoming in this set of strip shops.

Rouge is a tiny cafe with great charm , limited seating, and a simple but delicious lunch menu. Soup, pate, terrine, pastries etc, a selection of delicious cakes. Friendly service and style

Finally made it to this authentic little French cafe along Beatty Avenue, opposite the station.A huge choice of dishes with the emphasis on genuine French specialties such as pâtés, terrines, croque monsieur (and madame), coq au vin, Moroccan soup and of course, French pâtisserie and slices. We had a delectable chicken liver pâté served with home-made biscuits, baguette slices and macerated muscatels, as well as one of their 'hero' beef pies, with the flakiest, buttery pastry and melt-in-the-mouth beef chunks. Was pleasantly surprised to learn they are licensed, and a glass of Beaujolais was a welcome addition to the meal. There are also the lighter options such as salads, chia puddings and bircher mueslis, but you'd be crazy not to order the more traditional fare here, which is almost exclusively all made in-house by the passionate Francophile chef.They do a brisk trade in ready-cooked, take-home dishes, so you can pretend you've been slaving over a hot stove all day! Another bonus--an upstairs private dining room with seating for 8 around a huge table; just the ticket for the upcoming end-of-year functions. They also have a romantic, cosy covered courtyard painted with trompe d'œil murals which is much appreciated by the dog set.It makes such a change to be able to eat a meal out and actually hear what your companion is saying. Bravo--we'll be back.

This classy breakfast/brunch/lunch/coffee café is under new management. Today was our first visit since the change. There is still the same extensive menu and nice savoury and sweet nibbles to have with a coffee. We like the large French mugs for coffee. The coffee here is good. There was not the same buzzy atmosphere as we have experienced previously but we put this down to this being the first day of opening after a Christmas break. The service is friendly and quick. Rouge has lots of competition from other similar venues in the Beatty Avenue precinct - which means us locals are well served with the options available.

To avoid all of the "stewy" menu items, I ordered the "Duck Confit" from the specials board. Duck Confit it was not - just some shredded duck pieces in an oval baking dish that was 80% pasta! Would not have been such issue but the pasta was not mentioned as an ingredient in the meal & the waiter was today disinterested when informed - not even an offer of complimentary coffee. Also, don't bother with the "hot chocolate" as it tasted like warm tinned chocolate drink. Deli items looked good but skip the meal & drinks.