While a few menu items didn’t warrant any particular praise - a much ballyhooed bouillabaisse was salty beyond repair - it’s a void risk; nothing on the menu breaks the $10 mark, and some dishes are not available on the casual and less-expensive lunch menu. Revel in the cheesecake, twice baked to create layers of dense cake, and lemon tart.
This industrial spot lives up to its name - read into that what you may - diners feel like they're visiting someone's bustling kitchen. Sit by the open kitchen and watch the staff cook homemade panini, or alight at the bar and watch the theatrics. - R.B.
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 AT A GLANCE
Cassis Bistro
420 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC
604-605-0420
French
Downtown
Venue:
Restaurant
Hours:
Mon. to Fri.: 11:00am - 2:30pm 5:30pm - 1:00am Sat. & Sun.: 5:30pm - 1:00am
Price Range:
$$ (Affordable)
Payment:
Master Card, Visa, American Express
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THE BUZZ
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IN THE AREA
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4 Reader Reviews | I shall forever recall the date and time that my life changed irretrievably and I became truly alive. It was Friday, September 12 at 12:01 p.m. when my old life faded from living memory. My friend Lori and I, disguised as Doreen and Flavia, undercover restaurant reviewers, pushed open the door to another realm and were swept into a gastronomic fifth dimension known as the newly-reopened Cassis. A new world order lay before us like a long-kept secret suddenly revealed.
Stratospheric ceilings hung with antique crystal chandeliers loomed overhead but our table remained an intimate continental oasis. Wood floors gleaming, sun streaming through the windowpanes, we perused the simple menu while the tables around us filled steadily with other secret-knowers. Deciding on something light, I chose the Nicoise Salad ($13) and a glass of Lake Breeze Pinot Gris. Doreen, I mean Lori, chose the Tandoori Organic Beef Sandwich ($13) and a glass of Malbec.
The salad was beautifully composed and very tasty, notwithstanding a slightly undercooked eggwhite. Thankfully the exquisite yolk more than compensated. The honey-lemon dressing was perfectly tangy and light (no drippiness), the tuna melted on the tongue and the organic baby potatos were like the perfect lover: firm yet tantalizingly yielding. I was sorry the olives were unpitted Kalamatas and not Nicoise, but overall it was delicious. I wouldn’t go so far as to say soul-soothing, but really quite yummy.
Lori's pannini, however, was a revelation. (I know this to be a fact because of all the moaning she was doing and because I had a sizeable bite myself). Embraced by crispy focaccia, a lilting combination of tandoori spice and sweet Bengal tomato chutney brought the organic beef tri-tip to near quivering deliciousness. And, as Lori reported, the accompanying home-made pickle was nothing short of a religious experience: crunchy, hot and tangy. The waitress told us we could buy a jar (the shiny mahogany bar is stacked with dozens of colourful jars of assorted home-made preserves and pickles) or find them at Capers or Whole Foods.
We ate and sipped and laughed until it was time to consult the dessert menu. Because they've only just reopened, the dessert menu was limited to crême brulé and espresso was temporarily unavailable. Deciding to "make do" with sharing a crême brulé was probably the single smartest decision we have ever made in our entire lives. An exquisite warm crackling-crispy crust gave way to creamy/cool, rich vanilla-bean flecked delight. The English language lacks a suitable word to describe this concoction and I am forced to borrow a made-up word from a Saturday Night Live skit to do it honour: Scrumtrillescent. Sigh. To paraphrase the skit, it was even better than reaching out and touching the face of God. Picture it: after touching his face, he says to you "Take the day off and go shopping - here's my credit card, take it. Don't come back til it's maxed out." I wanted to stand on the table and belt out Ethel Merman tunes and then run around the restaurant and hug everyone. My retinas are actually still aching from having my eyes roll back into my head with every perfect spoonful. As I told our friendly waitress, when I finally laid down the spoon, I felt as though I'd just had a full-body deep tissue massage. We could barely stand afterward. It was truly spec-frickin’-tacular.
I can only imagine how magical this place would be at nighttime under those twinkling chandeliers. Stepping back through the looking-glass onto the sidewalk and back into real life was made tolerable only with the knowledge that we’ve already decided to come back again the following week.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to lie down. I am spent.
1. Trish's Review :: September 30, 2008 Trish's Rating: 3 Stars |
Nothing to write home about, Food is relly old hat poorly executed. The Menu on the net promises some classical French. May be they need to learn how to cook first .Its just another example of all show and no go and to be honest the show was pretty poor to
2. Anonymous's Review :: July 23, 2007 |
Nothing to write home about, Food is relly old hat poorly executed. The Menu on the net promises some classical French. May be they need to learn how to cook first .Its just another example of all show and no go and to be honest the show was pretty poor to
3. Nick Stories's Review :: July 21, 2007 Nick Stories's Rating: 1 Stars |
With more attention to detail Cassis might snake it's way up the ladder toward the restaurants in Vancouver whose exceptional quality and value are the staple we Vancouver Foodie's have come to expect.
The first visit to Cassis was very disappointing. I went with a veggie friend and we had looked the menu up on line so as to ensure choices for her. The squash soup was made with chicken broth - so that was out. The Spinach salad with goat, warm peaches and candied pecans, and shaved proscuitto ? was order without the proscuitto. Unfortunately it was served warm pears as the substitution for the peaches and without the candied pecans. When questioned they had apparently run out of candied pecans. Missing ingredients happen, but informing the customer of changes and substitutions is the responsible way of handling this. With no additions, no apologies, and nothing off our bill, it was a mediocre spinach salad at best. It was, we thought pretty clear to the waitress that we were eating veggie (we'd asked about the soup broth and we'd order the salad without proscuitto). So when the Navy Bean Cassoulete arrived covered in pork/bacon bits - we were surprised to say the least, and of course had to send it back. The Ratatouille was good, but not hot enough. And the Yukon Potato pave was fine (but nothing I'd rave about tomorrow at work).
Assuming my disappointment was due mostly to my veggie experience, I ventured back again with a meat eater. This time, I had a glass of the Hester Creek Pinot Gris ? which although normally is warm and flavourful, this glass was thin and tasteless. My dinner companion ordered a glass of Beaujolais - she left at least 1/2 of it. The green beans in the almandine were wrinkled and tired. The Daube de Boeuf was tasty, but luke warm at best. The Bouillabaisse was nice, but the morsels of seafood were overcooked, and again the broth was luck warm. The Celeriac and Brie soup was salty and once again, lacked warm in temperature. I just don?t think that all food is mean to be served luke warm.
The vanilla bean Cr?me Brulee was very nice (but why it's served with a side of apple pie filling - we are unsure). And the lemon tart was a bit too much like lemon pudding in this odd saltine cracker shell. The decaf Americano was good.
They're trying, but they've missed the mark - twice! All in all, I probably wouldn?t go back, nor would I recommend it. I really wanted to like it.
4. Boyd's Review :: March 04, 2006 Boyd's Rating: 2 Stars |
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 420 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC |
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MBO Vancouver :: Vancouver Restaurants & Dining Guide
