Tête de veau at Brasserie Flo

The only reason that I did not head home after having been drenched with red wine at a particularly rowdy 6 Nations viewing session, was the promise of tête de veau, a classic French bistro dish, at Brasserie Flo. And that is exactly how I sauntered in on Saturday evening, sans reservation, to the disapproving looks of some of the older patrons in the joint (I found this reaction delightful, for some reason).

For the uninitiated, tête de veau is a dish comprising of all the tasty parts of a cow’s head. In this case - tongue, brains, cheeks. You will have to peruse the menu carefully – it is listed under the “specialties” section.

I had wondered how one was supposed to consume an entire brain, but as it turns out, you get only a cross-section slice of it, slightly battered and deep fried (hence the ‘crispy’ in the description). This is just as well, as it was a rich as I had expected. I did not, however, expect it to taste so much like fish that my dinner partner was prompted to muse, “I wonder if this is why they call fish brain food?”

Perhaps it is because fish is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, which is good for the brain.

Speaking of things that don’t taste quite right, the tongue, which was quite tough in texture and requires a few chews, tasted very much like bacon. Again, this was surprising but delightful. The cheeks, which is the best part of any animal head, was soft and tender, which complemented the tougher texture of the tongue.

The dish was rounded out with peas, carrots and nugget potatoes in a gribiche sauce – overall, a perfect dinner serving. It was a perfect first tête de veau experience, from the price - € 18,75 – to the bistro itself. Brasserie Flo looks and feels like a classic French bistro, except with servers that are so attentive until you need the bill to go home and wash your daywear.

Brasserie Flo
Amstelstraat 9
1017 DA Amsterdam
020 8904757

“Tête de veau”: Sautéed calf’s tongue, braised cheek and crispy brains with gribiche sauce € 18,75