Bistrot Neuf: classic French in a cash-flow crisis

Gosh it’s been a long time since I’ve written a restaurant review, hasn’t it? Life at Mega Corp (as my new company is now affectionately known amongst friends on various social media sites) has been taking it out of me… I’ve actually been staying in quite a lot. I know, shocking. And I seem to have a few cash-flow problems – my salary has somehow fallen down the middle of my two jobs and it’ll be mid-October before I’m back on track.

But never let a little thing like money stand in the way of dinner, eh? Last weekend my brother came to stay – not the Amsterdam Foodie Technical Director. The other one. I would say he’s not a foodie, but then again most Hamptons have some foodie bones in their bodies, even if not ones that they usually indulge. So I booked us a table at Bistrot Neuf, having heard rather nice things about it. It seems that everyone else had heard rather nice things as well, since it was buzzingly busy and we couldn’t get a table before 8.30.

In part due to aforementioned cash-flow issues, I opted for the three-course menu for €29, which seemed like eminently good value. I also ordered a bottle of red wine from Puglia for €20, which seemed eminently drinkable, too. It’s worth noting that Bistrot Neuf’s wines come from Chabrol next door (with whom they’re affiliated) and they make recommendations for wine to pair with each dish on the menu.

The starter of ‘Pâté Neuf’ was a coarse, offal-y, rustic affair with bright green shots of pistachio running through it. The emphasis on liver meant it could’ve used some carmelised onion marmalade to offset the gamey, iron flavour (instead, it came with cornichons, which I love, but it was crying out for sweetness), but the accompanying salad was fragrant with herbs and well dressed. The bread and butter were good too, which is not to be underestimated.

Next, I had duck with a very peppery, buttery red cabbage – again, it could have done with some sugar, but I appreciated the kick from the pepper to cut through the rich duck. My brother had the blanquette de veau, which reminded me of my second lesson at Cordon Bleu in 1998. Only his came with a selection of welcome vegetables, which lifted the creaminess of the blanquette a little. Both mains were accompanied by a buttery potato puree.

Continuing in the classic French vein, I opted for crème brulée for dessert. It’s one of those dishes that I always think is a good test, and I’m sad to say I was a little disappointed in Bistrot Neuf’s rendition. The brulée was thin and crispy, the flavours good, but the egg custard itself appeared to have split. Not ideal.

The service was friendly, if a little sporadic (our starters came within two minutes; our mains took over half an hour) and the food was not without minor mistakes. But for €40 for three courses and half a bottle of wine, you could do a lot worse in Amsterdam. I’ll go back – once I’ve been paid.