Our Story
Les Bistronomes Restaurant was founded in 2014 by two French men with a desire to extend Bistronomie to Canberra. Originally located in Braddon for four years, the restaurant has since moved to the community suburb of Campbell in October 2019 where Clément Chauvin has become the Sole Owner and Executive Chef.
Our ethos has always been to create good food, good service in a homely, relaxed atmosphere. We strive to deliver this every day.
In the Kitchen
Born in Paris in 1983, Clément moved to Lyon when he was 13 years old. Lyon was a food revelation; the markets, the culture and the produce - to this day it remains the gastronomic capital of France.
His love for food was so strong that he travelled to Thonon-Les-Bains, where he boarded for three years to undergo his hospitality training. Less than two weeks after graduating, Clément took on his first job as a Commis Chef at PIC (a 3-star Michelin restaurant) in Valence, France.
After gaining confidence in his cooking technique, Clément joined chef, Frédéric Côte (former Executive Chef of Daniel Boulud) at Le Caro de Lyon. His creativity blossomed at this luxurious brasserie before he tackled once again fine dining – this time at Nicolas Lebec, (a 2-star Michelin restaurant).
At 22, Clément moved to London. He brought his résumé to the back door of Gordon Ramsay’s Claridge’s (a 1-star Michelin restaurant) and started from the bottom of the kitchen again. Six months later, he was promoted to Chef de Partie.
Clément landed in Sydney where he found Restaurant Balzac, owned and operated by head chef, Matt Kemp. The atmosphere in the kitchen was very different to what he had been used to so he jumped at an advertisement to work in a small French Bistro.
Located in Neutral Bay, Bistro Paris allowed Clément to take on his first head chef position of which he loved! Two years later, after gaining Australian sponsorship, Clément had his first son. In an effort to be closer to his Australian family, he moved to Canberra.
Canberra welcomed his cooking with open arms. After six months at Sage Restaurant, he won Best Chef of the Year by the Australian Hospitality Awards, in addition to Best Restaurant of the Year by the Restaurant and Catering Awards. He remained for two years in Gorman house and then moved to Water’s Edge, where he obtain his first hat in The Good Food Guide.
Fast forward a few years and Clément has become the sole owner and Executive Chef of multi-award-winning restaurant, Les Bistronomes.
