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This is a French/German brasserie, serving tasty dishes from those regions. Excellent wine and beer selection. On the small side, they've opened on the Davie strip and raised the bar for other restaurants in the area that cheap and plentiful are just not good enough.
Tue. to Sun.: 5:00pm - 12:00am
I agree that the music is too loud. I don't see why, it's not a pub. The food: I had the onion soup, which was rather bland. There was lots of bread and very little cheese, which tasted "Canadian". Not good value for $10.00. After that I had the bratwurst, which was tasty, but $20.00 for bratwurst, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes? The service was adequate, but not what I would call attentive. This place is a solid 3 stars, no more.
After seeing how busy this place is, we thought we would give it a try. I have to say the experience was disapointing. The menu leans more to the German than the French side of things. The Suckling pig was OK, not much additional flavour, sauce was very minimal, and I found it a bit on the dry side. It was served with some spatzle and the saurcraute was served as the only vegitable. Normally I would think of that as an accompanyment rather than a main veg. I also found the portions somewhat small. My friend had the roast duck, which was cooked well, but again quite bland and the vegitables were a mere token on the plate. We shared a creme brule for desert and it was quite good, great texture and perfectly done Brule. The wine selection is small but well suited to the type of food. I didn't try any of the beers, but they appeared to have a good selection. While nothing was particulary bad, nothing was also particularly great either. All in all fairly mediocre given some of the competition out there at similar price points. I doubt I would make an effort to return.
I have been having cravings for European food as of late. When I say "European" - I mean specifically French/German type food. I know that Italy and Greece are part of Europe - but I guess I have been having Italian and Greek food a lot over the years and my palate is turning to food more akin to my own roots - which is northern European and German.
As it is - French food is the epitome of European food - in its preparation and quality.
This brings me to La Brasserie - which has French and German food.
AND IT IS GOOD!!!
I ordered the beet salad to start and the lamb cheeks as my main. I asked the waitress to pair both with an appropriate red. She brought me an Argentinian Melbac with wonderful fennel notes that paired well with both dishes. The beet salad was generously sized and very tasty with fried goat cheese, pecans and almonds along with large chunks of delicious beets and interesting lettuce greens. Mmmmmmm good.
My lamb cheeks were oh so tender and tasty. They were served with mashed potatoes, some sort of veggie puree and ample vegetables (including carrot, cauliflower and asparagus). Mmmmmmmm great!!
I finished with a creme brulee and a coffee. The coffee was served in a coffee press. I was advised to press it in a couple of minutes. I ended up with a perfectly brewed, fresh cup of coffee. The cream brulee was very tasty - although I found the burnt sugar topping just a tad thick - making for some uncomfortable shards of sugar. Other than that - it was a perfect meal.
The bill for three courses, a glass of wine and a cofee was approximately $65 including tax and generous tip. For the quality and amount received - I found this price point reasonable.
The waitress was good. I think wait staff are a little surprised when I dine solo - they aren't quite sure how to respond when I ask for a table for one. This waitress confidently gave me a choice of either the bar or a table. I chose a small table by the window so that I could see Davie Street and people watch. I also like to engage in a crossword puzzle (my date this evening was Will Shortz - editor of the New York Times Crossword LOL!!!)
Although this is a bistro rather than a formal dining room - I found the tables to be a little more reasonably spaced than other bistros. One could actually walk through them as they were spaced at least one foot or so apart. I mention this because one of my other favourite French restaurants (Les Faux Bourgious) has most of their tables spaced a few inches away - so that one is practically sitting in their neighbours lap!!! I found La Brasserie a little more reasonable in this regards.
All in all - I had a good meal and will certainly return again with my husband (Will Shortz will have to stay home!!)
It's a pretty small, compact place that we've been itching to try for a while. Well, we finally got a chance. Luckily, we got the last empty seat in the house, so no waiting. It's a little cramped, but fits in well with the whole "theme" of the restaurant and it's nice to be able to see the kitchen at work right in front of you. You get a nice view of them at work all around due to strategically placed mirrors all around the walls.
Waitress was thoroughly competent. Clearly not 5 star material, but a perfect fit for this restaurant. Absolutely no complaints other than a forgotten ketchup request, which turned out not to be needed.
Some reviews make this place out to be a bit of a "meat fest", but this didn't seem to be true. Very nicely balanced meals all around.
We started with the soup du jour, which was a roasted tomato fennel soup. It was okay, definitely taste the quality, but my personal opinion was that it was a bit too strong, too salty and bordered on being a tomato sauce rather than soup. The mains were a lamb salad and the roast suckling pig sandwich. Let's start with the pork sandwich. It came with a light salad and fries. The salad, while simple, near perfectly done, not overwhelmed with sauce. The fries? Not mindblowing, but very good. Good enough that we didn't miss the forgotten ketchup. The centerpiece, the sandwich ... well, didn't meet our high expectations. Good sandwich? Yes. Good suckling pig sandwich? Not so much. The problems were that the pork was generally overwhelmed by the other ingredients. The pork itself was slightly on the dry side and in terms of flavour, not up to the suckling pig found at many Chinese eateries. I'm being picky here, because we enjoyed the meal.
The lamb salad? That's a bit misleading, it's really a bunch of lamb sirloin chunks (3 of them, quite reasonable size) with a side of salad. The greens were very similar to the previous dish, so no complaints. The lamb was a thorough thumbs up. Done absolutely perfectly, not too rare, dry or overcooked. Exceedingly tender and juicy. It did have a "lamb" flavour that was a bit unique and a bit stronger than normal, so if you do not like lamb in general, you'd probably hate this. If you do enjoy the unique flavour of lamb, this would be a big hit.
None of the mains hit over $14, we left feeling perfectly satiated, but not overly full. Way better deal than the main chain restaurants. Definitely recommended, I hope we'll be back sometime to try their other dishes.
My friend and I just tried this place to celebrate our first year in Yawncouver... just in case we had forgotten this is not Europe, La Brasserie is an excellent reminder. We went on a Tuesday evening, there were a couple of tables available. Music was way too loud, we had to shout to hear ourselves and we could hear what the people in neighboring tables were shouting. We had a beer and a glass of wine, the latter was served in a huge glass but it contained less than 5 oz, not much for a $10 glass of cheap, dull wine. We had the onion soup, it was good. My friend was not very hungry so she had only the duck two ways appy, I had the suckling pig entree. Both were just OK. The duck was a bit tasteless and rather scarce even for an appy portion, and the pig somewhat dry and greasy at the same time. For $22 you would expect something much better, let alone the portion size. For dessert we shared a chocolate "mousse" which tasted like flour mixed with gelatin and sugar, probably the worst "mousse" we have ever had. We were served by two different waitresses, none came to ask how our food was and we just got our glasses of water filled once. We asked for the bill and we wanted to pay with credit but nobody came to pick up the card, after 10 minutes I had to go to the counter. We left a 10% tip which still was too much. We left with a huge nostalgia for even the most humble french/german bistro.... Ach!
We had oysters to begin, and they were some of the best I've ever had.
We moved onto onion tart and pate, which were excellent.
We also enjoyed suckling pig, rabbit, and mushroom ragout.
The portions were just right, and the flavours were outstanding.
There were little details - like they heated the plates and cups before food service - so they are paying attention.
The dining room is pretty crowded, and though we were comfortable, the table next to us was terribly crammed in, so that we felt bad and gave them one of our tables. Well, it means this place is popular.
Our server was really tired (she told us) - and she didn't crack a single smile the whole evening, and we were a bit put out by her. At the end (tip time, you see...) she apologized, saying that normally they had 3 servers, but this night, they only had 2. I find this an unacceptable reason to be icy cold - hey, this is your job. We can understand slightly bumpy or slightly slow service if you are understaffed, but unfriendly? The other server seemed friendly enough, but alas, we weren't in her 'section' I guess.
What's more, I personally *do* find the other diners can add or detract from the experience of an outing... and whereas we dressed in collared shirts, dinner jackets, proper shoes, etc., pretty much all the other diners were uber-cazh in t-shirts and flip-flops, and what have you. This level of food merits more respect by the diners in my view. Vancouver has some of the best food on Earth, but we really lack a dining culture, and it was particularly acute at this place. Appropriate dress, people!
Anyway, La Brasserie isn't cheap by any means, but it's not a rip-off either. You pay a bit, but you get what you pay for, so it's satisfying.
We will definitely go back - but we will go early again like we did this time - for on a Monday night, buy 7pm, people were standing at the door, waiting for tables.
My bf and I came here for snack last night after reading the review that they have awesome onion soup. So, we arrived at 11:30, unfortunately it's exactly the time that the kitchen closes. Our server however still have us seated and didn't show any kind of push and were very kind to us. We only ordered 3 dishes: onion soup, beef tartare, and poutine, as we just finished dinner less than an hour earlier. The onion soup was very thick and full flavoured, fully packed with braised onions, 2 slices of baguette, and with a generous amount of cheese to cover the whole soup. It was served oven hot and I just love it, my bf however thought that there wasn't enough soup to it, as too much onion. The Beef tartare was pretty good, it was served with 2 long slices of crispy oven dried baguetts. The tartare was mixed with a little horseradish, onion and mayo, and it totally covers the gaminess of raw beef, which was great. The poutine however, was not my favourite, although we both can definitely taste and smell the truffle oil on the fries. The cheese was not enough and it was only 2 or 3 pieces of chewy melted cheese on top of the poutine, nothing incorporated inside. The gravy was also very little compared to other poutines I had b4. In general, I believe that the food was pretty good and we would definitely come back again sometime next week to try the suckling pig, which I heard to b good.
For drinks we ordered imported beer since they hv a long list of imported beer selection at low prices.
The ambiance was very warm, having half of the restaurant seatings at the kitchen bar, which is where we ask to b seated. The chef (we only chatted with the asian chef) was very kind and interactive and that's part of the reason I give service as a 5.
We dined on a Friday night and got there around 6:30PM. The front door was already packed full of people waiting, and the restaurant is very tiny so this was a bit awkward and uncomfortable, probably for the people already dining as well. They do not take reservations so you have to wait for a table.
ADVICE! Wait at the restaurant. The server/hostess told us it would be about 40-45 minutes so we walked to Vera's to have a drink. We came back within 30 minutes and found that she had already called our name, and we would have to be put back in the last (at the end of course). We waited about 30 more minutes inside to get our table.
The food was great. I had the mussels while my friend had the lamb cheeks. I'm not a fan of lamb but those were probably the most flavourful and tender lamb cheeks I've ever had. Wow. The mussels were decent, nothing special.
Service was alright. It could have been better (the server/hostess seemed annoyed when people complained about being taken off the list, but I don't know if I could have kept a friendly face if people kept complaining to me about wait time). We were clearly in one server's section but was served by another server. I kind of liked this because our original server got all the tables at once and it looked like they don't stress on sections whereas some restaurants you can tell how table distribution is way more important than service.
La Brasserie is a very cute place. The French & German beer selection looked great though I didn't have any at that time. I would come back!
Food: We were seated at the bar so got to see the open kitchen in action. All the dishes looked amazing. When the chef came out from the back kitchen to plate a few dishes, you could see his care & attention to detail. I ordered a few oysters to start, and the mussels & fries (definitely on the salty side, but otherwise delicious), my partner ordered a halibut special. I will definitely be coming back to try other dishes.
Services: Very friendly and attentive
Value: Pretty decent value here
Ambiance: Great vibe, love the bar seating.
Overall, a great restaurant and I'll be coming back.
Haven't written a review on here in a while. But this place is fantastic! Great service and food. I went here twice in two weeks! And in a city with so many great eats that's lots!
Everything on their menu is very good. Try the onion tart and the steak tartare. The Charcuterie plate is also very good!
I think we've tried all of the main dishes and they're all quite tasty. I *think* on sunday they had Ribs as their plate of the day and that was very good. The chicken is great too, very moist and a decent sized serving.
And I found this wine, Hartenburger '05 Pinot Gris (Alsace), quite refreshing and sweet for a hot summers day.
It's a great addition to Davie St.
Went to La Brasserie for the first time for lunch last week after hearing about it here and there for awhile. Had the suckling pig sandwich and a $5 Boris beer. The service was outstanding (we were positively doted on), the food came out quickly and the sandwich was DELICIOUS (fries were meh, but then fries almost always are). A very good experience all in all. It's too bad the room is so tiny and lacks ambiance. I will definitely be coming here again.
I just adore the setting of this quaint little restaurant in the middle of Davie street. I have come here many times and it never gets boring and it never disappoints.
A few Mondays ago I went with a girlfriend to take advantage of the buck-a-shuck oysters. We had a half dozen and they were great. We then followed with a tomato salad to share. There was just enough goat cheese. I enjoyed the free range chicken and my girlfriend had the lemon cream mussels and fries. Both were excellent though I preferred my chicken as it was juicy and flavorful. We were each recommended a glass of wine to accompany our dinner and the server's choice was excellent. No desert as we were both quite full.
The service was knowledgeable and friendly yet professional and attentive. We never felt like we were being rushed out to accommodate a new table even though they were quite busy with people waiting outside. I was told to come before 6 or after 9 to avoid the rush as they don't take reservations.
The ambiance is perfectly set especially with the large mirrors that expand the room. The music is contemporary, European and upbeat without being intrusive or loud. Nice place!
Been here a number of times and experience has been consistently good. Classic french bistro with alsatian options and good value for quality of food. Love the duck confit and onion tarte. Have tried almost everything on the menu and so far everything has been yummy. Most recent meal was the lamb cheeks, delicious!
Great atmosphere, the place definitely captures the ambience of a parisian bistro. Service is a bit inconsistent though. Generally attentive but there have been off nights: I asked for water twice one evening and did not receive a drop!
My wife and I went here for her birthday, we didn't want to spend too much money nor did we want to go to a too casual of a place (i.e. milestones or cactus club)
We were very pleasantly surprised, we showed up quite early around 6:30pm on Saturday and got a table, the staff were very friendly and the place was very nicely decorated. It used to be a fish and chips joint on Davie, but they've converted the small space into a cozy setting.
I ordered the steak and fries, and my wife got the german sausages w/sauwekraut and mashed potatoes, and we shared the mussels in a light cream sauce w/salad. All the dishes were affordable and were very tasty, not too rich. The fries that came with the steak were a bit too salty to my taste. Every meal comes with french and fennel bread with a chicken rillette and whipped butter.
Including a newcastle ale, our bill came out to 75$ including a tip. It's a great addition to David, and the whole time we were there, there was a line-up. The place is small, but it's not cramped.
It's a nice place to dine out without breaking the bank.
We visited the Brasserie a few weekends ago to use the $40 Groupon my wife had purchased. The food was fantastic but the service from one server in particular was appallingly bad. We had seated ourselves and the server came to our table and just stood there not saying a word, seemingly expecting us to begin our order. She didn't even bother listing off the specials. Luckily we had already chosen what we wanted so we let her know our order. Not five minutes later another group was seated beside us and the same waitress walked over to the table, politely greeted them and listed the specials. The service for the rest of meal was okay only because we were served by three different people. When it came time for dessert the rude waitress came over and only gave us two of the three available desserts (Crème Brulée and Apple Crumble if I recall correctly). The group sitting next to us were offered Chocolate Mousse in addition to the other two options. When it came time to add the tip we had no choice but to give the 13% because the service provided the other two servers was great.
I can't see any reason what warrant such rudeness from another human being. I have never felt so uncomfortable eating in a restaurant as this server made us feel I really hesitate to bring up the fact that we were treated like this because we are ethnic minorities but really, I have no explanation to prove otherwise.
I'll let you guess if we were thanked like everyone else when it came time to leave.
Justification for my ratings:
Food: Outstanding
Service: Poor - See explanation above
Value: Outstanding - Reasonable price for good quality food
Ambiance: Poor - Completely ruined by the poor service
Yum. Went here for late night buck-a-shuck (yes - really only $1 for an oyster and they were goodies) and grabbed seats at the bar so my chef-wannabe boyfriend could pick up some tips from watching the chefs. Great atmosphere and greeted immediately by professional friendly staff (but not chain restaurant friendly if you know what I mean). Great value for what you get, and if you can get seats at the bar to watch the professional and hard working chefs then take the opportunity - you won't regret! Only drawback is the size which means it can feel a bit cramped but generally adds to the vibe of the place.
My partner and I decided to try this place, owing to the favorable reviews here, and the fact that the Raincity Grill has raised our standards for weekend brunch.
I had the oeufs du jour, which consisted of poached free-range eggs with braised beef, bernaise, au jus, potatoes and pearl onions. At a mere $11, the dish was of good value, if a tad salty, but then I might have expected as much when I ordered it.
My partner had the croque madame, which consisted of two slices of brioche sandwiching a slice of bacon or ham, a poached egg, and bernaise. This was a very filling dish, though we were unsure whether or not the brioche had been made with butter or oil. There's much better brioche out there, though for $13, we weren't complaining.
The surprise, however, came with the bill for the French-press coffee. The menu has it listed for $3.00, my partner and I each ordered one, and the first press that came to the table was large enough for two cups. Naturally, I expected that each "coffee" consisted of two cups - this is what I've come to expect at restaurants offering equal or higher quality brunch. The waitress warned me when I asked for a refill that I would be getting a second press, which I was fine with. After all, $6 for coffee for two is not all that bad, I thought. The bill, when it arrived, however, showed a whopping $12 for coffee! On top of that, it did not even taste like an organic roast, and the presses leaked an unusual quantity of grinds into the coffee itself.
Unfortunately for our friendly and attentive server, there was no tip, in spite of the tab's bold-red warning just above the $12 coffee that read "gratuity not included." (Olympics or no, we weren't impressed and won't be returning).
Ok, I don't normally return to a restaurant twice in one week; it's not like I'm a restaurant stalker or anything. And I have tons of variety as we're at Burrard and Davie.
But we had relatives in from the valley and wanted them to enjoy a great evening. Dinner and a show. After the first visit, it was an easy pick and we ended up at La Brasserie once again. It was a little more crowded with waits shortly after we arrived, but the food was still at the very high standard established earlier.
We shared two appies: the onion tart which is amazingly good and the seafood terrine, cold and delicious. For mains, we ordered the steak (mmmmmmm), the mussels (described as the best ever by those who eat mussels - sorry), sauerbraten (amazing that I thought this was sausage - NOT - it's more like shortribs) and I had to try the rotisserie chicken. You cannot find juicier more succulent chicken.
Fully sated, for the good of science we ordered the chocolate coffee pie (forget the name but awesome except I hate raspberries (allergy) and there were many touching my chocolate and the obligatory creme brule. The creme brule was easily the best I have ever tasted and there was much competition to clean the plate.
So I pretty much concur with my last review except I might just kick it up a notch. You will not be disappointed with this restaurant, from the food to the service (we had Jerah serve us again and the attentive, professional service was maintained in spite of our somewhat unruly behaviour.
Popped in there at about 9:30pm on a Tuesday and most places would be at the end of their evening, and wouldnt have given the service or food we got........not at this place.
Went really simple and ordered a stine of german beer, mussells and frites.
Beer........mmm good!
Mussells and Frites, could not have been better!
So tastey, so good, and the service is so underrated!!!
We really are blessed in this city with an excess of fine small restaurants. The missus and I just returned from eating here and I felt compelled to submit this review.
The food, although rich, is truly French. The pomme frites, accompanied by aoili, are the real thing and the burger is house made and fresh and not mass produced and frozen ahead of time as are so many in town. My wife ordered the steak onglet which was tender and perfectly cooked medium rare. The peppercorn au jus was excellent as were the mashed potatoes with garlic and thyme ( I'm guessing here ). The wine list has a number of well priced French wines by the glass and the service was attentive and friendly and not at all pretentious.
The seating was comfortable and not cramped as can be the case with many of the small restaurants in town.
We would, without hesitation, highly recommend this restaurant and we will be returning here often.
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