French Food at its Finest at Les Faux Bourgeois

Tastiness Factor: 9.5/10

Atmosphere: 4/5

Service: 4.5/5

Locavore Approved? KINDA - Although this French gem may not change their menu around as regularly as some others, they still honour the changes of the seasons and feature seasonal produce on their nightly "specials" board.  They also feature a nice selection of BC wines.  Based on the opening page of their website, their "Spring-Summer" menu will soon be changing to feature the tastes of fall. Wonderfully rich and comforting French dishes are apparently on their way!  We cannot wait to drop by on a rainy Vancouver night to be warmed up from the inside out:)

With so many promising new restaurants popping up in Vancouver these days, it is easy to loose sight of all the great Vancouver restaurants that have survived the test of time and continue to thrive in the city's competitive restaurant scene.

Les Faux Bourgeois is one of those "oldies but goodies" that remains still manages to have a packed house every night.  With its wins of "Best French" and "Best Bistro" in Georgia Straight's 2014 Golden Plate Awards and its honourable mention in the categories of "Best Casual French" and "Best East Side" in the 2014 Vancouver Magazine Awards, it is obvious that people have not forgotten about this French gem.

When we arrived at Faux Bourgeois for our 9:00 reservation on Saturday night, the place was hopping. I had expected it would be since I called the Tuesday before to book it and I fortunately snagged the very last spot for that night (reservations STRONGLY recommended, far in advance!).  How these guys manage to fill the space night after night is made more impressive by the fact that it is not close to any other eating/drinking establishments or forms of entertainment, so if you are here it means you made a special trip to join them for the evening (which, for the record, I would gladly do ANY night of the week!).

Although there was a full house, we never felt crammed at all at our table, however those at the booths on either side of us were obviously a bit more snug with their neighbours.  Having just been to Paris a few months ago, the slightly dated and sparsely decorated brought back fond memories of our meals there.

Contrary to the stereotypical rude service that some associate with Paris (which, for the record, we did not find to be the case on our recent travels there), the service at Les Faux Bourgeois was quite exceptional.  It is obvious that these servers are used to being busy.  They juggled their tables masterfully and made it look easy.  Despite running around all night, our server remained astonishingly chill and composed and somehow managed to make it back to the table with the water jug every time my glass was near empty.  Our appies arrived at our table within of ordering.  There was then a lag as we were waiting expectantly for our mains.  We were starting to get a little antsy when suddenly, to our surprise, a bowl of fries appeared in front of us despite the fact that neither of us had ordered fries.  "There must be a mistake", I said, to which the server replied "These are for you to nibble on since we know it has taken a while to get your mains out".   And just like that, any negative emotion that I may have had about waiting melted away and they instantly scored an A+ in the service department!

Les Faux Bourgeois' menu is quite simply divided into appetizers, mains, sides and desserts.  They also have a nightly feature board with 3-4 additional appetizers and mains to chose from.  The wine list is quite succinct and contains a nice mix of Canadian and French wines.

Here are the dishes that we enjoyed:

Bread- It starts off very French with baguette and butter, plain and simple.

Steelhead tartare- This dish from the daily features menu caught my eye the moment I saw it on the chalkboard beside us and I am so glad I ordered it.  The chopped steelhead was complimented by herbs and was perfectly seasoned.  And for reasons I cannot explain, the little salad on the side, simply dressed with oil, salt and pepper, was particularly memorable.  I would love to know their secret!

Soupe a L'Oignons Gratinee-  I had heard this was one of their signature dishes so Hubby gladly ordered it to see what all of the fuss was about.  It was served piping hot with a generous amount of cheese on the top, and a perfect onion-and-crouton soup underneath.  Hubby loved it so much he ate up every bite and "forgot" to offer me ever a spoonful!

Frites- Neither Hubby nor I had ordered dishes served with fries and we regretted this decision as waiter after waiter passed with plates of them for other tables.  They looked SO good!  So you can imagine our excitement when these FREE frites with a side of ridiculously yummy aioli arrived at our table as an apology for our long wait.  Apology accepted!!!

Pleurotes Royale- The French are not known for their vegetarian dishes but this is Vancouver after all so I was not surprised to find one on the menu. This dish actually resembled a meat dish, with the meaty mushrooms sliced overtop the pearl barley and spinach "risotto".   A very satisfying and hearty dish.

Filet de Porc- Hubby loved his main of  perfectly cooked pork (with that lovely pink center) wrapped with strips of bacon.  It was served over some plump nugget potatoes with a side of broccolini, and topped with a flavourful jus.

Overall Verdict?

With all of the positive comments I have heard about this place over the years, I expected it to be good but this meal far exceeded my expectations.  I tend to be partial to creative, innovative cuisine but there are times when I crave a well composed, perfectly-executed meal and this is exactly what I got at Les Faux Bourgeois.

And all of this, with a glass of wine and two beer, for under $90?  That just cannot be beat.

My only regret about going to Les Faux Bourgeois last Saturday night is that I did not discover it years earlier!

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Pizza Well Worth the Visit at Kerrisdale's Bufala

Tastiness Factor: 9/10

Atmosphere: 4/5

Service: 3.5/5

Locavore approved?  YES- Unlike many of the other upscale pizza joints around town that focus on authentic ingredients for their pies, Bufula has taken the local road.  The flour for the crust comes from Saanichton Farm on Vancouver Island, while the sauce is made from local tomatoes.  Toppings also sing "local", with seasonal produce and local meat/seafood.  While they will not be getting the VPN certification anytime soon, that is not what they are going for, and I think their local approach is what will set them apart from their competition.

Kerrisdale is not an area that is known for its good eats.  But with the appearance of a new kid on the block, that may change.

The new kid's name is Bufula, and in her few short months since opening, she has made great strides with long line ups for lunch and dinner, seven days a week.  After eating there last night for the first time, a totally get what all of the hype is about.

When we arrived at 8:30 on a Friday night, there was a 45 minute wait.  There was no space at the bar so they offered to call us when a table was ready.   We walked down the street to 41st to find a place to have a drink but were surprised to discover that the only places that were open at that time in the evening were coffee shops and sushi bars.  So what was the next best option?  The White Spot right next door to Bufala.  Since it is pretty much the only place within walking distance, it has likely seen its evening business skyrocket over the last several months, with customers that are either too hungry to wait for a seat, or those like us who are killing time while waiting.  I must say, they actually have a few decent BC wines on the menu and surprisingly cheap local beers!

When we were finally summoned back to Bufula at around 9:15, the place was still packed.  Although I quite liked the room due its high energy and hip vibe, I should note that the space is quite cramped with communal seating down the middle, booths on one side and the bar/kitchen on the other.  This is therefore not the ideal place for a first date or work meeting, but well suited to a get-together with friends.  We were seated at the communal table which worked fine for us, but my choice would have been one of the cozy-looking booths if I had the choice.  We enjoyed peering into the large open kitchen behind the bar, where we could watch the chefs hard at work making the pies and taking them out of the pizza oven.

Service started off a bit slow, which was understandable considering how busy they were when we were first seated.  After the server finally got around to taking our orders, however, our starters came out in decent time.  It should be noted (and our server did forewarn us) that the food arrives family-style so if guests are ordering personal pizzas like we all did, they will not all arrive at the same time.  Most of our pizzas came out a bit too quick, when we were only half way through our appetizers, while our friend ended up waiting about 10 minutes for his pizza after ours.  The servers themselves seemed pretty run off their feet and did not have much time to walk us through the menu but when things got a bit quieter at the end of the night, they were happy to chat with us.

Bufula is fortunate to have Josh Pape at the helm of its bar program.  Pape has won numerous accolades for his work in many great Vancouver restaurants and is doing great things now at Bufula.  The cocktail list is succinct, with only a handful of classic aperitif cocktails and a few original cocktails.  My friend and I both sampled from the original cocktail list.

Westside (Vodka, basil, lemoncello, soda)- I am not one for sweet cocktails so the lemon-basil combo was just perfect for me.

Rossini (prosecco and strawberry puree)- For those who are looking for something sweet, my friend's classy cocktail definitely delivered.

In keeping with the cocktail menu, the food menu is also fairly short and sweet and consists of about 12 starters and 12 pizzas.  Being a pescatarian, I noticed that the menu is fairly meat heavy (most starters contain at least some meat) which is not all that surprising once you know that the co-owners are from Vancouver's meat-centric Wildebeest.  Vegetarians can take comfort in the fact that 5 pizzas are vegetarian-friendly so they will not leave hungry.

Here were our picks of the night:
Kale Caesar Salad- I never order Caesar salad but had read rave reviews about this one so I suggested we try it. This was honestly the best Caesar I have ever tasted.  Must to Hubby's delight, it came topped with 2 strips of bacon and an egg yolk on the top.  Although it was a tad overdressed for my liking, I loved the flavours in the dressing, and the kale held up really well to its richness.

Meatballs- The meat eaters at the table loved these very moist house-made meatballs.  Although I did not eat the meatballs themselves, I gladly helped myself to the side of bread that I used to soak up some of the tomato sauce.  The sauce was absolutely heavenly.  Not only was the tomato sauce bursting with flavour but it was mixed with creamy ricotta that brought each bite to a whole new level.

Bruschetta- This dish switches up daily depending on what is fresh and available (gotta love that!).  Out trio consisted of roasted red pepper/basil/goat cheese, mortadella/artichoke, and apple and walnut.  I loved the variety of flavour combinations and also appreciated the generous topping:bread ratio.

Pizzas- There are plenty of great pizza joints here in Vancouver (Farina, Barberella, Nicli) but I now feel pretty confident saying that my new favourite pizza of all is here at Bufula.  Interestingly, they do not use traditional flour and do not have a traditional pizza oven, and it was their crust that stole my heart.  So soft and chewy, with the perfect amount of char.  It is what every pizza crust should aspire to be.

The Funghi was the obvious choice for me (I am a mushroom fanatic) and, with its perfect crust and impressive variety and quantity of meaty mushrooms, this was my favourite funghi EVER.  Not to mention the perfect balance of pecorino and goat cheese, and the generous heap of watercress overtop.  I am salivating...

My friend's partner enjoyed the Bacon and Clam which he felt was reminiscent of a comforting bowl of clam chowder.  It was quite unique, with potato, thyme and little dollops of pickled mustard seeds over top.

Hubby and friend shared oxtail and kale, and the carpaccio.  Although Hubby enjoyed the Carpaccio which happened to be our server's favourite, he felt they really knocked it out of the park with the Oxtail and Kale complete with spicy peppers and aged cheddar.

Overall verdict?
Before going to Bufala, I questioned whether anther upscale pizza place in Vancouver was needed in Vancouver.  After eating here, I can answer my own question with a resounding YES!  I will say it again- Bufala is now home to my FAVOURITE pizza in the city, with its to-die-for crust and very unique flavour combinations.  There is no higher praise to give!

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Asian Fusion Confusion at Bambudda

99 Powell St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1E9
(604) 428-0301

Tastiness Factor: 5/10

Atmosphere: 4/5

Service: 3/5

Locavore Approved?  Not really- Although there were a few local "accents" (a few peaches and nectarines strewn on some of the plates), local was not all that well represented.  In reading previous online reviews/blogposts, it appears as though the menu is pretty “stagnant” and does not reflect the changes of the seasonal produce.

Hubby loves Asian food and has been itching to try Bambudda for a while now.  In looking at the menu, it reminded him very much of Bao Bai, one of his favorite restaurants in the city (see my Bao Bai blog post here).  A year after its opening, we finally ventured down to its Gastown location to give it a whirl.

Our first impression was a positive one.  there is no denying that the bar at the front of the restaurant is pretty awesome.  On one side, it is open to the street (if weather permits) with lots of standing room around the outside.  The opposite side of the bar within the restaurant has some seating around it and is adorned by faux Chinese lanterns overhead.  The bar is really the focal point of the restaurant and, as we were to find out later, the best thing about the whole experience by far.  

The back of the room housed the main seating area.  We were fortunate to snag a table for 2 overlooking the bar and we were well entertained by the very energetic bartenders busy shaking, stirring and pouring cocktails.

The service started off well as we were quickly escorted to our reserved table, given menus and then had our drink orders taken a few moments later.  Unfortunately, the speedy service did not last.  It took a good 15 minutes to get our drinks and take our dinner orders. After that, it was at least 15-20 minutes between dishes, which is unusual for a small plates-style restaurant.  Interestingly, our one "side dish" came right at the end of the meal, about 10 minutes after our last dish.  I should mention we arrived at 9:15pm and the dining area was only about half full, so I can only imagine how backed up things must be earlier in the evening.  That being said, our server was very friendly and approachable and we had several people regularly filling up our water.

In keeping with the fabulous bar, the cocktail menu is unique and fun.  The drinks all have Asian-inspired names and, in watching those being served to other tables, some very creative presentations.  I ordered the Chinatown Sour, which had gin, house-made citrus and clove liqueur, lemon, Campari vinegar and egg white.  I thoroughly enjoyed the evolution of flavours- first sweet, then sour, then bitter.  This was one of the best cocktails I have had in a while, and definitely want to come back to the bar to sample some others.

The concept at Bambudda is family-style, with dishes that are meant for sharing.  The menu is divided into “snacks” ($4-6), “small plates” ($9-15), “not so small plates ($16-22) and “sides” ($2-8).  There is also a small dessert menu ($8).  Hubby and I shared 2 snacks, 2 small plates, 1 not so small plate and 1 side, and left a little under-full with a tab of $100 (before tip).

Here is the rundown of our meal:

Wood Ear- This mushroom "snack was OK but nothing too exciting.  Hubby found texture off-putting (personal taste) so I ate the whole dish myself which, after a while, did get rather sickening.

Skins- This was Hubby's pick.  How could one go wrong with chicken skin after all?  Just like my mushrooms, Hubby managed to finish off the dish, but for something that should have been so sinfully delicious, they were just "OK".  Unlike any of the other dishes, they were under seasoned and could have done with a little something other than the lemon on the side to jazz them up.

Nectarine Salad- While this salad was undoubtably fresh and I really appreciated the use of seasonal ingredients (the peaches were outstandingly juicy!), the dressing pretty much ruined it for me.  It was SO incredibly salty from the very heavy-handed use of fish sauce.  The only redeeming quality was the little grains of popped corn on the top which added some nice texture.  There are few salads that I cannot eat and I had to choke down the last bite of this one.

Dungeness Crab Rice- If I had to choose a favourite dish, this would be it, although it was still  mediocre at best.  It reminded me of a risotto dish that was a bit overcooked.  It was pretty mushy, but I must say that I did like the textural variety that the chewy Carolina gold rice added.  Again, this dish was WAY too salty but at least it did not have the "fishy" taste that the salad did.  

Crispy Pork Belly- This was Hubby's meat pick of the evening and it unfortunately did not redeem the meal for him.  The pork itself was pretty pedestrian and fattier than it should have been.  I ate some of the red spinach on the bottom which was decent, except for the plum-based sauce that it had soaked up from the bottom of the plate, which was overwhelming sweet and, once again, too salty.

Eggplant- This was a "side" that was delivered to our table about 10 minutes after our last dish, so I ended up just eating it as its own dish.  The eggplant was prepared in two ways- coins of deep-fried eggplant on the top and stewed eggplant on the bottom prepared with tea and popped grains.  The tea flavour of the stewed eggplant was too strong for my taste, and the popped grain had become soggy and mushy.  And (surprise, surprise) the whole thing was way too salty.

Overall Verdict?

I hate to say it, but this was one of the worst meals we have had in this city in quite a while.  While it may be worth your while to check out the bar for a pre-dinner cocktail, make sure you have dinner reservations elsewhere.

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