The New Bistro in Town | Le Bistro Du Parc

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By Rupali Lamba & Manavi Dang

Naina de Bois-Juzan, an Indo-French Food connoisseur, was smitten by the emerging trend of “bistronomy*” in Paris, and after extensive research and first-hand experience in the same, developed a keen interest to introduce this philosophy to India. The Bistro du Parc finally opened its doors in Defence Colony recently.

The Bistro du Parc is a quaint, cosy establishment with Edith Piaf {and hints of David Bowie} playing softly while the scent of fresh bread teases you. The rustic interiors, friendly service and overall atmosphere transport you to another world.

We decided on a tasting menu of three appetizers, three mains, and two desserts.

Our first appetizer was the classic Salade Midinette; a fresh, cheerful mélange of citrus, cashew and chicken. The chicken was delicious! Charred outside, soft and succulent inside. The pomegranate, celery and green apple were cheeky, wild but very welcome accompaniments that were made only more interesting with a bite of cashew.  The dish felt fun, well thought out and perfectly balanced.

As lovers of paté, we were very excited when our next dish was served to us - Chicken Liver Parfait. A Parfait and Paté are very similar, but are made with different techniques {they say that a Parfait is more luscious!}. Considered an acquired taste, we were keen to find out how a young restaurant would handle this dish. We were pleasantly surprised by what was presented to us. The Parfait was light and creamy, with only hints of the strong flavours that we enjoy – which we consider a touch of genius. By not being too strong, it’s a great induction into the world of Parfaits and Patés for the first-timer, while still satisfying our craving for the same. Served with onion marmalade, balsamic reduction and fragile, buttery bread, the poor Parfait had no chance of survival.

2{Salade Midinette &  Chicken Liver Parfait with Onion Marmalade and Balsamic Reduction}

Our final appetizer was Pan-fried Calamari. We usually stay away from Calamari in Delhi as it is often not fresh and/or well cooked, but not this time. The Calamari was perfectly cooked, accompanied by cherry tomatoes, baby potatoes, garlic, onions and olives in a tangy sauce with a hint of heat.

Marinated chicken with baked courgettes and tapenade was our first main. The chicken was charred and slightly glazed, with flavours all the way through. We absolutely loved the fresh yellow courgettes on the side that simply melted in our mouth while the skin was firm and grilled, pure juicy, dense, natural goodness.

To break the monotony of similarly structured dishes was French toast. Unfortunately, every flavour on the plate was overpowering. The bread was very oily. The yellow peppers, pickle and tomatoes were topped with a drizzle of more oil. It was heavy compared to everything else.

The last of the mains was the Pan-fried Red Snapper with Ratatouille vegetables. The plump fish was covered in foamy butter and cooked beautifully. The skin was crunchy and thin with a hint of lemon. As much as we enjoy Ratatouille, the same accompaniments {peppers, courgettes and onions} across most of the dishes we had tried so far, was a bit of a yawn. However, this did not take away from the fact that we’re not usually very partial to fish, yet enjoyed every bite of the Snapper.

The sweet end consisted of a Vanilla Panacotta with apricots. The sharp apricots offset the smooth, well-set panacotta, dotted with vanilla. This is something we would run back for, even if we’re in the other end of Delhi.

The Raspberry Charlotte, essentially a cake with raspberry mousse inside and raspberry sauce on the side, is an intense explosion of flavours. A bit too sweet for our liking.

4 copy{Vanilla Panacotta with apricots & Raspberry Charlotte}

We asked our server to surprise us with a mocktail each. One had a delicious pomegranate juice base and the other a Tangerine Mojito that was a bit too sweet. We would recommend the one with pomegranate, it was fresh, sharp and not sweet or sour - a recipe for magic.

We left Le Bistro du Parc feeling light and happy, and would love to go back for more Parfait, Panacotta, and to try everything else on their menu! The prices were surprisingly affordable and the service was outstanding. Strongly recommended as a place to catch up with your friends or even for an emergency dessert run.

Notes in our Little Black Book |

Le Bistro Du Parc

Where | A – 57, 58, 59 Moolchand Market, Defence Colony

Timings | Lunch: Noon to 3pm?; Dinner: 7pm to 11:30 pm

Meal for Two | INR 1,700 {approx.}

Contact | 011-46780080

*Bistronomy {n} | A fusion between the ubiquitous French Bistro and gastronomy, which adds a modern twist to traditional French dishes, a type of refined yet accessible cuisine served in a casual environment.