Roberts Bistro, Düsseldorf, Germany

Wupperstr. 2, Tel. +49 (0)211-304821
http://www.robertsbistro.de/

The story tells that when his wife caught the chef in flagranti with the maid in the kitchen of their previous restaurant, it was time for him to set up his own restaurant – Robert’s Bistro. Located in the all so trendy harbour area of Düsseldorf, the place has quickly become THE place for two sorts of people: Those who absolutely adore good bistro cuisine, and Those who absolutely want to be seen in one of THE places in the harbour area (well, there might be some crossover between these groups, as well).

If you are looking for a spot of tranquility to quietly enjoy your dinner or have a confidential discussion, look further – Robert’s bistro is as noisy and crammed as you would expect from a real bistro. Never mind the somewhat unpretentious and even rough service, it only adds to the atmosphere of the eatery.

The extensive list features excellent starters like terrine of foie gras with port wine jelly (15€), pot au feu (soup) with lyon sausage and “Tafelspitz” (boiled rump) for 7.5€, and bigorneaux (mini-snails) with aioli, mayonnaise, cocktail sauce and wasabi-mayo (6.50€). The latter starter is worth the money already for the sauces, which are excellent on bread - once you ran out of snails. For all you out there who are told they don’t eat enough salad, the “Salad Landaise” (15€) is worth special mentioning: Salad with breast of duck, leg of duck and stomach of duck as well as terrine de foie gras :)

As for the main courses, the deer filet with chili-nougat sauce simply blows your mind. It’s accompanied by vegetables, dried fruits and what seems to be a coconut-potato mash, which all go very nicely with the chocolaty sauce. Another all-time favourite is the bouillabaisse type fish soup (11.50€), which seems to contain at least five different sorts of seafood. It’s served with grated parmesan and heavenly aioli.

Last time I visit Robert’s we chose a bottle of 2006 Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) from Annheuser, which was the cheapest on the list (14.5€) and went very nicely with both the fish soup as well as the pot au feu.

As you would expect from a good restaurant in the harbour area, it gets absolutely crammed after 18:30, and you will usually have to wait for a table for about 30 minutes, as they do not take reservations. Robert’s has now opened a bar next door, where waiting guests are directed to and picked up from when their table is ready. Be sure to take enough cash with you, as they don’t accept credit cards.

Visited: many times, last visit October 2007