COMMENTARY, June 21 -- Take a gander on social media, or even swipe around on Google Maps, and it would seem the newest type of restaurant catching on in the Klang Valley is the bistro.

It's spread across the city, from the centre to neighbourhoods like Mont Kiara or TTDI, even all the way out in Bukit Jalil.

Restaurants and cafes remain more prevalent for now, but the arrival of the bistro hasn't been limited to physical restaurants; otherwise, Q Bistro and every other mamak with "bistro" in its name would be proof of its arrival long ago.

No, the bistro has crept into our dining vocabulary too, with staples like steak frites now on menus at any restaurant with air conditioning and an Instagram account.

But what is a bistro? Far from...