Chambar Belgian Restaurant

Chambar Belgian Restaurant
562 Beatty Street Crosstown
Vancouver, BC. V6B 2L3
Tel: (604) 879-7119

Tasty or Not Tasty?
Soooo TASTY! WOW! I've been to Chambar twice and both times I was very impressed.
Below are the items that I've had:

• Le confit de canard ~ $13
  Phyllo wrapped duck leg cofit, cardamom apple amulsion. Baked crab apples.
• Coquette ~ $20
  Mussels cooked in a white wine cream. Smoked bacon lardons, spring onions.
• Carpaccio de Boeuf ~ $14
  Beef carpaccio, roasted garlic horseradish puree. Sundried tomato & olive tapenade. Fried golden Yukon crisps.
• Le canard de casablanca ~ $26
  Ginger & sumac rubbed duck breast. Moroccan rice pilaf. Apple tea & pistachio gastrique.
• Tajine d’aziz a l’agneau ~ $25
  Braised lamb shank with honey, figs, cinnamon & cilantro, served with cous cous and zalouk.

Service Good or Service Bad?
Service is awesome. No complaints only compliments to their staff!

Interior:
Exposed brick...well it is a loft.
Very nice and classy. Lots of deep red and other dark but warm colours. Gives the place a very unique feeling. Restaurant is quite long.

Price:
I've only gone twice cuz I can't afford to eat here...enough said

Ever Going Back?
Hell Yah! I always recommend this restaurant when someone asks me "where's a nice place to take my date".

Brioche Urban Baking & Catering

Brioche Urban Baking & Catering
401 W. Cordova
Vancouver, BC.
Tel: (604) 682-4037

Tasty or Not Tasty?
This cafe is off the hook. Very Very Tasty! None like it in Vancouver that I've been to. Authentic Italian cooking fused with West Coast style! Best panini I've ever had.
Here are a few of my favourites:

• Ham, Portobello and Brie Panini ~ $6.75
• Tomatoe, Boccincini, Prisciutto Panini ~ $6.75
• Omelette with Brie, Portobello & Ham ~8.95

I hear the french toast is awesome! I didn't have it myself, but my friend said it was the best french toast he'd ever had.

I've always been too full to have dessert, but it looks really good!
Coffee is good. Chai latte needs some work.


Service Good or Service Bad?
Service is awesome. You have to go up to the counter to order, but the staff will bring you your food. Always friendly and kind.

Interior:
Exposed brick. Small and cozy. There's actually two sides to Brioche...but most people only know about the W.Cordova side. They have seating on Water Street as well...shhhhhh.

Price:
Coffee and a Panini costs me $10.

Ever Going Back?
Hell Yah! My favourite cafe! I've only been for lunch and breakfast. I must make my way down for dinner. They also cater too! I'll be seen at Brioche all the time once my place is done, half a block away!

Jules Casual French Bistro

Jules Casual French Bistro
216 Abbott Street (Near Cordova)
Vancouver, BC.
Tel: (604) 669-0633

Tasty or Not Tasty?
This restaurant only rates a simple "Tasty" compared to some of my other delightful picks, which are "Very Very Very Tasty". All meals come with complimentary bread and butter (good stuff)

Here is what we ordered:
Moules Frites - $12
Steamed Mussels in White Wine with Garlic and Parsley Served with French Fries * Best French Fries I have ever had...not over salted or greasy! Great for dipping in the white whine mussel sauce. Mussels were average in size and tasted typical, nothing special.

Fletan Roti, Salad de Lentilles Vertes Dupuy et Echalottes Safranees - $19
Roasted Halibut with Dupuy Lentils Salad and Saffron Shallots
Meh....the halibut was good, but I didn't particularly fancy the lentil Salad and couldn't taste the saffron shallots at all :( This dish was disappointing. I was hoping for more flavour. Although the dish tasted alright, it did not taste that good. Sorry...I really wanted it to taste good, but it didn't.

Poitrine de Poulet Fermier Rotie, Jus au Porto et Pommes Puree - $17
Roasted Free Range Chicken Breast, Port Jus and Potato Puree. In other words Chicken n' mashed potatoes.

Coffee....hmmmm....good strong coffee! Just like Europe!
Kronenberg Beer 1664 - $4.50

Service Good or Service Bad?
Service...was good. The waitress didn't bother us too much and pretty much left us alone and checked up on us every once in a while. She kept our water glasses filled up as needed. No complaints! Good Job!

Interior:
We had dinner in the evening, so the lighting was dim. There wasn't anything particular that stood out in this restaurant in terms of the interior.

Price:
Appetizers $6 - $14
Main courses start at $12 - $22

Ever Going Back?
Nah...I really wanted this restaurant to be a big hit, but I was disappointed and I don't actually have the urge to want to go back. We went on a Thursday evening and it was very busy...quite packed actually. We didn't have reservations and almost got turned away, so the restaurant must be good? Right? We must have just ordered the wrong items on the menu :(
Please leave me a comment, if you found that this restaurant met your expectations. I'd love to get a second opinion.