Fresh plump mussels, a smoked duck tart, fisherman’s stew and beef bourguignon all went down well
Mia Stainsby
Sun
Valerie and Laurent Devin offer wine and the chef’s lamb shank garam masala with lime and fresh herbs at their new Bistrot Bistro on West Fourth Avenue. Photograph by : Ian Lindsay, Vancouver Sun
Suddenly, Fourth Avenue’s got culinary cred. A triad has moved into its 1900-block. First Gastropod. Then Fuel opened right next door. Now, across the street, triangulating the force field of hot new restaurants, is Bistrot Bistro.
Further upstreet, Bishop’s and Bistro Pastis add even more allure to this restaurant package.
Bistrot Bistro follows Gastropod and Fuel’s clean, modern lines but it’s obvious its budget was tighter. Given the hearty, country-style French food served here, I wondered if it was the right look.
On the lime green wall, four clocks are set to different time zones tracing owners Laurent and Valerie Devin’s trajectory from France to London, Windsor and Vancouver. The walls also hold narrow shelves holding marching armies of votive candles.
It is a relaxed and classic French bistro, the second to open in recent weeks, but Bistrot Bistro doesn’t quite hit a bull’s-eye like Jules, in Gastown. I confess I pounced early — they were in their first week of operation but I hit several rough spots as well as a few delights.
The food follows the style of La Regalade in West Vancouver, serving heapings of food. It arrives in buckets and in Le Creuset style pans and bowls for sharing. Everything’s big, except the table. You don’t get a basket of bread — you must buy an entire baguette. It’s nice and crusty, but takes up precious table real estate. If you want side dishes, like a starch or veggies, you order them separately and they crowd the table as well. When all the food arrived, my dinner plate was cantilevered over the edge. I was wishing for a big, sturdy, communal table.
But I have to say, servers are attentive, confident and welcoming. Laurent heads the kitchen and Valerie is very hands-on in the front of the house. Instead of offering specials, Laurent will be changing the menu regularly, adding and subtracting dishes.
All their wines are available by the glass, half litre, or bottle. They’re able to do that with a very sensitive recorking device called Le Verre de Vin. It recorks the wine at exactly the same pressure as in a full bottle and there’s just enough air so as not to kill the wine, says Laurent. “When they sold the first one in Whistler, they had problems. It was because of the barometric pressure difference from Vancouver.”
Bistrot Bistro’s menu also suggests wine matches (mostly French and B.C.) with the dishes, a nice touch.
As for the dishes I tried, I loved the fresh, plump mussels in a tarragon cream broth; a smoked duck tart with caramelized onion and black olives harmonized in flavour and textures. A fisherman’s stew pot came with a yummy broth and nice fresh fish and the beef bourguignon was better than the one I had at Jules (although the best are at La Regalade and Bacchus Bistro in Langley).
The brussels sprouts have apparently won over some fans — its cabbagey flavour has been masked with wine vinegar, shallots and a lardon.
But a rather limp pomme sarladaise (thinly sliced potatoes sauteed in goose or duck fat) glistened with fat. I preferred the pomme frites they offered one evening. And hanger steak was bathed in too much shallot cognac sauce, spoiling it for me.
Chicken in blue cheese cream sauce looked overwhelmingly beige but the meat was moist and flavourful. A charcuterie plate, featuring a chicken liver terrine, duck and pistachio pate, pork rilette and prosciutto did not sing. I would have been happy with just the duck pate.
For dessert, the apple tart came highly recommended by staff. Why, I don’t know. I preferred the somewhat oversweet but velvety chocolate mousse (which, by the way, is bottomless as long as you finish each portion). The chou pastry for the profiteroles was dry, a real detraction.
Bistrot Bistro, I think, is the straggler of the threesome on the 1900 block but there’s potential for damn good rustic French food with some hard tweaking.
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BISTROT BISTRO
Overall: Rating 3 1/2
Food: Rating 3 1/2
Ambience: Rating 3 1/2
Service: Rating 3 1/2
Price $$
1961 West Fourth Ave., 604-732-0004. (www.bistrot.bistro.com) Open Tuesday to Sunday, 5 p.m. to midnight. Will soon be opening for weekend brunch.
Restaurant visits are conducted anonymously and interviews are done by phone. Restaurants are rated out of five stars.