Bistro du Vin — Restaurant in Hong Kong Island

We love this local bistro, always consistently good and the menu changes periodically with some fantastical additions you never knew you were hungering for.

One might never have known that salt baked fish would be so succulent just standing outside, or that pigeon was on the menu after coming back from a trip abroad and the rounded glass entrance contain so much different flavours compared to the previous visit, oh so many weeks ago.

On this occasion I felt compelled to write a review as there are so many classical dishes and flavours to be had in France, you are always savouring the thought of what is next on the menu. And nestled neatly at the end of the lunch menu was the pigeon.

Wow wow, so delicious I forgot to taste my wife’s cod dish which she was enjoying audibly with every bite. I forgot to mention before, that this place really knows how to treat fish, cooked to perfection, slightly rounded and still very tender to give that very satisfying mouthfeel and texture of a meaty fish like cod. I am told that the sauce is very very good, slightly sweet but when combined with the other small dollop of white sauce with the consistency of bread sauce it was very nice. I think it’s enjoyable to eat that way, to make combinations to your preference.

As for my pigeon it’s time to explain how much I loved this dish. How I had to apologise to my dining partner that I felt the need to use my fingers, as I didn’t want to waste any part of our once unwitting avian friend. I did him justice and just the clean bones left behind. The crispy skin, that perfect upturned edge where the crispy skin and moist flesh was so nicely seared. You must go hunting for more of this crispy skin, I thought but each slice of the meat wouldn’t be the same without that texture of skin and slight crackle.

The wing and leg was so fun to pick at once knife and fork were deemed less than useful, the bones were so delicate and crunchy that it really added to the experience of textures together with such a rich flavour.

And that flavour was intensified in the vegetables, those beautiful peas and carrots lovingly soaked up the sauce and were obviously cooked with the fattiness which had vacated the now crispy skin and imparted their wily ways into the moorish sweetness of the peas and carrots.

This is my idea of the best French cooking; simple ingredients done well.

I mean it is basically four obvious ingredients here but they combined, complemented and helped each other so well.

That finely chopped (not grated or crushed) garlic is the sign of love from a chef who would go to so much effort in order to give both a great savoury flavour to balance the sweetness of the vegetable and enhance the richness of the fat. And the texture and body it gave to the sauce is both wonderful and well done.

It kept the sauce in the circular presentation of the vegetables on top of which was the nicely presented half of pigeon, like a giant suntanned bird on a small round island.

The white space on the plate surrounding it added to the feeling that it is the star of the show.

I could eat this everyday this month until the next menu comes out, however my waistline would not allow me to enter the doorway.

Finish with fresh madeleine always. Cooked to order, I must remember to order these at the start. Never disappoints and that beautiful aroma when you...

I have heard many good things about this little French bistro tucked in the streets of Kennedy Town. The bistro has a retro exterior with its signature red rims. We did not make any reservations beforehand, and therefore was seated at the bar tables, which were not very comfortable.

The lunch sets here are of good value, with 2 courses priced at $220, and 3 courses at $250. We ordered one of each.

Appetizers Salmon Rillette This dish was recommended by our server, but it did not meet our expectations. The rillette was somewhat like a salmon-flavored butter, and we could hardly find any shredded salmon inside. It was not a particularly outstanding dish.

Mussels in White Wine Sauce We liked this dish a lot. The mussels were very fresh, and had no funky flavors at all like many other places. The white wine sauce was also very flavorful with buttery and creamy flavors. The green onions added extra garlicky flavors to the dish.

Mains M9 Mayura Bavette with Confit Baby Potatoes (supplement $75) This dish was amazing. Mayura Wagyu beef is known for its complexity and integration of extremely high marbling. It has buttery and nutty flavours, with a silky smooth texture and unrivalled juiciness. The bavette is in the skirt area, and is one of the most flavorful part of the carcass. The steak was tender, soft and juicy. The confit potatoes were also very crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The highlight of the dish has to be the bearnaise sauce. It was filled with buttery umami, and went very well with the steak and potatoes.

Tuna Tartare This was an average dish. The presentation was not very flattering. The tartare was packed a little too loosely, with red juices somehow leaking on the sides. The taste of it was refreshing, with sweet tomatoes and soy dressing.

Dessert Madeleine with Chocolate Mousse The madeleines here are 💯. They are served warm, with hints of lemon nuances. It was slightly crispy on the outside, but soft and fluffy on the inside. The chocolate mousse was astringent and rich, and goes along very well with the madeleines.

Bread basket I appreciate the restaurant’s effort in keeping the bread warm. The bread was quite soft with good quality.

Overall, we found the food so-so for the lunch sets.

The services were also average. The food was served very slowly, and the servers were all very occupied and busy most of the time, and could not attentively cater...

Restaurant Review📋

Food🍽 Signature Bouillabaisse Lobster🦞Fish🐟Prawns🦐Clams in Fish🐟Soup the Soup was thin but extremely Umami & Savoury. Every mouth was full of the taste of Ocean🌊 Lobster🦞Prawns🦐Clams were Springly & Umami. Fish🐟was quite Springly, skin was not Crispy

Duck🦆Rillette the Shredded Duck🦆was Savoury but lack of Duck Flavour the toasts🍞was too dry. Not match with the Savoury Shredded Duck

Gratin Dauphinois, Potatoes & Cream Gratin Sliced Potatoes🥔were thin, soft and bit crunchy with mild and fresh potato flavour the cream sauce was Savoury, Creamy and Bit Sour. Perfectly matched with the Potatoes Slices😋

Lemon🍋Tart Meringue The Freshness, Sourness & Sweetness were perfectly Balanced⚖️. Refreshing, Soothing & Surprisingly Light the Tart was Deliciously Flaky with Rich Flour & Butter Flavour & Aroma Lemon🍋Custard was quite sour, which is Refreshing The Meringue was nearly like a foam, light & pleasant, what a soul soothing texture☺

Ambience💗 Staff were extremely busy but still demonstrated their professionalism. Warm, Patience & Energetic they serve Orange Wine which is not quite common in HK resto, recommend to have a try. The Orange Wine made me thought of my🇵🇱Poland Trip, which is the first place I tasted Orange Wine and that was so good @stephanieyeeman The Orange Wine this bistro served were Cloudy, Slightly Sour & Bitter and with a citrus taste. Extremely reasonable price.Just the same as my🇵🇱Poland First Try. MUST TRY😋😍

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