My many visits to family in France during my youth makes that I was well fed with French cuisine. Though the French bistro cuisine is quite rich and heavy, I can really enjoy it once in a while, and an invitation to have dinner at The Grand’s ‘Le Petit Bistro‘ was of course very welcome.
Le Petit Bistro is adjacent to Michelin star restaurant Bridges in Amsterdam’s luxe hotel Sofitel Legend The Grand, and is also run by the same chef: Joris Bijdendijk. Not only a talented chef, but also very charming. He even took the time to welcome us, which was so thoughtful of him.
Since it was still pleasantly warm outside, we chose to be seated in the garden. A little less of a bistro atmosphere, but the menu -inspired by the classic French bistro cuisine- made up for that.
We both had the Bistro menu, which offers both meat and fish. My table companion being a fish-eating vegetarian, I took on the meat dishes, and here is what we were served:
Starter
Avocado salad with roasted king prawns and frisée
Steak tartare with herring caviar , green herbs oil and parmesan tuiles
Main
Cod filet with antiboise, Dutch shrimps and mashed potato
Pièce de Boucher with béarnaise, onion confit and gratin
Dessert
Choice from the pastry platter…accompanied by a final surprise: an Espresso Martini with Copper Kettle serve from Ketel One.
I rarely eat steak tartare followed by an other piece of meat during the same meal because it can be heavy on digestion, but the portions are well balanced. Plus, Bijdendijk follows the ‘nose to tail’ philosophy; he works with local suppliers, buys a complete Gasconne cow, and uses all the parts. Knowing the origin and quality of the food on your plate is always reassuring.
The twist of herring caviar on the tartare was surprising but nice, and the béarnaise with my hanger steak (‘onglet’ in French) -the perfect savoury match for this piece of beef- was so delish that I’ve finished it to the last drop.
As dessert I chose the light mango/passionfruit/coco bavarois tarte -the fruity sweet and sour flavour is a good choice after my copious meat dishes- as opposed to my table companion who concluded on a heavier note with the coffee/praliné mousse.
Convinced to book a table at Le Petit Bistro? You can do so here.
The Bistro Menu we’ve savoured is a 3-course menu for €36 p.p. There’s also a variety of à la Carte dishes to choose from, mostly meat and fish.
