A bistro is as Parisian as one can get. It is normally a small restaurant serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting, catering mainly to the office workers. Le Bistro du Parc is inspired by the bistros in Paris, and the interiors are designed to look so.
Le Bistro du Parc has been conceptualized by Naina de Bois-Juzan, who has an Indo-French lineage. Her father was a French fashion designer and her mother hails from Punjab. It has been established in partnership with the Olive group. It embraces the casual and comfortable philosophy of ‘Bistronomy’ that is becoming so popular around the world.
I am here to check out their new seasonal menu. I meet Canadian born Nick Harrison, the manager of the bistro, who in turn introduces me to the new chef of Le Bistro du Parc, Alexis Gielbaum, a quintessential Parisien Chef. After brief pleasantries, Chef Gielbaum gets busy cooking the dishes for me to taste.
From the starters menu, the first dish that the chef decides to serve is chicken liver parfait with chutney and fresh figs (Rs 350). It is a light and fresh tasting pate though I miss the smoky aftertaste that is so typical of the dish. Quinoa tabouleh with sautéed gambas (Rs 400) is an exciting dish with tangy prawns pairing well with the quinoa salad. Organic leek and potato soup (Rs 250) tastes fresh and flavourful. I just wish there were more soup in the bowl. Gravalax is a famous Nordic dish with raw salmon sliced thin and cured in salt, sugar and dill. The version at the bistro, citrus cured gravalax with chutney and fresh figs (Rs 350) has Indian salmon, cured with citrus juice, fresh figs and chutney made out of figs, chocolate and wine. It is a pleasant dish, though very different from the original dish.
For the main course, Vegetable tagliatelle with carrot mash and basil oil (Rs 550) has fresh vegetables cut in the shape of tagliatelle, and makes for a nice, crunchy diet dish. Sole meuniere with peppers and courgette (Rs 750) is perfectly cooked, especially given that Indian sole fish is used here. Lamb confit with red onion jam and glazed vegetables (Rs 750) is a delicious dish. Here a whole leg of lamb is slow cooked in the oven for over six hours, after which the meat which is tender and pliable, is pulled from the bone and served with a red onion jam and the jus from the lamb.
For the desserts course, I try a beautiful saffron crème brulee (Rs 350) and the famous crepe suzette (Rs 400). Both these dishes showcase the mastery of French cuisines when it comes to desserts.
The food at Le Bistro du Parc is competent, especially given the constraints of ingredients that the chef has to work with. Given these constraints and the Indian palate, maybe reinterpreting the food for the Indian reality will be a good idea for the bistro. I would love to see more adventurous dishes from the dishes from the French influence around the world like Banh mi, a Franco-Vietnamese dish, or Pondicherry Creole chicken in the menu and I am sure so will the Indian diners.
Ratings (Out of 5)
Food: 3.5 | Ambience: 4.0 | Service: 3.5 | Overall: 3.5
Meal for two: Rs.1800 | Alcohol: Yes | Credit Card: Yes | Wheel chair friendly: Yes | Address: A 57, 58, 59, Moolchand Market, Defence Colony, New Delhi| Tel 011-46780080
Hope that Le Bistro du Parc will still keep on cooking as we do in France and will not customize the French cuisine to Indian taste !