Restaurant BLEU Amsterdam - The Unconventional Touch of Culinary

You may want to “Go Dutch” but if you are craving for a no muss no fuss and down to earth French bistronomique dining experience in Amsterdam, the little culinary brother of Steak Restaurant Black & Blue - Restaurant BLEU, is an ideal hangout to savour a good flavour of some of the classic French bistro comfort food with an unconventional touch and a personalized flair, even on an ordinary school night out. Vive la France! mylifestylenews writes.

Sometimes when deciding where to eat out for dinner, you want to have a bit of comfort with some golden oldies from French cuisines that are presented with a bit of a twist to satisfy your French cravings. Centrally located and tucked away along Prinsenstraat in the historical Jordaan Amsterdam, the stylish multi-level Restaurant BLEU is a gem of a place for an awesome and somewhat wholesome meal.

On approaching Restaurant BLEU in a light drizzly evening, the double height street windows along Prinsenstraat with the visible signage above from a distance are quite apparent. Geometrical long stretching windows vaguely and dimly draw your attention to its warm and snug interior lighting inside. An outdoor quaint patio with comfortable seating and benches is also available and would be a sheer delight on warmer nights or during day time to watch the world go by while sipping your favourite champagne or wine.

As you enter, you are immediately struck by the stylish and chic interior within, the interior offers two levels of comfortable seating with sleek lines of a mix of sofa banquettes and chic leather chairs.The space appears to be quite small, but appearances can be deceptive, with a mezzanine floor that has even more dining space and go all the way back of this lofty building when you adjourn upstairs. But, it is the front main ‘atrium’ space that is so appealing, with large semi-caged motif wooden pendant lamps hanging from the highest points and decorated with framed flora and fauna modern artwork that gives an inviting alchemy ‘botanical’ feel.

There are many design elements to reference a conservatory garden theme with some thoughtful  touches: exposed ceiling beams, carefully chosen tropical fauna wallpaper, candle lighting, a faux lawn ‘B’ letter in large and even a tinted “old” map of Holland juxtaposing those well strategically placed plants and mini vases filled with small wild flowers to add some life in an otherwise harmonizing and already warm ambience with sophisticated lighting.

Jason, our wait staff for the evening had pre-allocated the most wanted table in the house at the front window seat right next to the entrance with a thoughtful gesture, which was a nice touch but we suggested to move up to the mezzanine floor to enjoy both the upper view looking at the “atrium” from a different vantage point as well as a vertical view of the street through the glass window.

Restaurant BLEU offers pretty much bistro style gastronomic menu with a wide array of meal options and the aim is to do every dish well, rather than spreading resources thinly. All dishes are made fresh and with high-quality produce that includes their signature lobster dishes, butcher steak, homemade onion soup, chicken bonne femme, chocolate crumble, toasted smoked salmon……just to name a few.

<Beef Carpaccio>

 We started with the beef carpaccio fully topped with parmesan curls, arugula, pine nuts and truffle mayonnaise. The dish is comprised of wafer-thin slices of very delicious beef with a generous smattering of extras, although the parmesan could have been more finely sliced, this was a very safe and pleasant dish for starter.

<Homemade Onion Soup with Bread and Gruyere Cheese>

The homemade onion soup with the caramelized onion was not simmered to melt in your mouth yet to leave you a moment to munch by breaking it instead. The watery soup base also did not give a satisfying palate but tasty nonetheless, served with a thick cut of bread topped with melted rich gruyere cheese on the side.

<Gambas From The Josper>

Four generous sizes of large prawns was cooked in the “Josper” charcoal oven, a robust charcoal grill and closed barbecue that reaches up to 400 degrees Celsius, that are being cauterized and roasted in perfect circulation of hot air to give a smokey flavour. Well toasted in tasty aromatic garlic and pepper with a hint of the zest of orange for an alternative twist and they had an excellent taste and texture. A winner! 

<Zealandish Mussels>

While the mussels were on the small sizes in flesh, they were quite tasty when it was cooked with white wine, leek, onion, celery and fennel with garlic sauce and whisky sauce. Both sauces were a hit, so spoilt for choice. The remaining ‘soup’ in the pot was utterly delectable as well, so a lead contender for the best dish of the night!

<Chicken Bonne Femme > (300gr)

Beautifully presented on a skillet pan, the chicken grilled in the Josper oven with carrots, pearl onions and potatoes was very juicy and tender and the bed of vegetable was a perfect accompaniment. The Josper grill produces perfectly cooked meat and we enjoyed this signature dish immensely.

<Whole Lobster>

We requested half of the lobster instead of the entire 500 gram whole lobster served the classic way with lemon and herb butter for its freshest taste of the sea and genuinely another surf and turf to complete our main courses. Not to be missed!

<Tenderloin of Black Angus> (250gr)

This was beautifully chargrilled red meat as requested. The pepper sauce and red wine sauce were just right in piquancy. The meat was rich and grainy in texture that had certainly made another highlight for our evening. We had a bottle of 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape – F. Jeantet for its beautiful dark purple structure nice tannin, round palate and long finish with tones of red fruit and spices yet gentle and soft to pair with our meat dishes.

<Chocolate Crumble>

We had no room for dessert but Jason insisted to try the chocolate crumble with caramel sea salt ice cream served in a giant copper mixing bowl. A safe dessert with fabulous presentation despite the flavor was not as outstanding as we had expected, it is still enjoyable and rather tempting.

Jason was a great host for the evening and offered very warm and hospitable service, which was a plus for our enjoyment. Overall there is a consistency to everything that comes out of the kitchen and the presentation cannot be faulted, plus you are spoilt for choice with sauce options and some of the side dishes which you inevitably can’t resist…after all, that is what reacquainting oneself with golden oldies is all about! Food is to be shared here in Restaurant BLEU for further enjoyment but if you insist to Go Dutch – the Dutch way, alstublieft!

Tried & Tested:

Location: 4/5

Design & Decor: 4/5

Food & Beverage: 4/5

Service: 4.5/5

Value For Money: 4.5/5

Experience: 4.5/5

BLEU Amsterdam

Prinsenstraat 10HS,
1015 DC Amsterdam 
Netherlands

Tel: +31 20 362 1340

Reviews are based on actual day of visit and experience. mylifestylenews reserves the right of final decision in case of any disputes. All images are photographed by mylifestylenews team without any photoshop enhancement and are the property owned by mylifestylenews unless otherwise stated.