A deep dive into the classic French restaurants in Metro Vancouver
The 47th Vancouver International Wine Festival, one of the best in the world, will be upon us soon, from March 7 to 14. This year, the theme country is France, with 27 wineries from nine French regions joining others from 14 other countries in the International Tasting Room. And bonus — there will be tasting stations of wines from the storied Bordeaux and Beaujolais regions.
On the France them, the festival includes French wine seminars and dinners, and North Vancouver’s Le Cafe Brocante will offer French-inspired nibbles at their pop-up in the tasting room. In a new event, the LaSalle College culinary program will host a French bistro lunch at the school with wine tastings from seven French wine regions. For more information on the festival, visit
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And should you want a deep dive into French food and wine, visit some of Metro’s French restaurants. I’ve compiled a list of them for you.
Absinthe
952 Commercial Dr., Vancouver |
Go for the traditional French dishes but don’t miss the namesake absinthe spirit (diluted with cold water, over a sugar cube on a slotted spoon). The menu offers a two or three course menu and a la carte.
Alouette Bistro
567 Hornby St., Vancouver |
The sleek room folds you into its elegant, old-world bistro arms. You’ve got your coq au vin, bouillabaisse, and vol au vent as well as a show-stopping 36-oz. côte de boeuf.
Au Comptoir
2278 West Fourth Ave., Vancouver |
Au Petit Comptoir
1471 Continental St., Vancouver |
Au Comptoir and its downtown mini-me, Au Petit Comptoir, both manifest a charming Parisian je ne sais quoi. The menu sticks to the bistro greats like moules frites, escargot, and steak frites.
Bacchus Bistro at Chaberton Estate Winery
1064-216th St., Langley |
Chabertonwinery.com/bacchus-bistro
Go for a wine tasting, then, with appetites readied, have lunch at the bistro, or dinner on Friday and Saturday. The winery has been around since 1991, and in warm weather, a patio from which to rest eyes on the 55-acre vineyard.
Brasserie Coquette
2685 Arbutus St., Vancouver |
Gramercy Grill passed the torch and Brasserie Coquette has become a trusted neighbourhood spot. The operators also run Stable House Bistro and Fiore Famiglia, two other West Side favourites. On the menu, rare sightings of les oeufs en meurette, gougères, and blue cheese soufflé.
Le Cafe Brocante
228 Esplanade East, North Vancouver |
A self-described boutique winery and wine bar. They offer light French nibbles (like charcuteries, saucissons, flatbreads) to accompany their handcrafted “garagiste” wines.
Cafe Salade de Fruits
1555 West Seventh Ave., Vancouver |
This unpretentious, squeezy boîte has loads of character and remains a 26-year local’s secret, pocketed in Le Centre Culturel Francophone. The French-speaking staff take you to France and back.
Chez Celine
4298 Fraser St., Vancouver |
With heavy hitter chef J-C Poirier part of this East Van bistro, you expect and do receive transcendence and even a lightning bolt strike, as from the rustic 18-ounce pork chop with maple apple cider sauce. I just can’t shake you. The brunch menu holds much allure, too.
Collective Goods Bistro
3532 Commercial St., Vancouver |
A warm and friendly neighbourhood spot that nails the essence of French bistro — blackboard menu, curated groceries and wine for sale and classic dishes, except when the chef unleashes the creative hounds with daily specials.
Is That French Wine Bar and Restaurant
45 Blood Alley Square, Vancouver |
In answer to the question in its name, I’d say pork rillettes with “all the sexy pickles,” foie gras parfait, and pork collar with sauce au poivre definitely swing French and the food plays so nicely with the wine.
Le Crocodile by Rob Feenie
909 Burrard St., Vancouver |
Chef Rob Feenie, a gifted cook, fuses precise technique, great ingredients, and a discerning eye. Classic, beautifully plated French dishes with nods to the previous chef, Feenie’s mentor and friend Michel Jacob.
Les Faux Bourgeois
663 East 15th Ave., Vancouver |
Nothing faux here with its lively, lived-in, authentic old-world charm and solid, classic French bistro fare, which has kept this place humming for almost two decades.
Linh Cafe
1428 Granville St., Vancouver |
Chef Tai Nguyen cooked at the late L’Emotion, La Regalade, Mistral Bistro, and Cafe Regalade, all great French restaurants in their time, before opening Linh Cafe. His menu offers Vietnamese (say yes to the pho!) and French food (yes to the very good value beef Wellington — English in name but French in origin).
Mèreon
1479 Clyde Ave., West Vancouver |
The name honours the ‘mothers of Lyon,’ those female chefs who trained legendary greats like Paul Bocuse and Georges Blanc. The room’s soft pastels and breezy country feel reflect the thoughtful brunch and dinner fare.
Provence Marinaside
1177 Marinaside Cres., Vancouver |
Great service, waterfront patio, and refined food from chef Jean-Francis Quaglia’s native southern France. It’s what kept this place busy for more than 20 years.
St. Lawrence
269 Powell St., Vancouver |
Chef-owner J-C Poirier has magicked the synthesis of France and Quebec into a one-Michelin symbiosis. The annual Cabane à Sucre menu, on now, showcases a Quecbecois tradition at its best.
Tableau Bar Bistro
1181 Melville St., Vancouver |
A Wentworth Hospitality Group restaurant (Homer Street Cafe, Maxine’s, Folietta), this one, in the boutique Loden Hotel, is intimate and vibrant. The dinner menu offers five different cuts of beef for its steak frites and a decadent foie gras Monte Cristo. Breakfast, brunch and lunch menus, as well.
Tour de Feast
319 Mountain Hwy., North Vancouver |
A modest spot in a semi-industrial location, this family operation has many local fans returning for the comforting French bistro food — dishes like onion tart, cassoulet and duck confit.
SIDE DISHES
Vancouver has welcomed a new culinary concept. The ICON dinner series features iconic chefs cooking to honour creative icons in the culinary and arts worlds.
The first ICON dinner, held last month, was at Elem restaurant with chef Vish Mayekar and guest chef Rafael Covarrubias of the Michelin-starred 20 Victoria restaurant in Toronto. The icon of the evening was the beloved Anthony Bourdain. “It begins with Bourdain because he showed us how food can tell the story of humanity,” says series founder Christian Alvarez. “The dinner is our way of saying thank you to the chef, the writer, the traveler, the friend we all felt we knew. He continues to inspire us to look closer, listen harder, and taste with more heart.”
Each course referenced Bourdain. One dish, an elevated mortadella sandwich with waves of provolone foam, riffed on Bourdain’s love and respect for humble food like a sandwich he ate in Sao Paolo. “A heap of oozing awesomeness and one of the best damn sandwiches I’ve ever eaten in my life,” Bourdain had gushed. A coq au vin paid tribute to Bourdain’s years as a chef in a French brasserie — the dish was a super refined quail preparation that took eight days to make, Mayekar said.
The next ICON dinner will be on April 13. “I’ll start teasing it on Instagram by late February or early March,” says Alvarez. Watch for deets to drop at @icondinners.
instagram.com/miastainsby
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Source: vancouversun.com