Le Bistro de Paris

My significant other took me here out on a date.
We shared a liver mousse served in a jar with toasted brioche and caramelized onions. The consistency of the mousse was pleasant. It was soft and velvety. The toasted brioche was warm and toasted just right. Caramelized onions were sweet. The appetizer started off strong.
The entrée fell significantly short. We ordered the special — Cornish hen, which serves two and requires both our participation. My significant other had his half of the hen with French fries (default) and I had mine with sauteed brussel sprouts. When we ordered our mains we were told the starch would be the French fries and if I wanted anything substituted we’ll have to pay extra, which was fine. I appreciated the disclaimers but was surprised there was not a single vegetable on my significant other’s plate. There was no vegetables that we can order as a side off the menu too. The hen was cooked well — it was succulent and well seasoned but was it the best French fries I’ve ever had? Nope. Was it the better French Fries I’ve had? Definitely not. My brussel sprouts were alright, slightly on the dark side.
The hazelnut crème crubee didn’t set so I had to send it back. The lemon tart was done very well. The tart dough was flaky. The lemon custard was tangy. It was a beautiful dessert.
Wines suggested by our waitress were relevant and helpful. He got a glass of red; I got white. Service was longer than usual due to high volume. Too many inconsistencies hence the three stars. Probably won’t return.

We celebrated New Years Eve at the Bistro de Paris. Dinner here is almost a tradition on our visits to Vancouver. The entire evening was magnifique. The 5 course dinner was creatively and painstakingly (according to his family who dined there that evening) put together by the chef. The table was served and shared some appetizers. I then started with some tasty oysters on the half shell, followed by a absolutely delicious lobster bisque.
My main course was a steak with a syrah wine sauce. It was a more traditional French cut of steak, a little less tender but much more flavorful. I finished with a crème brûlée. Among the best values on the wine list was a Guigal Cote du Rhone which we stayed with all night. The evening was capped with champagne. The service all evening was outstanding. It was a fantastique way to start the new year.

A friend and I dined here recently after not being able to make up our minds on what to eat and finding too many spots with lines out the door. It was about 7:30pm and as we walked up to the place, we noted that all the customers were older — 60+. Almost tempted to walk away, we spotted one younger couple and the guy was sporting an inked sleeve, so we decided it was probably fine for us to come in.
We were seated by the window next to the younger couple we’d spotted from outside. As a group of young men walked by, the waiter watched them and said he didn’t understand why they didn’t come in. I joked that he even had put the table of women by the window and we’re sorry that it hadn’t worked out the way he’d intended.
I wondered about this later, why is it that the customer base was comprised mostly of senior citizens. During our long dinner, there were a few more tables of younger people who came in but for the most part, the place never filled up as much as its food would suggest that it could.
I saw a cute chalkboard that had happy hour specials written on it with drink and appetizer specials. Again, I was surprised because there was just something about this place that felt old and uninviting, so it didn’t seem like a happening happy hour spot. I realized the issue was a drab interior. The chalkboard was really the only fun thing in the restaurant. Other than that, it was old prints and framed art, linens on the tables, and really poor lighting. It was dim and washed out. Not to mention the music — it was simply awful. It was a terrible mix that had a few good songs in it. As we walked in, La Vie En Rose was playing but then later we had bad 80s ballads and even box office instrumentals. What the.
If I could give this place a makeover, I’d focus first and foremost on the lighting. Warm spotlights to accentuate the funkiness and vibrance of the bistro would be great. Bring out the colors at little more. Mustard orange and bistro reds are great, but not if they’re dulled out with poor lighting. Bring the funky artwork and serving accessories to the forefront, get this place feeling like more of a casual environment. Loved the chalkboard idea because it feels personal — more elements like this would be nice. Secondly, I’d have them spruce up their music options. Play me some jazz, play something with a nice beat that keeps the overall mood and tempo of the diners up. You want to fill the place with laughter and conversation and liveliness which is contagious and recognized from passersby wanting to be a part of it. Lastly, I’d make the exterior a lot more inviting. French flag on the awning is so two decades ago. Let’s get this place looking a little more homey and funky and warm.
If all that can happen, I think more people might get the chance to recognize how great the food here really is. We had the lobster mac n cheese which was incredible, and the steak frites which was great as well. We also had a cheese plate and a crêpe suzette for dessert. With a few glasses of wine, we made this a lovely dinner that we enjoyed so much — yet upon leaving and walking by Central Bistro up the road, we both said «Oh look how cute this place looks! Let’s go here next time.»
Food and service only go so far, atmosphere has so much to do with a dining experience as well.

We love to eat here! My husband and I have always had great cozy dining experiences and it’s one of our favourites to sit and have a good long meal. From five courses with wine pairings for our anniversary (four hours of awesome) to a quick french fry break to my super birthday dinners for the gang, it’s always personable, suitably French et tres delicieux! (even if my French isn’t that great!) Yum!

My colleague and I went to the bistro after a nice walk down the sea wall, for a quick beer.
While we were sitting at the bar, the amazing crunchy sound of the waitress cutting the baguette for the bread baskets made my colleague look up and say that if the bread sounds this good, we have to eat here.
And he was right. The food was great. I had the short ribs and he the lobster mac n cheese — with a nice bottle of wine.
Service was very friendly, atmosphere cozy and the food pretty damn good. Thee strikes that will make me go back any time.

3.5 stars
Stopped here with a friend after biking the seawall and Stanley Park. We were starving and figured we couldn’t go wrong with a $ 12 brunch menu! The menu is small so probably not great for fussy eaters, but it has 3 choices of bennies, an omelet, and some croissant type combos. Your item comes with salad and a fruit kebab, and there’s a basket of fresh bread and pomme frites in a cone to share at the table.
Service was very good. The food was overall good — the omelet was pretty safe and not too heavy — it was mushroom, peppers and gruyère today. Salad is average. Fries and baguette slices were very good.
Portions are generous here and there’s the option of indoor or outdoor seating. Great value!

We ate here on a Wednesday night in early July after walking the entire seawall around Stanley Park. We were really hungry and tired, so that may have colored our experience here. That said, Wednesday nights are 50% off all entrees, so we reserved a table on OpenTable while walking around the park.
We started with the goat cheese and beet salad (quite lovely, especially the sauteed round of chevre) and tomato and cucumber salad. Our entrees were the lamb braised in red wine sauce with bacon and button mushrooms (just Ok and a small portion to boot) and the short ribs (excellent, nicely browned and beautifully slow-​cooked in a red wine reduction).
Service was somewhat distracted and impersonal. The only moment of genuine warmth was when I chose a glass of the terrific local rose to accompany my meal. The owner loves that wine and was happy I chose it. For the record, it was the Church + State Cabernet Blanc. Truly an outstanding wine. I wish we could get it in the States!
I guess it was worth the money, but not at full price.

I love French restaurants. They feel romantic, and I always enjoy my food. The atmosphere was spot on, from the colour scheme and deco to the delightful French music.
The waiter was great! He had good suggestions and provided prompt service. Lunch includes a fresh basket of tasty French bread. My main dish met the richness I was looking for from a French restaurant meal. So good I couldn’t stop eating! Oh well, I’ll have a light dinner later.

I was in Vancouver for a conference in early October. We had a group of 3 and had a long day of walking along the waterfront. I had a few restaurants on my list (the bistro being one of those) within the same area. So after doing all that walking, we needed a good fulfilling dinner. ideally something we don’t get to eat that often. This was one place everyone seemed to like. They had 50% off their entrées on that day (Wednesday special) and also had a seasonal menu featuring some game animals.
They had a decent selection of items. I ordered the duck and it seemed to be good. Others ordered from the seasonal menu. We had a bottle of wine and at the end of our meal, we managed to save some space for a few desserts. I had the crème brûlée which was decent. Everyone seemed to be satisfied and happy with what we had… And needless to say, 50% off deal served us well.
Our server was very attentive and very (very very) talkative. The place has a warm cozy atmosphere. We managed to get a table as they first opened for dinner. By the end of our dinner and dessert session, the place was packed. I would definitely recommend reservations for regular dinner hours.