Bistro Pastis

$28 / $38 French

Another night, another restaurant. Bistro Pastis is what they call a small piece of Paris in Kitsilano.  I'm not sure I felt the Parisian, as it didn't really remind me too much of Paris even with the 4 Eiffel Towers, maybe it was the really loud table next to us. There are two menus available, and after perusing both, we decided to stick with the $28.  Personally I was looking forward to dessert which was on both menus.

Starters: 

photo by Bernice Chang

Skipping the mushroom and goat cheese salad, we sampled the calamare ratatouille and potato leek soup.

 The calamari was reportedly pretty good and plentiful with an excellent sauce. For something steamed, it still maintained its natural taste.  The potato leek soup definitely had a potato texture and more broth like than cream soup, which is a nice change - not a lot of bacon taste though.

Mains:

Grilled Flank Steak with Pomme Frites

Coq au Vin Mushroom Fettucine

Trout Meuniere

A friend was lured by the Pomme Frites off the $38 menu, and that made the steak decision clear.  Not quite what we'd call a French dish, but the fries were quite nice.

The Coq au Vin was very nice with tender chicken that pretty much fell off the bone.  It was served with mushroom fettucine and a mix of peas and bacon as well.  Named one of their specialties, it is worth a try. 

Lastly the trout was a little overdone but tasty.

Desserts: definitely a nice cap to this meal

Apple Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream

Crepe Suzette with Orange Sorbet and Grand Marnier Sauce

Chocolate Mousse

The tart was definitely better than last night's and the chocolate mousse was really smooth.  The belle of the ball though, definitely Crepe Suzette if you like sweet citrus.  The orange sorbet was a perfect accompaniment to the grand marnier sauce on the crepe. It was a bit on the small size, but that's dine out right? Beware that blackberry on the side though, sour.

 

Overall:

Food: good (despite larger portions, found myself still a little hungry)

Service: okay - but it was quite busy

Recommendation: yes

I say yes because of dessert and for the price, their mains are usually priced around $30.  I hear lunch prices are a better bet, so there's another option.