e Select’s Queen West location has been serving bistro fare for almost 30 years - an eternity in restaurant years - while a parade of unremarkable restaurants have since come and gone. Now, Le Select has moved on to the hipster grazing grounds of Wellington Street. But, beneath a thick French accent and layer of newness, the new Le Select charms us into looking past the relocation of its long-running franchise and the possibly unavoidable risk of jumping the shark.

No worries, Le Select’s charm knows no boundaries; while the adoration lavished upon the new digs is bound to confuse long time regulars, this location aims to make this large rendition as huggable as the original. Looking like it was airlifted out of France, the main dining room is a replica of the old resto, coloured in rich tones of burgundy and brown, with a bustling lounge up front and private dining areas at the rear. The hyper-attentive waitstaff strut about the whole scene looking stuffy and appropriately Parisian.

There’s nothing stuffy about the food however, as it’s well presented and more varied than the original location, of which I was never a fan. The new Le Select reveals itself as a contender.

The menu provides his well-known thrills; on a recent visit with fussy out-of-town guests, a slightly bland presentation of chicken liver mousse ($8.95) with wild mushrooms was the only letdown in a whirlwind of plates. Better choices, like the salade frisée with avocado and tomato ($10.95) remain classic. The tarte niçoise au chèvre ($10.95) is a tender caramelized onion tart with a distinctive tang that is goat cheese.