A familiar French flavour
New bistro will seem familiar
When Jean-Francis Quaglia and wife Alessandra announced plans to depart from Provence Mediterranean Grill on West 10th, a ripple of dread spread through Point Grey. Provence had been the elegant go-to restaurant for two decades. The new owner, Rajbir Aujlay, had worked as the Provence sous chef for six years and was a relative unknown.
“Jean-Francis and I had talked about it and we were finally ready to do it,” said Aujlay, who had been working 75 straight days since the opening in early December when I spoke to him.
As it turned out, there hasn’t been a dramatic change. He opened it in early December, rebranding as La Brass — but it’s still a French bistro, serving the classics, and that’s always a good thing. I was recently at Salade de Fruit Cafe on West Seventh and, as usual, the humble restaurant was packed with diners drawn to French bistro classics. In West Vancouver, chef Alain Reye, formerly of La Regalade, began cooking modern French bistro at Ca Va in West Vancouver, but customers pressed for the old classics, like he had done at La Regalade.
La Brass was renovated about three years ago, so it didn’t need a makeover; it still looks fresh with light woods, white walls and carpeting to cushions sounds. I visited with a friend from the neighbourhood, eager to try it. Skipping to
the end, she left pleased and relieved. She ran into a neighbour who had already tried it and was equally pleased. And the restaurant is getting a lot of love online as well.
“We’re very lucky to have kept almost all the regulars,” said Aujlay. “Some of them come in three days a week and they’re very supportive.” (He’s open for lunch, weekend brunch and dinner.)
The dinner menu follows the Provence Mediterranean Grill formula with French comfort dishes as well as some pasta choices (seafood bucatine, linguine bolognese, mushroom ravioli, linguine Florentine). The starters are divided into “tapas” for $6 each, “entrees” (appetizers) for $12 and $15.
Aujlay offers a lot of starters and side dishes, including onion soup, tart flambe, mussels in white wine sauce, steak tartare and panisse (chickpea cakes cut and fried to look like frites). Mains include rack of lamb, prawns in brandy garlic butter sauce, salmon with cipollini onions on risotto.
I began with marrow, roasted in the bone with grilled baguette, which I enjoyed. There wasn’t a lot of it but that’s why it was only $6. My friend’s pissalat wasn’t a pissaladiere like we imagined but a shortcut version ($6) with onion and anchovy marmalade for spreading grilled baguette. (The baguettes are purchased parbaked and finished in house.)
Her steak frites ($28) with a jus and herbed butter was everything it should be — flavourful, tender and cooked to medium rare. The kennebec fries had crunch and wasn’t oily; the small side salad added a bright aside.
My bouillabaisse ($25) announced its arrival with a fishy odour, which concerned me but it dissipated, as did my concern. There was a generous selection of seafood — mussels, clams, prawns, salmon, scallops, all tasted fresh and were nicely cooked. The tomato-based broth was light and clean tasting and, on the side, had some grated Gruyere cheese and rouille.
For dessert, there was a choice of dulce de leche creme brulee, clafoutis or a trio of sorbets. We shared the clafoutis, not a common offering. It was a cake-like version, and traditional, bearing cherries and then drizzled with a cherry sauce. (The name comes from the verb clafir, meaning “to fill” in the Occitan dialect spoken in Provence and Languedoc in southern France.)
The lunch menu repeats a lot of the dinner mains as well as some panini and omelettes; and for brunch, you’ll find panini, omelettes, eggs benedict, waffles and crepes, as well as pasta.
The wine list is overwhelmingly French with some B.C., nothing too extravagant and all available by the glass.