Hotel Indigo Melbourne Bistrot Bisou

June 9, 2024

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Hotel Indigo Melbourne is a hotel in Melbourne’s CBD on Flinders Street. The hotel was inspired by photographer Helmut Newton and is decked out in black and white prints of the photographic maestro and pops of colour. The decor has a decidedly sexy feel to it with rich, blood reds that pop against the black and white oversize prints. Take a peek at one of the hotel’s top suites!

Laura and I were headed to Hepburn Springs – Laura has had a stressful time lately and there is no better tonic for the soul than a girls weekend away. We decide to spend the first night in Melbourne as it has been many years since my last visit. The hotel for our Melbourne stay is the Hotel Indigo Melbourne on Flinders that opened in August 2023 after a $20 million refurbishment. Hotel Indigo is one of the newest brands to come out of the IHG group that centres on boutique properties with an individual style. This is actually the second Hotel Indigo that I have stayed at; a few weeks earlier I had stayed at the colourful Hotel Indigo Adelaide Central Market. This Hotel Indigo is marked by the oversized photographic prints by German photographer Helmut Newton and a collaboration with local artists. There are 216 rooms overlooking Flinders and Spencer Streets.

I have to confess something with you Dear Reader just in case you thought I had any sense of direction: we actually went to the wrong Indigo when we first arrived in Melbourne’s CBD. There is a shop called Indigo on Collins Street which we went to before we realised that I should have added Hotel Indigo (mea culpa, Flinders is in the hotel’s name). Turning around we head towards the Hotel Indigo. It is located on the quieter end of Flinders Lane and around 20 minutes walk from the main action.

The lobby of the Hotel Indigo Melbourne on Flinders is elegant in cool black and white tones, echoed in the Newton prints juxtaposed against bright pops of colour in soft furnishings. The Helmut Newton prints are originals, donated to the hotel by the State Library and the theme is “Lights, Camera Action”. One of the best parts of this hotel are the staff who are very friendly and take time to explain things to us as it our first stay. They explain that the happy hour is from 4-7pm and direct us to the new Luke Mangan French restaurant Bistrot Bisou that opened just a few days prior. Before we go upstairs they point out their photo booth where you can take pictures and have them printed out (Helmut would probably approve). Also, a plot twist: the lobby actually looks bigger and more spacious than the hotel photos suggest.

There are 8 floors in the hotel and each floor has gently illuminated dark walls and red doors. My room is #813, one of the corner suites on the top floor of the hotel. The hotel’s website can be a bit tricky to navigate to the room types – you have to hit “book now” to room types. This is a 1 Bedroom Suite Spencer Street View which is well sized at 60 square metres or 645 square feet.

When I enter, the first thing I see is the view of Flinders Street train station through the floor to ceiling windows that wrap around with 180 degree views. There is a separate lounge room with a bright red modular lounge, backstage curtains and a large photographic studio light. There is also a dining set and a mini bar with a range of mostly drinks and while there is a list of snacks there aren’t any in the mini bar. The tea is by La Maison Du The but surprisingly there is no coffee machine, just instant coffee and there is no water provided in the mini bar, either still or sparkling.

The king bed is enormous and firm with the hotel’s signature logo of a woman in sunglasses behind it with a slender red chaise lounge near the window. There is a walk-in robe with safe, Seed & Sprout bathrobes and slippers. The bathroom has dual sinks and three shower heads as well as two sets of full sized Biology toiletries in the shower so that two people can shower together. The other toiletries provided are a shower cap and a toothbrush, any other things will have to be ordered from the hotel.

As with new hotel builds, there are mod conveniences like wireless charging stations, speakers and handy USB ports. Blinds are opened and closed with a press of the button. The hotel also has a sustainable gym on the mezzanine floor with unique, biodegradable equipment, eg wooden weight machines and timber yoga mats. There are some teething issues with the room: I can’t seem to get the phone to work and the safe is locked. Also parking is not on site but rather opposite at the paid parking station. Usually people park in the driveway, drop their bags off and then park the car. It’s not the most efficient operation but it works although it takes time. Also the air conditioning isn’t working in Laura’s room.

At 6pm Laura and I head downstairs to Bistrot Bisou, the new Luke Mangan restaurant under the guidance of Executive Chef Rory Kennedy. It’s early days for the bistro having just open a few days before our visit so service blips are expected. It is an enormous restaurant seating 96 people with plenty of banquette seating as well as bar tables opposite the open kitchen where the chefs work in front of the wood fire oven. The menu is full of classic French bistro choices.

The scallops with potato and truffle feature raw scallops topped with cubes of potato fondant and two types of caviar. It’s an entirely indulgent and silky textured dish punctuated with pops from the caviar. All that needs is a bit of seasoning to finish it off.

The tuna salad is refreshing with crunchy beans and watercress with slices of tuna and sliced, boiled cold potatoes with an olive dressing. It usually comes with some roasted capsicum but Laura is allergic to capsicum.

There’s a large gap between entree and mains and once the main arrives we completely forgive the wait. The wood roasted poussin is so succulent and moist and so perfectly cooked. It sits in a bath of champagne and tarragon butter sauce. Make sure to order some sourdough for that sauce.

Vegetarians are not forgotten with an excellent beetroot tart with cheese and a flaky butter puff pastry base. The peppery rocket goes well with the honey roasted beetroot.

Deserts are simple and there is a choice of three: crème brûlée floating islands or apple tarte tatin. We go for the latter that comes out with very soft apples, Calvados and buttery puff pastry and a delightful vanilla ice cream. The apples are on the soft side but the flavours and that rich ice cream are moreish.

After dinner, we make our way to the hidden away photo booth to the left of the reception desk where we take photos to our heart’s content. They are instantly printed out and the lovely staff encourage you to make the most of the photo booth. It’s such a fun reminder of this weekend away.

Breakfast the next morning is served in Bistrot Bisou and it’s a comprehensive spread with a hot spread featuring a Western selection of scrambled eggs, sausages and hash browns. There are also spring rolls and a delicious chickpea curry with condiments like nori, pickles and garlic which is my favourite item along with the DIY fresh pressed juice. I make my favourite combo: carrot, beetroot, pear and add some fresh ginger and we have fruit salad as well. There are cold cuts, a glass noodle salad and lots of sweet pastries too but we go gently as we’ve got a lot of food to come that day. But what else is new?

So tell me Dear Reader, what is the best tonic for your soul when you’re stressed? Have you ever stayed at this hotel chain?