REVIEW: Le Bistro Parisien

Last Thursday , I had a simple date with my best friend.

It was supposed to be some kind of a belated birthday celebration and thus, she refused to tell me where we were heading to. Very unfortunately for her, the cab driver had no idea where to allow us to alight either. We ended up pretty lost a few streets away from the destination.

After a call to the restaurant, another taxi cab ride , a walk down a lane , we finally reached Le Bistro Parisian! 

Remember I mentioned before that there was a French restaurant in Haji Lane that has since closed down? Well, this is the restaurant I meant, just that it did not close down but has relocated. The new bistro is located as part of the V Hotel at Bencoolen Street.

[There are some roadworks going on now for the new MRT line so taxis would not be able to drop you off right at the doorstep of the cafe. Lookout for 'Kopitiam' near Bras Basah train station. Just a 3-min walk down the lane]

We were there the day after Christmas and could see how cosy to it is to have a small gathering with your friends there.

I kinda like the simple wood furnishings however, I thought it would look better and cuter if they have red-white checkered tablecloths.

A little history of the restaurant's owner / founder / chef ....

Chef Jean Francois Nordin is a well-seasoned French-trained Hotelier and Restaurateur with over 38 years of experience. He has held various positions in the hotel industry , having risen in rank since 1975. As someone who is widely travelled and having managed and set up strings of successful bistros, cafes and restaurants, his creativity to conceptualise things and create delectable dishes are unlimited and boundless. Bistro Le Parisian is also the first Halal French Restaurant in the world.

We were so lucky to have met him in person. As we were devouring our entre dish, this very humble man came to our table to talk to us and asked if the food and service were alright. It's definitely a thoughtful extra step towards pleasing customers :)

Bestie and I were quite greedy that night... hahahhaa....well, to be fair, I skipped lunch so you can imagine how hungry I was. LOL.

We wanted to try the escargots under the Entres but was told the dish was unavailable that night. We must have looked really disappointed because later on, we were served their mushroom soup totally complimentary!

CREME AUX CHAMPIGNONS

Homemade cream of wild mushroom soup

More creamy than my usual like but not bad... The meaty chunks of mushrooms were nicely cut and so juicy that I finished it all up - that is not something very common when it comes to me and mushroom soup. 

Like I said earlier, we were a little greedy that night (not good!) and actually ordered an entre and 3 mains! The staff did give us a cheeky grin when she wanted to confirm if we were really having all that between the two of us.

BRANDADE DE MORUE

Baked bacalao salted cod fish with gruyere cheese 

I have always loved codfish for its dense , white flesh but I wasn't sure what to expect from this dish when I read the description. Salted fish ? With cheese? Was that going to be just a little too much?

I shouldn't have feared anything because I just kept on eating it once I started ( we were sharing though). The taste of the fish was pretty delicate yet very tasty as it mixed with the flavour of the melted cheese. I tried it out with bread halfway through and wished I had done that sooner! Yumms......
However, I found this dish extremely filling... I had to stop myself from continuing when I remembered we had not had the mains yet. 

We had three mains. I ordered the grilled salmon with linguine.

SAUMON GRILLE AUX EPINARDS EN SAUCE BEURRE BLANC

 Grilled salmon with lemon butter sauce, spinach & squid ink linguine 

I LOVE the perfectly grilled salmon and spinach ..so flavourful that I was kind of sad when I reached the last of them . Definitely recommended. The linguine was alright - I was wishing that it had been BLACK squid ink instead.

SAUTEE DE GROSSES CREVETTES A LA MOUTARD A LANCIENNE

 Sauteed large prawns with whole grain dijion mustard 

The name is quite a mouthful, isn't it?
Prawns were fresh and juicy .....and again , I attacked the absolutely yummy spinach. It wasn't overcooked and was just a perfect blend with the whole dish. My only complaint is there should have been a bigger serving of the vegetables (Did I really say that, not being a vege lover? Wonders never cease)

ENTRECOTE DE BOUEF

Australian Black Angus Ribeye Steak 200 days grain-fed(2-3marbling)

The restaurant has many varied versions of the steak ... I cannot recall and I was honestly, a little overwhelmed :P

I cannot really comment on this because this was Bestie's. However, the plate was squeaky clean when she was finally done. I guess it must have been good :)

We were so full by then that there was actually a moment of silence. I just felt like I could not talk or move.... hahhahaha....

Then , they surprised us with a complimentary Creme Brulee. Oh gawd, it looked really good but I knew I could not go on.

Crème brûlée

It wasn't too sweet so I like that but the stomach was signalling a red signal , indicating there really wasn't anymore space. 

It is extremely difficult to get a decent snapshot of Bestie. She would ALWAYS make some kind of weirdly funny faces that I just cannot bear to post it online . ALL THE TIME.

Le sigh.

Best shot of the day 

Ending of with a selfie... just because I like the way I draped my shawl..... hee hee....

Not sure if I could replicate it the next time ...anyhow wrapped it that night! 

Anyway, altogether, the meal cost us about $90. That is definitely value for money.

When we went, their NETS and Credit Card facilities were not in place yet since they just started at the new premise. Just in case, do bring cash if you are going there.

Thanks for reading, people! Have a good Sunday!

Le Bistro Parisien 

48 Bencoolen Street 

#01-02 

Singapore 189627

Contact no: 63331178 / 63333138