Le Bistro Gourmand

Is there a way to give zero stars? Service great, wine recommendation great. Food sub par. Steak first uncooked, then charred. No sauce but mustard with filet???

We expected to have a gourmet French meal for our last day in Nice.
Risotto with lobster appetizer was delicious and beautifully present in a martini glass.
My husband and I shared fish for two — it was recommend to us. But the fish was not fresh — after I called it out, the manager came to explain that it was two old fish — but I believe it was much longer. Because fresh fish wouldn’t taste that way in first 3 days.
You just don’t expect at a gourmet restaurant to pay € 78 for a plate that is not up to quality.

This will be a tough one. How can you review a place where me and my lady had some of the best dishes of our lives, joined with less than average ones?
Ok I’ll start from the beginning.
Me and my lady were in Cote d’Azur for celebrating one of the most important events of our lives, and we wanted a special place. And this is it, a wonderful, refined place.
The architecture and the décor of the place is mind blowing: my lady described it as «perfect», and she is kind of picky regarding internal design! Classy, elegant, modern, it has everything, impeccable.
We had been wonderfully welcomed by the maitre de salle, and every waiter had a nice smile on their faces, something difficult to find in Cote d’azur and especially in Nice, one of the most touristic places in France.
We both chose the tasting menu for around 50 €, 4 dishes in the italian style, appetizer, first entry, main entry and dessert. Interesting enough, I liked this style and the price is really convenient.
I don’t want to comment every single dish, but I just want to point out the best and the not-​so great dishes. First mention for what is one of the best dishes I had in my life: their signature dish, truffle rice with endive, st-​jacques and parmesan cappuccino.
This IS wonderful. I mean seriously, it was just too good for being a single dish: every single flavor was perfectly mixed together with the other ones, the rice cooking time was perfect, the consistency of everything is pure joy, that’s one of the best thing you can have on a table. My lady was almost in tears for how good it was, and we were really sorry for having finished it. That was majestic, incredible, sublime. Did I already said it’s served in a martini glass?!
My fiancée had a passion fruit and chocolate mousse, and I’m quoting «this is the best thing to eat after a whole meal». Said by a person who doesn’t like many desserts and at the end of a meal at the end of a very long day that’s really something. First of all the dish is very nice looking: half golden half white, with the mousse in a chocolate box as the center of a sun circled by rays. Awesome to look at. Inside the chocolate crust we found an amazing chocolate mousse, not too soft, not too sweet, deliciously bitter with a fruit passion sauce in the middle which makes a nice contrast with the chocolate. Delicious.
But…
If these two dishes were in the category «too good to be true», some others were in the «meh» or even lower category. As an example, the foie gras in poele with pear mousse and season fruit: wrong, definitely. the fois gras was overcooked and badly cut, the mousse too sweet and the fruit too randomly chosen, the entire dish was wrong and not satisfactory. The main entry was disappointing too: my veal dish was just too poor, dried and overcooked. A pity.
So in the end… How to classify this restaurant? I decided for an upper rating, because lights were far heavier than the shadows. It’s a great restaurant, and hopefully keeping their signature dish and changing the other ones something greater can be achieved.
But you seriously need to get here for the rice. At least just the rice. Have it, love it, and share it. If you are not falling in love with that dish I don’t know what can.

Best meal I had in Nice and possibly France (in south, Bordeaux region and Paris).
There are meals in life where you have to say fuck the price, go for it, settle in and enjoy what is likely a memorable food experience — this is one of those places. Went with the mid-​tier fixed price with the wine pairings. Each plate was the work of an artist, beautiful to look at and I could’ve eaten 10 servings of each it was so damn good. I ate here back in late August so hard to remember all the dishes, but the star of the show was a lobster risotto served in a martini glass, it was genius and delectable to the power of infinity.
Our waiter was a consummate professional, explaining dishes as they came out and made sure we had the opportunity to meet the executive chef to directly share our gratitude and appreciation for such a fine meal.
Not sure when I’ll be back to Nice, but if this place is still open I would will be there without a doubt.

We sat outside at this place and was recommended to us. The owner was helpful and funny. One guest had the pre fixe menu with a scallop terrine, beef and fries, and a cake for dessert that was similar to pineapple upside down. I had the salmon which was served in a tarragon cream sauce with yellow carrots, and the third diner had ravioli with beef. All meals were wonderful. What a great introduction to French dining!

To sum it up: Le Bistrot Gourmand is an excellent restaurant with interesting, well composed and delicious food, tasty wine, a friendly atmosphere and professional service.
On my last evening in Nice I decided to go to the little exquisite Le Bistrot Gourmand right in the centre of the city. I liked the light and simple yet sophisticated interior. The eccentric lamps added to the otherwise modest atmosphere.
The service at Le Bistrot Gourmand was very attentive and friendly.
I started the evening with a crisp white wine with an interesting, distinctive taste. The waiter recommended a Muscadet from the Loire Valley and I was very happy with his choice. I looked it up on the wine menu afterwards, and I think it was Domaine de la Haute Févrie «Les Gras Moutons» — AOC Muscadet Sevre et Maine. If you like fresh and mineralic whites, this could be one for you.
Unfortunately, I did not find a started that suited my taste, but anyway, I received lovely crispy bread with a green dip to go with my wine while waiting. Surprisingly, another pre-​starter came up soon. It was a tomato soup and a white fish soup. Usually, I am not the biggest fan of fish and I said to the waiter earlier, that I do not like fish, so bringing me this is either stupid or brave. I count it as brave, because I must admit that I actually liked it. The fish soup, it was more like a mousse I would say, did not taste too fishy and the cold tomato soup went nicely with it.
After the mandatory bread — without butter or olive oil — I got my main course. A fillet of beef with vegetables, caramelised rosemary potatoes and «Bordelaise» red wine sauce. The dish was nicely presented and perfectly cooked. My steak was medium, beautifully pink, and tasted excellent. It might actually have been one of the best steaks I ever had. The red wine sauce was not overpowering, but enriched and supported the taste to the meat. The vegetables were okay, I would even go as far to say that some actually tasted quite nice, and I do not often say this about greens. The rosemary potatoes were delicious, with a bit of spiciness and they tasted great in combination with the sauce.
For dessert, I ordered the jardin de fruits rouges — a great dish with red berries, almond biscuit, red fruit jelly and basil, combined with a strawberry basil ice cream and a bit of crunch. It was an exceptionally light and clever dessert with different textures. Adding basil to the mix ensured that the dessert was not too sweet, but really refreshing.
Another surprise followed with a little post-​dessert composition of a tiny bit of lemon tart, I think, a nice raspberry marshmallow and a brittle.
Finally, I even ordered a coffee. They serve Nespresso, not my favourite kind of coffee, but okay.
Also, they have free wifi in the restaurant, a little detail that can be useful if you want to plan the next day, or just read the news or whatever.
At some point during my meal at Le Bistrot Gourmand, the chef David Vaqué walked through the restaurant and asked diners if they enjoyed it. I think this was a great touch and just underlined the quality of this place.
All in all, Le Bistrot Gourmand is a restaurant in Nice worth checking out. After my visit, I read that it gained a Michelin star a few years ago and lost it in the 2014 update. Well, I think it deserves one, but what do I know? Michelin-​starred or not, I enjoyed it there and can only recommend it.

I was in Nice with a group of friends for a birthday celebration. This was definitely one of my best dining experiences. The food was excellent, the service was excellent, the ambiance was excellent, and for the price was excellent. I was most impressed by the attention to detail. We we were a group of 14 the attentiveness and service was outstanding. Definitely worth a visit when you are in Nice.

Hubby and I ordered 3 appetizers and 2 entrees. Skipped dessert because we didn’t really like the restaurant.
The langoustine cannelloni was basically raw langoustine as the shell with other stuff. The texture of the langoustine was too slimy for me to eat so I only took one bite. I wish they explained the menu to us. Specifically, this dish.
The fish soup was the nastiest soup I have ever had. It had crab flavors as well as something foul. It felt as if something had crawled in, died, and then rotted before being served to us. We left most of the soup untouched.
My foie gras terrine was good. Nothing spectacular though.
The main dish of sea bass was very good. Cooked very well. The fish had smaller sections of meat (as in it wasn’t Chilean) but it was very tender and nice.
My main of the truffle risotto was also very good. The only complaint is that there wasn’t enough truffle flavor and the truffle bits in the pasta were very hard. (Maybe they weren’t truffles… I dunno, no one told me what the dish was supposed to have). I’ve never had such hard truffles. The truffles shaved over the risotto was fine though.
The service was a bit abrupt. Our table wasn’t ready when it was supposed to be even after pushing back our reservation. The server that helped us outside was friendly, chatty, but the server that helped us inside was curt and not at all friendly.
Overall, not a very friendly place for tourists with very skippable food.

I am a tough judge and I would say this was 4.5 stars, but that’s only because I am tough judge. :-) We had such a lovely night at Le Bistro Gourmand. The staff, the food, the décor… all great. It is a place that has super food, but where you feel comfortable… my favorite type of place.
We did the tasting menu with pairings, and added on their special cocktail (a weekly special) and split a cheese plate before dessert. The tasting menu was 2 starters, 1 main, and a dessert for 68EUR (or close to that) and with pairings it was 93EUR. Based on the service and food, this was a terrific deal. Definitely worth that. (You can also order a la carte of course!)
The food… wow… the amuse bouche was three dishes: white bean soup, a creamy foie gras «soup», and an embellished cracker. Each bite was a good range of flavor. The first starter was an amazing veggie soup with a huge portion of foie gras. My husband is not a fan, but with the freshness of the soup, he ate every bite! Next was a risitto with scallops and a truffled foam. Again, hubs, who doesn’t like truffles, nearly licked his martini glass, which was the serving plate. I got the fish for the main which was an expertly prepared sea bass. Really well done. The rack of lamb was my husband’s choice and I had to fight him for a bite, though he gladly gave me some of the veggies. ;-)
While the wines were not 5 star for our tastes, we were excited to be exposed to some wines we had not had. I was especially surprised by the muscat they served with the first starter.
The cheese tray also exposed us to cheeses we had not had. One was super nutty and creamy at the same time. I am going to try and find it in the US. Fingers crossed.
And the souffles… oh the light airy, perfect souffles! Yum, yum, yummity! If I could have ordered another, I would have, but I was full. Though, I want to also say, I wasn’t too full. I think that their portion sizes were really well done.
So, THANK YOU le Bistro Gourmand for a perfect last night in France. Your team is just wonderful across the board — the wait staff, the chefs (got to say hi to them as I wandered back to les toilettes), and even the dish washer who so nicely opened the door for me! You can tell this is a happy place to work. That’s just nice to be around.

Dear Sweet baby Jesus.
Some of the best food I have ever had.
Décor is modern.
Food presentation is modern.
And only a saint would know how they managed to do a scallop risotto with parmesan foam so light, you never even thought about the pound of butter in it.
Absolutely delightful dining experience, excellent food, excellent service. Amazing.

Très bon restaurant, cadre plus qu’agréable. Nous avons bien été reçus et installés. La carte est très alléchante. Le choix est plus que difficile! En ce qui concerne les saveurs, rien à dire! La carte des vins est également bien fournie. Le bilan est vraiment positif: A refaire ! La seule réserve sera sur le service, un peu impersonnel et parfois à la limite du désagréable.

LE restaurant
Il faut réserver, le repas a un certain coût (qui le vaut largement), mais on se régale.
Après, on né veut plus aller ailleurs.

Je né reviendrais pas sur le parcours de David Vaqué.
Je me faisais une joie de goûter l’adresse qui fait parler d’elle en ce moment.
La carte me semblait alléchante.
Rendez vous est pris avec des amis pour pas plus tard qu’hier.
En cette ouverture de carnaval, accéder à la salle de notre hôte relève du parcours du combattant. Il est 22 h nous voici tous réunis.
Après un kir et une tapenade indigente. Nous attaquons notre menu à 28 EUR assorti d’une délicieuse bouteille d’Alexaume de crès ricard.
Une mise en bouche assez peu enthousiasmante suivie d’une raviole de gambas pour les uns et pour les autres un velouté de potiron et st jacques.
Pour ma part c’est velouté et c’est bob-​bof (léger manqué de cuisson des st jacques). Bön sans plus!
Nous poursuivons par un filet de st pierre rôti et courgettes (il me semble avoir vu également des petites tomates cerises et là je suis pas emballé PENSEZ à la saison!!!), là encore pas trop mal… mais pas vraiment bon, on attend sûrement beaucoup mieux. Manqué de rigueur et de justesse dans les cuissons (poisson trop cuit) dommage!
Le dessert… rouge impair et passé crème brûlée à côté de la plaque.
Mais pour 28 EUR cela reste fort convenable même si j’en attendais plus connaissant son parcours aux Viviers.
Service exclusivement féminin, léger et agréable.
Une salle tout en blancheur et lumière tamisée le soir. Par contre les miroirs c’est trop! surtout des deux côtés de la salle.
Je termine par le passage du dit chef à notre table gentil mais un peu trop sûr de lui. De grâce de la retenue Monsieur et né soyez pas trop long.
MAIS je reviendrais tester l’adresse un midi à moindre frais avec son menu à 15 EUR.

David Vaqué — ancien chef des Viviers à Nice et ancien de chez Guérard et Boyer– a ouvert dernièrement, avec son épouse, ce petit Bistrot Chic de 30 places intérieur et 20 en terrasse.
Formule épatante à déjeuner au prix de 15EUR ! menu à 28EUR
très jolie carte, service et rapport qualité prix impeccables.
J’y ai mangé 3 fois en 1 mois, à chaque fois nous avons été ravis. Soupe de poisson extra, poissons très frais et formidablement bien cuits. Mais les viandes sont tout aussi délicieuses. (le magret est superbe)
Bref, il faut déjà réserver si on veut avoir de la place, car le bouche à oreilles fonctionne à tout va pour cette très nouvelle et très très bonne adresse.
C’est une cuisine de bistrot «chic», avec des prix de Bistrot «choc»
A né pas louper

This capped off a long trip through France. It finished it delightfully.
The meal was amazing. Their wines were amazing. Their service both excellent and knowledgeable. The chefs could be heard, and were clearly enjoying their craft.
We went early for supper. I recommend this. It was spot on!