Cafe Salade de Fruits - Vancouver, BC

Ooof.  The last few posts have been about desserts, desserts and more desserts.  I should really eat some real food.  Real food, here I come!  I've had Cafe Salade de Fruits on my eating wishlist for quite some time now but have never found the right person to go with until now.  In fact, I didn't even have to make a request as Monkey was the one who suggested it.  Actually, what he really said was "I want moules frites and they have the best at Salade de Fruits so when do you wanna go?".  So really, I get to scratch another place off my list, Monkey gets what he wants and I get to preserve my next restaurant pick as well.  Score!

"We don't have a reservation".
Host: "It's Saturday night, why did you think you could get a table?"
Poor ladies.  They reasoned they hadn't made a reservation 5 years ago to which the host said they've been taking reservations for the past 10.  Ouch.  I feel a bit bad as we stroll right by but c'est la vie.  I called a few days ahead of time to ensure we'd get a table.  Lesson here folks: make a reservation for this place or face the walk of rejection.  Word.

There's no signage save for a small sign on the inside of the restaurant above the door and the only things to denote a restaurant is this man signalling that something is open from the street and the packed patio outside:

So how do people know there's a French restaurant here?  Monkey says it's word of mouth.  Must be good if that's all you need.  Cafe Salade de Fruits in tucked inside the French Cultural Centre and they are as they advertise: very French (spoken by the hosts, cooks and servers alike), humorous (many jokes were made and the wonderful friendliness of it all made us feel very welcome) and they possess some deft hands at cooking delicious meals. Just check it out...

Cozy dining spot with a view of the kitchen...

Complimentary bread

Soft and chewy on the inside and nice and crispy on the outside.  Yum!

Mussels and Fries (Moules et Frites) - $19 (Regular size)

Mountains of mussels in an absolutely fantastic broth.  I can taste the white wine and garlic in a perfect balance without being too creamy.  After a while, I was abandoning all social constraints and drinking that stuff out of the pot (with a spoon of course - I'm not an animal...  yet).  A bite of tasty mussel with a bit of that broth and a piece or two of green onions = perfect bite.  Or use that complimentary bread to sop up that broth!  That broth is just amazing...  Do you think it'd be really looked down on to bring tupperware here to take the broth home?  The fries are also tasty - crispy, hot and salty - but many pieces were stubby but I don't mind when I give it a dip in the broth and they're still crunchy.  This dish is so popular, a table of four each had their own pot.  Should've gotten my own pot...  Je regrette ma decision.

Grilled Rib Eye Steak with Pepper Sauce (Entrecote grillee sauce poivre) - $26.00

This is one big honking steak!  Monkey's eyes are bugging out of his head.  It's a bit gristly for me but Monkey is happy with it - he downs 2/3rds of it and I'm content with the various veggies the dish came with.  I love the beets, crunchy peas, mashed potatoes and asparagus - prepared really well so that they're cooked but still crunchy.  They're especially good with that delicious pepper sauce.  Oh that sauce...  You could put that sauce on a shoe and I'd be happy eating the canvas and rubber.  Again, do you think it wrong for me to bottle up the leftovers?

Pistachio Cherry Tart - $7

Even though we're both stuffed to the bring, our server shows us this tart on it's way over to another table.  Sold!  The tart itself is a bit gummier than I thought it would be, denser than other tarts I've ever had, but the pistachio flavor packs a punch.  It's definitely very pistachio-y.  The whipped topping, cherries, strawberries and sweet fruit syrup were a good balance to the dense tart.  It's good and Monkey really enjoyed it but I somehow think we should've gone for the creme brulee or baked alaska because they also looked really good.  I wish I had a second stomach...


I've been to other French establishments around the Lower Mainland and felt a bit underwhelmed every single time I finished the meal but this one was different.  The inviting and humourous service was definitely a plus (very much in contrast to the snootiness I've felt at other French restaurants) but it was the food that set this place apart - I'd do some pretty nasty things to some nasty people to get my hands on a supply of that Moules Frites.  Don't ask what I'd do and to whom.  You don't wanna know.  Just make a reservation and enjoy the food here.  Bon appetite!


Pros:

• Takes reservations
• Wonderful food - get the moules frites!
• Delightful and inviting service
• Great patio outdoors - perfect for a sunny day

Cons:

• No walk-ins definitely on the weekends
• Cash only - odd
• Tight dining spaces - we were about 3 inches from the next table and although the server had a nice behind, I really didn't need to have it in my ear when he bent over to get something through the service window