Bar bistro Bravour is a wonderful place in Amsterdam-Oost
Bar bistro Bravour is no unfamiliar place to many Amsterdammers. The restaurant has been located on the corner of Dapperstraat in Amsterdam-Oost for quite some time and was especially popular during the pandemic because of the Sunday Disco Dunch. The cuisine is best described as French with a modern twist. We stopped by to taste the new menu.
As you enter the restaurant through the velvet curtains, you immediately notice that bar bistro Bravour is a cosy place. With its large bar, marble tables, typical café chairs and bistro curtains in front of the windows, the French feeling immediately comes bubbling up inside us.
Bubbles and oysters
Just as in France, we start with champagne and oysters. These are not served with freshly ground black pepper and a squeeze of lemon, but with pickled leek and yuzu. We slurp them down, delicious! Freshly baked sourdough bread with airy whipped beurre noisette is also placed on the table straight away. A lovely uncomplicated start: we like that.
French-style chicken liver pâté
For our starter, we order the chicken liver pâté with cornichons, toasted brioche, Amsterdam pickled onions and crispy chicken skin. And it is especially that last element that makes this a dish worth devouring, it is so delicious. The other starter consists of carrot and little gem with a wonderfully fresh, spicy kick from horseradish; recommended for vegetarians, but certainly delicious for carnivores too.
The waitstaff also chooses matching wines for the dishes. Convenient, because with the extensive wine list, we are happy to make use of the in-house expertise. With the starter, we drink a smooth Hungarian Heyyem Regélö wine with flavours of red fruit and chocolate.
Favourite of the evening
For the next course, we remain in the vegetarian kitchen for a little while longer. And honestly, with the main course of chicory, fig, blue cheese and porcini mushroom, you miss the meat not at all. The blue cheese and crunchy nuts together with the slightly bitter yet sweet chicory make a wonderful combination. The favourite of the evening!
The other main course that appears on the table features Jerusalem artichoke with truffle and oyster mushrooms. We do not really taste the truffle, but all in all this is also a tasty dish. Still prefer meat? The menu also includes poussin (chicken) with fries, Iberico, monkfish and a bouillabaisse with razor clams and cockles.
A twist on banana bread
After finishing a glass of funky, lightly red wine from Portugal, it is time for dessert. Namely, a crème brûlée with tonka and cardamom, and a dessert with fresh banana, warm sugar bread, sugared peanuts and caramel. This divine dessert is a twist on the popular banana bread and believe us; once you taste this, you will never want anything else again.
Throughout the evening, the lovely waitstaff lets you enjoy yourself without losing sight of you. We look around and, digesting over coffee, can only conclude one thing: Bar bistro Bravour serves simple yet flavourful dishes with rich flavours, giving you a wonderful evening in the process. It is a place where we would actually like to sit down every day of the week.
Also read:
- 6 reasons why I love the French supermarket so much
- Know before you go: 12 French dishes you might want to avoid
- Why French cuisine is the best in the world, period
