El Bistro

El Bistro review

With the appointment of chef Mariano Cid de la Paza, another of BA's protégés of star Spanish chef Ferrán Adriá, in February 2007, Bistro's menu is now as singular the Philippe Starck-designed interior. Throughout the never-ending tasting menu (a regular menu is also available), molecular gastronomy techniques are evident: 'spherifications' of olives and 'foams' of lettuce appear. Yet these are touches in a resolutely Argentinian fare, albeit one that has been deconstructed, reworked and intensified. Yet with down-to-earth staff, the evening passes off as a surprisingly unfussy adventure that justifies its European prices.