Smoked cod croquettes are spread over a wooden board and bedecked with tomatoes, fresh herbs and lemon ribbons.DARRYL DYCK
It was one of those disastrous nights when everything that could possibly go wrong at a restaurant played out with textbook precision: noisy room, amateur service, pedestrian wine, inedible steak frites.
Driving home, disappointed and still hungry, we tried to think of a place for good wine and a proper steak that wasn't too expensive and open late.
Left Bank to the rescue.
This West End stalwart has gone through many names and owners since it opened as Café de Paris in 1977. Most recently, it was Le Parisien, a pleasant yet unexciting traditional French bistro owned by John Blakely, who also owns the more upscale Bistro Pastis in Kitsilano.
Perhaps the city was already saturated with boeuf bourguignon. Maybe Mr. Blakeley was bored. Whatever the reason, and I'm sure there were several (he was in France this week so we didn't have a chance to talk), the restaurant was rebooted last summer and reinvented as a modern French bistro with classic dishes "kissed by the colonies."
We felt right at home from the moment we walked through the door and were greeted warmly by friendly, young, mostly French-speaking servers wearing jaunty fedoras.
The room feels fresh and contemporary with large, open windows, glass pendants, moody lighting, bright-red leather banquettes and French Tolix chairs popped against pale-grey panelling and clean white walls.
It was summer, so we sat on the new, 35-seat patio (the West End's first licensed lane way deck), wrapped in low cedar-wood walls and infused with an LED-lit glow that changed from purple and blue to red and pink.
The French-focused wine list included our favourite Bordeaux for a decent (less than 100 per cent) mark-up. The bar also makes great classic cocktails (try the Vesper martini).
We exhaled happily into our wine glasses and nibbled on popcorn. Every table is given a complimentary bowl drizzled with duck fat and dusted with Chinese five-spice. The old-style popcorn maker stationed behind the bar crackles and bursts in the background.
Then came the steak – tender flatiron seared to perfection with ruby-red flesh sliced across the grain and charred edges rubbed with lip-tingling Sichuan peppercorns. The fries were fresh-cut, thick and golden. It was simple, satisfying and seductive with that tantalizingly spicy flourish.
Executive chef Spencer Watts, who also runs the kitchen at Bistro Pastis, twists traditional French fare with flavours from Africa and Asia, while also reinventing classic dishes from other regions with poised French technique.
Braised lamb tagine, for example, is presented in a traditional tall-lidded pot, but the elements on the plate underneath are carefully composed with smooth, carrot purée smeared around the edges and fragrant, braised meat stacked atop couscous studded with chewy pistachio and crunchy edamame.
Chicken roulade rolled with prosciutto into a home-style loaf is served with a bright medley of crisp carrots, unfurled Brussel sprouts and buttery, layered potatoes – all prepared with a pleasant al dente bite, but lifted above the ordinary with fenugreek-apricot chutney and a spike of cumin in the natural jus.
Some of the platings are exquisite. Boldly smoked cod croquettes – soft and melting under their golden-fried shells – are spread over a wooden board painted with dots of thick lemon mayonnaise and festively bedecked with chopped tomatoes, fresh herbs and crispy lemon ribbons.
Addictively delicious green haricot beans – long and slender with a light and bubbly tempura coating – are served in a small, paper-lined fryer basked with fireweed honey and grainy mustard emulsion for dipping.
There were some disappointments and inconsistencies over three visits. One baked oyster had a vibrant burst of lemongrass cream under its toasted Parmesan gremolata; another just tasted like regular cream.
A crispy crab roll wasn't the least bit crispy. Its various elements, which included bacon Hollandaise, fresh avocado, pommes purée and Fresno chili, didn't harmonize as smoothly as some of the other fusion dishes.
Agnolotti stuffed with smoked short rib was dry and bland. Sourdough baquette, served warm and smothered in herbed butter, is overwhelmingly rich and soggy.
Service is generally gracious, attentive and aptly led by Guillaume Cagna. But on the one occasion he wasn't there, he was missed. The room just didn't have same joie de vivre and the meal felt rushed.
But for the most part, Left Bank is a terrific neighbourhood restaurant. With live music on Thursday, great happy hour specials and a new brunch menu, there are many reasons to visit. It may not blow your mind, but it rarely disappoints. It's a charming icon that has finally caught up with the times.
Alexandra Gill