Because it is, literally, a sliver of space - just enough to shoehorn in a counter with a row of seats for customers, and a kitchen for @chef_y.doi_bistrotetroitsg (heaven forbids he ever gains weight 😅). But truth be told, the walls melt away into darkness, so all attention and eyes are drawn to where light is concentrated - the stage for Chef Doi-san’s one-man culinary performance. And really, isn’t that the point when one visits @BistrotEtroit? To watch him prepare his take on French cuisine (with brief soliloquies thrown in) and to savour each course as they arrive? I certainly think so.
Anyway, after slightly more than two months since I secured our online booking, @huatkaliao and I finally had dinner there last Tuesday. Lucky us even had the whole restaurant to ourselves. Reason being Chef Doi-san only accepts 7 customers a day (this is based on the amount of prep he needs to do), and that evening’s first seating already saw 5 in attendance.
Having Chef Doi-san all to ourselves was like striking the jackpot. I could bounce around freely to take my photos and videos, as well as pepper him with questions (I only hope is that I wasn’t too irritating 😆).
As for what we ate, well, no surprises that I picked Bistro Course A ($120+) for us because it has more food 😁
The complimentary starter of wasabi-flavoured cauliflower mousse with sea urchin was a delicious blend of subtle sweetness and stealthy heat.
After which, we crammed our faces with sourdough and brioche, also made by Chef Doi-san, just like everything else. They were so good spread with his uni and white miso butter.
We enjoyed a refreshing and well-balanced carpaccio next, starring silky slices of young bluefin tuna from Toyosu Market.
Wherever the menu listed options, I selected different items for us, so greedy me could try a wider variety. Thus, for our second appetiser, it was a pair of large, very juicy white asparagus with mimolette cheese, an onsen egg and truffle vinaigrette sauce, and a confit of natural yellowtail that I picked. As lovely as the seasonal asparagus was, I preferred the latter because the texture of that thick-cut fish was unbelievable! Through some crafty sorcery, It was bestowed with the most mind-blowing mouthfeel and flavour.
We were also really impressed by the fish course that came after. Instead of its signature crispy scales, the amadai had a thin cheese crust and was served with mushrooms in a pool of “sauce Albert”. According to Chef Doi-san, this classic sauce is named after the General Manager of the famous “Maxim de Paris” restaurant. A white wine and veal glaze amalgamation, its lip-smacking quality drove us to use the last of the bread to wipe our plates clean of it.
We were very pleased to have heeded Chef’s recommendation for our main course. The Hokkaido A4 grade Wagyu Striploin was done to perfection. I was initially distracted by its naked tastiness but when the accompanying red wine sauce was poured on, I nearly fell off my chair. Such was its swoonworthiness.
After seeing Chef Doi-san’s Beef Tongue Curry Rice appear in a couple of Instagram Stories, I was very keen to give it a try regardless of whatever else we ate.
The humble looking dish turned out to be a revelation! Instead of the typical yellow hue, the fork-tender chunks of tongue were stewed in a deep brown Japanese curry, its colour derived from a red wine sauce. Finished with toasted almond flakes, it was also spiked with a “secret ingredient” of coffee powder.
For dessert, I chose for us the tarte tatin that came with a show-stealing housemade cinnamon caramel ice-cream, and Chef Doi-san’s seasonal dessert, a gluten-free cheese terrine that was wonderfully light and moist.

Verdict: I enjoyed dinner so much, I can’t wait to return for Bistrot Etroit’s Summer Menu!