Intruiging Vietnamese and French Creations

October 30th, 2007
By: Steve G

Is it Asian or is it French? That's the question that we asked ourselves as we entered Andre's Eurasian Bistro. Originally started by Andre, a French-trained Vietnamese chef, the bistro boasts a very creative menu that offers an interesting mix of food. From Vietnamese, Italian, Thai, Indian, and Malaysian inspired food, there's sure to be a dish that tickles your fancy.

Pulling its items from a variety of locales, Andres offers different noodle dishes from around the world. Aptly named Pastoodles, the dishes have an odd mix of ingredients like the Bombay Penne Pasta to Viet Pad Thai Noodles. Other specialties include the Eurasian Pork and the Chicken Parisienne. Andre's even serves up an Emerald Birdnest for those with an appetite for Chinese food.

We've heard some stories about the service being hit or miss, but during our time there the service was pretty good. The staff and service were friendly and cheery. Recommendations were offered up and our server always made sure to check in with us frequently without making us feel rushed.

For our appetizer, we had the Angel Chicken Wings ($7.25). Stuffed with minced pork, peas, and onions, then beer battered, fried and served with a tangy chili plum sauce, it turned out to be a great starter dish. At first glance they looked like ordinary chicken wings, but there was more than met the eye. The wings had a rich, subtle taste, while the exterior was a crispy and crunchy affair that, while deep-fried, was not too heavy on the oil.

The Mango Chicken ($11.00) consisted of wok-fried vegetables cooked with a semi-sweet ginger sauce and layered with thin slices of mangos. The flavor in the dish came mainly from the sauce, which the flavored rice helped add on to. We expected the mango to be very sweet and juicy, but it ended up being more on the firm and under ripe side. If you're expecting the chicken to have a mango infused flavor, you might be a little disappointed.

We thought the Curry Crepe Wrap ($8.95) would be similar to a French crepe, but with an Indian twist. Filled with chicken pork, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, and bean sprouts, the meal was very similar to a Vietnamese crepe. More watery than thick, the curry was a bit of a disappointment. The chicken and pork weren't bad, but the dish was simply underwhelming.

The Lamb Au Garlic ($17.75) had a great combination of flavor playing off of a sharp contrast in tastes. Flash seared and served with mushrooms and mustard, the lamb was very moist and tender. The actual cut of the lamb was on the thin side, but the gamey taste combined with the mustard sauce worked well.

Overall, the experience at Andre's Bistro was a mixed bag. Some things were great about our experience there, i.e. the great server we had and the Angel Chicken Wings. But other things didn't pan out as great as we hoped (mango and curry crepe wrap). Andre's Bistro may not have enough pizzazz to attract people across the Lake Washington, but it is definitely worth a visit for the Eastside locals.

If you like Andre's Eurasian Bistro, we suggest: