Bistro du Vin

My goto restaurant for some home cook French food. Been through most of its standard menu (which is very good, with rustic home cook charms), every time I eagerly look forward to the specials of the day on the classic blackboard. One of the standard menu starter had since migrated to the specials (read: not always available) is the anchovies with tomatoes and feta, that is a must have starter for me.
The stews are generally lovely and the specials (once you’d gone through the standard menu) are what makes the trip exciting.
The wine list is great and you can also ask for the Les Amis wine list for even more selections.

I have been to this outlet twice and so far, it has not disappoint.
Location is great, firstly. You may come here after a day of shopping and it still feels like you are in some quaint, little alley with the dark red façade that you see in Paris.
The braised beef cheek and duck confit are my favourite. The braised beef cheek has this home-​cooked flavour comes in the creuset pot. The duck confit comes with tasty mashed potato that you will indulge in even though you are pretty much filled to the brim. The coq au vin was just an average dish to me.
Service was exceptional that night that I went to celebrate my friend’s birthday. They kept pouring drinks before we asked for water. I personally think it is commendable in Singapore.
We didn’t order dessert that night, we will be back for sure but I am not sure when.

After a period of nothing but oriental cuisine (of which I’m normally a fan) whilst travelling on business in the region, I was really craving European food.
This place really hit the spot: classic Bistro Rouge décor, a menu that would fit in anywhere in La France profonde, and a particularly good Joues de Boeuf Braisee.
I’ll definitely go back next time I’m in country.

Seriously great French cuisine. A rave wine list and a snappy team make this place a great spot for Dinner any night of the week. It’s busy but we got lucky as a walk-​in table of 3.
My only gripe is with restaurants that insist on having halogen lighting. My seat was positioned under one all night and while I like to feel like a celebrity at dinner I don’t require the additional lighting. Work out your seating plan, a dimmer switch or positioning tables under the light would make happy patrons.

Excellent food. Brings me back to France immediately. Service is good. Set lunch is very good value for money.

Quaint French restaurant that locals gather for French cuisine. Friendly service and nice variety on menu. Good wine selection.

The escargots were fine but their duck confit was disappointing. Very very disappointing.
I do like the décor of this place though. Nice and cosy. Their service staff are polite and attentive too (well trained and was able to suggest a suitable wine to pair with the food).
But their rather lacklustre main and dessert just doesn’t really warrant their price and hype. May just be a really off day for their food but it will take a lot of convincing for me to return for their dinner.

NICE LITTLE FRENCH RESTAURANT
I had a very pleasant dinner here with a friend. We each had red wine and escargot. The wine was okay and the snails were average.
I had the pork chop with mashed potatoes, and thought the pork chop was excellent — juicy & cooked just right. The potatoes were ho-​hum.
The food came out too quickly — way too quickly, especially for a French restaurant — giving the impression that they were eager to turn over the table.
The noise level was high.

This is a review of a dinner date at Bistro du Vin.
First, I want to say that I am pretty confident this is a restaurant that would normally warrant more than two stars. Sometimes, the stars do not align and I have to review the experience I had.
We arrived for our 8 pm reservation. We were told we could sit where we would like. The restaurant was considerably less than half full. We selected a four top. We had presents to unwrap. Plus, we usually order lots of food.
Our server came over and told us we had to sit at a two top. First, he was insistent. When I stated the restaurant was less than half full, he finally acquiesced. Frankly, this is not what one expects at a restaurant of this caliber.
If this had been the only set-​back, I would probably of noted it but not overly factored it in. But, it wasn’t.
After we were seated, we looked at the menus for quite some time. I decided on a wine and set the wine menu aside. We decided on our food & placed our menus aside. Early on, we were brought water. However, quite a bit of time passed before our server approached the table to take our order. Our food order was taken at the same time as our wine order. Once again, if this was isolated I would have chalked it up to the server just giving us some time opening opening presents.
The restaurant is quaint with a very casual feel. There are lots of art pieces on the wall supporting the French themes. It’s a nice comfortable room.
At times, the service was good. However, as noted, there were issues and there were lapses.
The food ranged from inedible to very good.
Complimentary Bread — There was a warm sliced French bread supplied with butter. We liked it. We liked it a lot. We liked it to the tune of two refills.
Mussels — We were initially going to have one of the charcuterie options. However, when we saw the mussels on the specials board, we changed our minds. More accurately, she changed our minds. These were some of the best mussels I’ve had in Singapore. They were simple. The mussels themselves had a very clear straight from the ocean appeal. The only real negative was there was very little broth.
Baked Burgundian escargots (6 pieces) with garlic herb butter — These were also good. As escargots often are, they were served piping hot. The herbs were overpowering though. There was very little of the delicate flavour of the escargots remaining. They had really just become a textural spoon for the garlic herb butter.
Lamb Shank (slow-​cooked with white onion, cherry tomatoes confit & crushed potatoes) — My dinner companion ordered the lamb shank. I tried the lamb. I found it to be quite bland. She used the term «not bad» to describe it. The presentation was rustic home-​style.
Coq au vin (braised in red wine, with carrot, mushroom, pearl onion, bacon & mashed potato) — This was a reasonable interpretation of the dish. As you expect, the chicken was extremely tender. The mushrooms & pearl onions were the stars though. The first brought earthiness and the second brought sweetness. In the pantheon of my experience with coq au vin, this would fall directly in the middle. The whipped potatoes were a nice addition.
The presentation was very much inline with the rustic expectations of coq au vin.
Soufflé au Grand Marnier with vanilla ice cream — This dish has a twenty minute wait. We eagerly awaited its arrival. In a little over twenty minutes, it was brought to the table. However, immediately, we could tell there was something wrong. There was a strong smell of scrambled eggs. Upon tasting it, the only flavour was that of slightly overcooked scrambled eggs. We did not eat it. We did eat the ice cream. I do not know how a chef could not have smelled the tremendously overpowering smell of eggs. This is one of the top three things that can go awry with a soufflé. It should have been spotted in the kitchen. This dessert should have never made it to the table.
It did look very pretty though.
Receipt ($ 274.24):
When it came time to get the bill, we waited for awhile. We did not see our server. We finally had to flag a different server. After providing my card, someone returned to my table and explained that «all credit card access in Singapore was down». They said they could place the charge at a later time. However, I had cash and decided to simply pay.
Overall, the food was inconsistent. It did not always meet my expectation of a fine French bistro. Plus, the dessert was inedible. There were hiccups in the service. I do think it may have just been an off-​night. But I have no way of knowing and I do not plan on returning to find out.

3-​stars review is for the set lunch. I did give 4-​star for the dinner I had at their other outlet at Zion road.
The few items we tried were all okay, but not awesome.
Started with the pan fried foie gras (a top up of $ 6) and the duck rillette. The foie gras was a little overdone, and the duck rillette is tasty, but I am just not much of a duck rillette person. It reminds me too much of spam.
Main courses were the ribeye (the daily special and a top up of $ 10) and the sea bass. I like the ribeye much better than the sea bass, which was much too oily.
Dessert — have the crime brûlée. It has vanilla bean in it and it wasn’t too sweet and the perfectly thin and crisp caramelised top. The poached peach with lemon sorbet was a cheap shot. The peaches were the canned fruits and not fresh poached peaches. I felt cheated.
I guess the lunch deal is a good value deal but I would probably go ala carte next time, or go for dinner where there seems to be more daily special choices.

Bistro Du Vin is a classical French restaurant that specializes in French cuisine. The setting is that of a typical French bistro; being there gives me the feeling of being transported to France. The set lunches are at a reasonable price of $ 30++ per person, and each set lunch comes with an appetizer, main course and dessert. There are 6 items each for appetizer, main course and dessert to choose from.
I picked the pan-​seared foie gras with pickled shallots and eggplant for starters and it was heavenly. The foie gras was marvelously caramelized on the outside and yet the inside melts in your mouth when you bite into it. The sourness of the shallots also complemented the dish by making it more appetizing.
For mains, I had the French Duck Leg Confit. The skin was perfectly charred and crispy while the meat was juicy and succulent. It is one of the better Duck Confits I have tasted. The portion of the serving was also just right.
Finally, came the Crème Brulee, which was light and fluffy. The caramel one top was slightly burnt which added a bitter taste to the dessert.
Overall, it was a pleasant experience. The meal was really worth the money and the service was great as well.

Bistro Du Vin, the one restaurant which made me fall in love with french food all over again. The experience was entirely amazing. Having been to Paris myself, I know exactly how the ambience of a cute little parisian restaurant is supposed to feel like and my, how they replicated it well. Everything that they served as bursting full of flavour, from the huge and meaty simmered pork leg to the fresh and warm french bread that crackled beneath our finger tips as I broke off bits of it. I particularly found the stewed beef delicious. The way the meat just melted on my tongue into a mouthful of flavour was absolutely blissful.
As a Burata cheese connoissuer, however, I must say that I was rather disappointed when they served our order of Burata cheese in a small dish, cut up and mixed with oddly cut tomatoes and rocket salad. It did not come in the usual generous portions that other restaurants serve it as. In that sense, I found it quite unsatisfying. But apart from that, the dining experience was just lovely. The waitress suggested just the right amount of food for us, leaving us full, but not bloated, with well cooked food.

This place is too cute for words. Checkered table clothes, waiters donning aprons, the unpretentious menu… it’s almost like they airlifted this off a sidewalk in the chic district Montmartre in Paris!
Over here at the Bistro, they dish up a mean, solid portion of fries. Straight-​cut and cooked to a light golden brown, and as thick as your thumb, each bite delivers crisp, lightly salted skin and moist, steaming potato mush.
These fries are delectable and divine, but those hoping for dips or seasonings will be disappointed as not much more is done besides some light salting, but they make a great accompaniment to the tasty broth in their Coq au Vin (rooster stewed in red wine sauce).

Les Amis never let’s you down.
From the outside Bistro du Vin reminds me of a taverne somewhere in the north of France. Usually these Bistrot’s a Vin offer inexpensive alcoholic drinks and serve simple food for the people, like sausages, ham and cheese.
This Bistro du Vin takes it a step further. The atmosphere is the same of that of a humble taverne and so are the prices. But the food… simply amazing!
Simple food prepared to perfection. My favorite is the chicken which is cooked so tender that it melts on your tongue.
They have a lunch set which is also valid during the weekend, which goes for around $ 35 dollars for 3 courses. Reservations for dinner are necessary.