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Hidden Gem of Vancouver; hip and low key, with delicious organic food, innovative cocktails, and relaxing ambiance.
My husband and I went here for their Valentine's Day prix fixe menu, three courses, $55 each. We found the space quite delightful and the service was very good. The food was overall good but not great. We especially enjoyed our main courses of Daube de Boeuf and veggie risotto, but we found the 1st courses of tomato veloute and beet salad, and the dessert of creme brulee and flourless chocolate torte only OK -- lower quality than what we would expect for the prices and atmosphere of the place. We asked for advice on wine pairings which turned out to be a big mistake -- our server made many bad calls on wines, including describing certain wines as "sweet" that clearly weren't sweet and pairing a really strong, tart red wine with the delicate mushroom risotto, which didn't go at all. We might go back and only order the main course, and try to do our own wine pairings next time. Overall a very expensive, only so-so dinner.
Went for dinner with friends last night. Very nice space and I love the area, it is really starting to show its potential. The Service was very attentive and unobtrusive with zero attitude, our waiter reccomendations were spot on, The Paiella was outstanding, as was the duck a l'orange. Unfortunatley the bouiliabaise balanced these great dishes by being just awful, thin brooth with dryed out fish (basa, prawns and scallop, yes scallop as in one!). We ordered as one of our appys the cheese fondue with raclette, the fondue we got was brie, to be fair they comp'd us one of our other appys. One last word about the space, this place was so overheated tha the poor staff had to leave the front door ajar to cool the place down every now and then. Not a problem unless you are seated by the door like we were!
All in all not the best first impression considering the pricing (did I mention that side dishes are a la carte?) I'm going to have to come back to see if it was just and off night...to be continued
P.S. excellent wine list!
We used to come to Cassis regularly a few years ago, and for no reason in particular, started trying other places, but I always remembered having fantastic meals at Cassis and for really reasonable prices.
Most recently, we had an event for about 50 people and we decided to go with Cassis for it's casual but seemingly refined ambience and service and what I remembered to be really delicious and reasonable food. While the ambience did meet standards, the restaurant fell short on the rest of the fronts and the evening was a bit of an embarrassment. The restaurant supposedly served premium alcohol, but when some of our guests asked for Grey Goose, they were told they didn't carry it; we're not sure what the house wine was (the word "undrinkable" came up during the evening); the food, while tasty, appeared to be quite scant and some platters were served on what looked like dinner plates, and even then, they came out sporadically. The highlight? The bartender (Fabio?) - what a great entertainer! All-in-all, a really disappointing evening, and sad in that many of the guests in attendance had never been to the restaurant but were all high level corporate executives with copious amounts of disposable incomes and are the types who will drive for a great place to eat, but, based on the feedback afterwards, won't be going back. So sad to have to write Cassis off my list of "go-to" places.
Had a business lunch there recently. There were two of us and we had crepes. These were not crepes. These were thick, crusty bread like things with MINIMAL filling. Mine was supposed to have brie and peach chutney. Tiny sliver of brie with a tiny bit of chopped peaches. For dessert, I had creme brulee. Not good. The brulee had palatable pieces of sugar undissolved.
Service was prompt but despondent. The room was nice although a tad dark.
Overall, the food is extremely overpriced for the quality and value for your money. I believe the crepes were in the $13 range which is outrageous for what was served.
Do yourself a favour - don't waste your money here.
Stopped in for some dinner here a few nights ago and was amazed by the quality and value. It's not exactly in a central location, but definitely worth the trek. Love the high ceilings and vintage chandeliers. We had the spinach salad with grilled pears and the lobster bisque (that had little lobster crepes inside it), which were both fantastic although the bisque could have been thinner.
The duck lórange was AMAZING. It's cooked sous vide, apparently, and tasted nothing like anything I've ever had in the city. Perfect tenderness, lots of flavour. I think it was only $20. We also had the chicken with mushroom/truffle risotto - the chicken was tad dry but the risotto was done very well and surprisingly light whereas most risottos usually taste really heavy. A couple of the cocktails we had were really good too. Definitely going back!
Did the DOV thing tonight - originally booked the table for 2, but ended up that we had out of town guest who came along with us, and the restaurant tried to accomodate us on a 7pm sitting Saturday night, with a Canucks game.
They sat us at the bar, which was actually a blessing. The bartender was outstanding - he was great in explaining what he was doing - kept up a great conversation all night. Servers were great too - they were always attentive without intruding.
Salad wasn't anything special - guests had the Cream of Zucchini soup - mixed with cream cheese - outstanding. I had the Bouillaibaise - seafood was outstanding - you could taste the freshness. Wife had the braised beef, and guest had the ratatouille - again, outstanding.
Dessert - Creme Brulee, Hazelnut crepe with Creme Anglaise were both outstanding. Lemon tart wasn't as extraordinary.
However, what will bring us back is the service - warmly greeted, warmly served, did everything to accomodate us, and all night, the bartender kept a banter going. The jokes and the knowledge and just asking him how he made those signature drinks was great. All the wait-staff were great... again, a blessing to be sitting right at the bar.
Manager actually saw we were impressed, and let us know that he's working on a dessert / wine tasting menu, and that during nights that were not as busy, they'd be willing to entertain having desserts and alcohol and setting up wonderful desserts flambe-style. Invited us to come after dine-out, and that we'd be informed when that menu came out.
Food was solid -> excellent range... but the service was incredible! I can understand that it would be a hit-and-miss with previous reviews - but sitting at the bar instead of a table, I had great service tonight... wonderful! Definitely will be back later!
I've been to Cassis 4 times. First couple of times service was good, food was excellent, and had a thoroughly enjoyable dinner experience. The last 2 times I was provided with horrible service...our server was never anywhere to be found. The food was overcooked and lacking in general.
Since there are so many places to go in the lower mainland, I doubt I will return here again, but keep in mind my first two experiences were great here...if my rating was ONLY based on those first two times, I would have given a Food:4 Service:4 Value:4 and Ambiance:3. My rating here reflects the median of all my visits.
I've eaten here since moving to B.C. at least six times each time the service and food drops in quality. Menu both food and wine unchanged in a year. Service indifferent. Wine prices are over inflated. Last night the small entree menu was short two of the items and at 6:30pm what is up? Seems that thew staff has changed and the ownership is not overseeing the operation.
I visited Cassis on the evening of Friday, January 8, 2010. I had organized the evening for a friend’s birthday after learning about Cassis through dinehere.ca and vancouvermartini.com, where Cassis is generally regarded as a ‘hidden gem’ with fantastic food and an excellent cocktail/martini menu. Our experience fell very far below expectations.
We were first seated at 9pm at a large table in the back with a damaged vinyl cover and an incredibly wobbly base. There were 9 of us and a few other tables in the restaurant with people at them. It took about 15 minutes for the waitress to come over to us, help us strategically place some cardboard to make the table functional, and bring us menus and water. When the gentleman that I assume was the manager came to the table he notified us that he did not have a drink menu, had only flavoured Stoli and one premium vodka - Wyborowa vodka, and only knew how to make a couple of cocktails. In an attempt to compensate us for this stunning turn of events, he offered to serve us Wyborowa and charge us for regular vodka, as well as bring a round of shots for the table and bread. Although Wyborowa is a good vodka, it is about the same price point as Stoli, so I don’t see how selling it to us for the same price was a particular genuine gesture. However, we did appreciate the shots, which were refreshing and delicious, as well as the bread.
The manager made our drinks, and slowly. When they did come, one at a time, they were incredibly uneven in size. Some people had good sized martinis, while others had very small martinis. One martini had a fruit fly in it and had to be sent back. We were trying to make the most of our night, and did not complain at the time (besides replacing the martini that the fly had selected). We did not have dinner, but we did order crab cakes. They were delicious, but amounted to 3 tater-tot sized crab cakes and some sauce for $16, which was exorbitant. Desserts were good, but also expensive.
I attempted to organize a fun evening with appetizers, desserts and drinks in a quality atmosphere. I was not successful, and as the organizer I found the experience disappointing, frustrating and embarrassing.
While this negative experience was a concern, it could have been an isolated event. However, I emailed the restaurant with a complaint containing much of the same content as above. is not the only issue of concern. 2 weeks later I have still not received a response, which to me suggests that poor quality service and unsatisfied customers are not of much concern to the owners/managers of Cassis. I would caution that this restaurant may be on the decline, and to think carefully before planning an event there.
Cheers.
We were seated on time for our 7pm dine-out reservation; asked for our drink orders 3 times within 10 minutes of being seated; and was asked to order our food when we ordered our wine so that we wouldn't be 'rushed' through our entrees. It was a full house but there was no line up at the time.
We finished our bread and our plate of antipasto was taken away without asking if we were finished or not (we were not). Our salads promptly came - which we finished off - in case they were prematurely taken away. And then...here's the punchline...we waited more than half an hour for our entrees which didn't arrive. Our server was no where to be seen, so we asked another server who was apologetic and offered to look into our order. We waited another 10 minutes for someone to tell us that our food was on its way. Our server was not apologetic for the delay and had quite a nonchalant attitude through the whole situation. We ended up paying for our bottle of wine and left.
Considering that their dine-out menu only consisted of 3 options per course, I’d hate to see how long the wait is when they service a full menu.
Needless to say, I cannot provide a review of the food, but the service leaves too much to be desired.
Would I return to try their food? Probably not – which is a shame considering the reviews the restaurant gets in this aspect.
I went to Cassis for some drinks because I loved the ambiance. However, to my surprise, they renovated the interior and changed the food menu.
They sat us at what they called "the chef's table". It was a charming antique table and chair set... but what's best part was the head chef, Ben, came to chat with us.
Ben convinced us to try the ribs and pork shoulders. They were absolutely amazing. The ribs were very tender and juicy, and full of flavour, without the heaviness of Memphis Blues. And the pork shoulders were surprisingly full flavoured, considering it wasn't sauced up.
I also had an amazing cocktail. (forgot the name) it was a dynamic martini version of a bloody mary. It had layers of flavours, from refreshing to spicy.
The service was good. They weren't too busy, so i got a lot of attention.
I would definately come back. They apparently have live music too.
I really was looking forward to trying this place, but unfortunately like the last poster, I went for their Valentine's Day dinner. First of all, we were hoping to just try their regular menu, and we weren't told when reserving that it was a special Valentine's Day menu. Also like the last poster, we were disappointed with what was being offered and the price it was being offered at.
The service was OK. We walked in and I noticed there was a coat rack with many coats on it but nobody offered to take our coats. We ended up putting them on our chairs. Our server was OK. He wasn't totally pro but friendly enough I guess.
As I posted I will update my review if I go back there. Until then I hope they take heart and next Valentine's Day make sure they offer the same value they have been praised for the rest of the year.
Went to Cassis for the first time and left a fan. I was really hungry and feeling lazy so I ordered 6 items with the intention of taking some home. Not much made it out the door. I had the onion soup, beef bourgogne, coq au vin, potatoes gratin, cauliflower gratin, and a lemon tart for dessert. I found the service to be excellent and friendly. I found the prices to be more than reasonable and with a bottle of sparkling water, a whisky and a glass of wine the bill with tip was about $80. I am looking forward to my next visit.
I am in love with this restaurant, despite the fact that it looks like a warehouse inside (it's definately not Le Crocodile...but you get what you pay for). Thank goodness there is a simple, affordable french bistro in Vancouver! Absolutely everything on the menu is marvellous, and I've heard the patio in the back is actually a nice place to sit....but I can't say the same about the inside of the restaurant. Regardless, this place is not about decor, it's about food. A great place for a cheap/romantic date!
Saw that for DOV you could order anything off their regular menu, and after looking through their delicious menu on their website, it seemed like a good deal. After arriving, I found their menu to be different AND limited. Normally, a $38 DOV means you get a deal, but here we'd only be saving about $5 at most.
After getting over that disappointment, we opted for just getting an entree each. Granted, the food was good (interesting combinations, well prepared), but just extremely small portions. EXTREMELY small! We were just further disappointed.
The place is so run-down looking I don't know how they think they're worthy of a $38 DOV. The people were very very nice, but that can't make up for the rest of the experience. We spent the rest of our money that was going to go towards the DOV on bowling and bubble tea.
I've been there a few times years before the rennovations. I've only tried their food twice before but was never fully sold. Usually just went their for drinks because it's a nice intimate place.
NOW after the rennovations it seems everything has completely changed for the better. Ambience is nice and romantic, they have a live band playing classical music during dinner. I went there on a Friday evening for my birthday because I booked a table for a party there later in the night but decided to go for dinner there before the party.
We ordered the Lobster Bisque, Braised Beef Rib x2, Coq au Vin, Scalloped Potatoes, Veggies and Salad. All this for 3 people. All of them were cooked very well and tasted great. The one that surprised me was the Braised Beef Rib. It was just out of this world and for only $14! Portion size was bigger than you would expect also.
Took a little while for them to greet us when we came in initially. But once greet the service was friendly, but because of the amount of people for dinner there it was a little hard to get the waitresses attention sometimes.
All in all, very nice and fun place. I would definately recommend this place for dinner. If you like to party also, at around the 10pm mark the place turns into more of a lounge with a DJ in the back. They clear the tables in the back to make a dance floor.
We chose Cassis for out first DOV 2008 night. We made an early reservation to avoid the rush. This is a great little restaurant, tables up front, lounge-y type area towards the back. the kitchen is somewhat open and TINY ! I would never be able to move around, let alone cook in there. We were greated promptly and seated. We ordered the beet salad and the curry squash velote. Both were good, although the beets were overpowered by the citrus, fennel, tomatoes and vinegrette. For mains we had the Coq au Vin and the Seafood Boulliabase. Again, both were good, but the chicken did not come away from the bone easily, which means it had not been braised in the sauce but rather cooked separately and added afterwards. The seafood was cooked well, the broth a bit thin. For dessert the creme brulee was wonderful, the lemon tart was more like an egg tart with lemon, and the crust was not house made.
All in all we had a good time, the food was well timed and we will go back again.
Intimate and friendly with traditional French cuisine. Bouillabaisse was delightlful and full of flavour. Pleasant yet curt service by the staff. Wine prices are somewhat high as mentioned below. I'll be back more often.
The starter martinis were refreshing. I was eager to try the french onion soup and bouillabaisse. My partner chose the organic greens and daube de boeuf. The other couple had the gruyere fondue, brie crepe, paella and daube de boeuf with yukon potato pave side dish.
Rave: The daube de boeuf and the cheesy appys were excellent and the Pinot Noir was pleasant. The staff are all very attentive, attractive and professional. There is a section at the back for a large group and a narrow patio off the alley that looks cozy. The martinis/wine and main courses are reasonably priced but I feel that the tapas-style appys and the side dishes are probably over-priced by $2-$4.
Rant: The french onion soup had a very strong peppery aftertaste that completely obliterated the other flavours. I should have been suspicious of $15 Bouillabaisse but I thought that maybe this was a loss-leader on the menu... wrong, 3 VERY salty prawns, 1 overcooked nickel-sized scallop and a 3" square portion of unidentifiable white fish with the usual concoction of herbs/veggies/tomato-based broth. Note to website developer... change the bouillabaisse-for-website.jpg on the main menu page... there are no clams, lobster tail or asparagus in your bouillabaisse! The edible portion of the Paella was quite tasty; however, that was only about 60% of the dish because the remainder was burnt and had fused with the metal pan and, in sharp contrast to the paella picture in the website photo gallery... yours has no mussels! We perused the dessert menu but having risked enough for the evening, we declined.
Overall, we had mixed feelings about the experience but I did not have a sense of good-value-for-money as we didn't get $250 (including Tip/Valet) worth of value from Cassis. I think that the Owner/Exec Chef should focus more on the FACT that Cassis needs some work rather than on his other project, FICTION.
The evening started of quite well with a friendly waiter taking our coats and seating us in a great seat by the window. The appetizer was heavenly....a brie crepe with papaya chutney. It was the perfect temperature and melted in our mouths. We were also brought a taste of their brie and pear soup which was delicious and left us longing for more. Up to this point the evening was wonderful....but then things started to go downhill. At this point...I tried to order a martini....wow...what an impossible task. I was informed that they had retired their martini list and did not have a new one yet! For main course we ordered the potatoe gratin (delicious), the paella and the lamb curry. The paella was VERY dry and lacking in seafood. The lamb curry was nothing special. One could have ordered it at any mediocre Indian food take out restaurant. Neither me or my date finished our main course and rather filled up on the side of potato. For desert, not wanting to risk anything we ordered chocolate fondue...which was standard and exactly what we expected it to taste like. Overall, we will probably go back and order appetizers tapas style...but only if they get a better drinks menu.
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