Dining at Le Bistro Francais turned out to be a rather fractured experience.
Our excitement at the prospect of dining at a French restaurant had perhaps raised our expectations too high, but we were left one part bemused, one part disappointed and three parts satiated.
My partner's main course of salmon steak with prawns ($16) summed up the evening perfectly.
A huge slab of salmon was elegantly presented on a bed of fresh eschalots, complimented with two rice mounds, a weakly bland sauce and half-a-dozen pathetically tiny creatures that it was an insult to label prawns.
The fish was excellently cooked, juicy and flavorsome. A delight to cut, let alone eat. But the rest of the dish was so poorly prepared and conceived that it spoiled the overall effect.
My partner said the dish was good, but not great.
Such schizophrenic tendencies were to haunt us throughout an evening that was satisfying, but not uplifting.
The entrance to Le Bistro Francais is certainly impressive -- double doors, a fine, small set of stairs, and three cloak-alcove attendants greeted us as we crept in from the cold, dark, icy street.
After depositing our outermost garments with said attendants, we were ushered into the restaurant proper.
The interior was reminiscent of a small hall in a prosperous boyar's home that had been turned into a replica of a middle-of-the-road French cafe or bistro.
Somber red walls and scrolled demi-arches vied for our attention with thin cafe-style furniture, potted palms and paper red-and-white checked place mats.
Rounding out this topsy-turvy picture was a large horned skull, mounted trophy-like on the wall.
Decor aside, the atmosphere was very amiable and our waitress the soul of courtesy and attentiveness. However, she was hampered by the fact that the menu is printed in French and English, but not Russian.
After a lengthy deliberation over the wide array of possibilities I decided to begin my meal with a bacon and onion flambe ($6.50), from the list of hot starters.
Also available were salmon quiche, warm goat's cheese salad and several other appetizing appetizers for a similar price.
My dining companion decided that, considering the weather, soup was an excellent way to start her meal. As there is nothing more French than French onion soup, she ordered a serving of that.
While we waited for our meal to be prepared, my companion asked for a cup of tea, and was rewarded with cup of hot water and a very ordinary looking teabag. We thought that charging $3 for the above was ridiculous.
When my partner's soup arrived, it turned out to be well-presented and very generous. It was also bland and not very oniony, or French.
When the flambe arrived, it was like a medium-sized bacon, egg and onion pizza, without any tomato sauce of course. It was also delicious, and I tucked into it with gusto.
The only problem with the flambe was its size, which was more appropriate to a main course than an appetizer.
After weighing up the various merits of the cock in red wine ($15), the rabbit stew ($15), the fat duck ($16) and the rack of lamb with mustard for two ($32), my choice for main course narrowed down to the veal escallop with cream and mushrooms ($18.50) and the beef fillet with mustard and french fries ($19).
In the end I went for the veal, and regretted I had not leaned the other way. Again, the serving was large, but the taste was unsatisfactory.
I ended up feeling that the portion was too big, a sure sign that flavor was lacking.
I also ordered french fries on the side ($3), not knowing that the veal came with a large helping of sliced fried potatoes.
I was still glad to have ordered the fries. They were simply the best french fries I've ever had.
The meal ended with some excellent real coffee.