La Brass - Vancouver

Picking a nice restaurant to go to during the end of the year is a bit difficult because so many restaurants are fully booked for the holidays. I actually wanted to try La Brass during the weekend but they were all full so we dropped by for lunch during the weekday instead. Located along West 10th Avenue, close to UBC, it was a bit of a drive for us but I’m glad we made the trip. While they weren’t busy when we arrived, it soon filled up with patrons. We decided to share the Boeuf Braissé Tartine $15) served with musclun green salad a mix of assorted small young salad greens that originated in Provence, France) and a mustard-like dressing. Tartine is an open-faced sandwich and the one they serve at La Brass was really good. The bread had a nice crispness to the bite and was topped with tender braised beef, caramelized onions and cheese. Oh man, I could eat this every day! For my main, I picked the Vongole $25) with squid ink pasta in a garlicky sauce made of chilies and olive oil. This turned out quite well with large plump clams. We also had the Bouillabaise $25) with prawns, mussels, clams, fish, and saffron potatoes in a rich broth. For dessert, we picked the Trio de Sorbets where the daily flavours were strawberry, tropical, and cocoa pear. It took a while for the dessert to come out and I found the sorbet was a bit coarser than I would normally prefer. Overall, some really good food here… especially the tartine.

Our party had an Open Table reservation for 12 noon for 5, and we were seated promptly. As some of our party were delayed in traffic, I ordered a mesclun salad and cappuccino to start ahead. The salad and cappuccino arrived fairly quickly despite a larger birthday party group ordered some plates ahead of me. I can't recall which kind of cheese was included in my mesclun, but it was fried quite nicely without having a burnt or overly greasy feel. The tangy/sweet house dressing went well with the cheese. Quality of the greens were good, and price for the salad was fair and comparable to other French bistros around Vancouver. For the main brunch meal, I ordered the crab cake eggs benedict. The texture, flavor and quality of the crab cake was good/fresh. As well, the roast potatoes were, for my taste, done just right too without being overly roasted or excessively salty/herbed. The accompanying fresh fruit salad was a nice finisher to cleanse the palate. I would come back here again. When the tables were becoming quite filled and staff were kept busy, we weren't rushed out despite staying on to finish our food. Some of our party were quite slow to finish their meals, but we always got very polite, excellent service.

Hidden gem in the west broadway neighbourhood! It’s clean, classy and very relaxed environment. The food are fantastic, delicate and delicious. The server can be a little passive. Would not recommend kids younger than 10. Quiet but chat table, great for socializing. Not vegan friendly but yes to pascaterian or vegetarian who is good with dairy. I went for brunch but I think dinner would also be lovely.

Great for brunch. Fantastic service, great price for their breakfast/brunch. I ordered the salmon eggs bennedict and they are easily on my top 10 now. Their coffee was also really good, along with the potatoes. The fruit plate wasn't very impressive but the creme brulee we ordered made up for it.

Great French bistro, solid service, nice interior, pricey but good. Stopped in for lunch on a Thursday afternoon. Place was pretty busy (always a good sign) but we were seated by a window with a minimal wait. I got the grilled calamari salad, and my companion got the crab cakes. The calamari was excellent! Great vinaigrette and perfectly grilled squid. A drink each, and a post meal coffee ran just over $60. Will definitely return!