I arrived at the West Vancouver bistro in search of the soul of French cuisine: regional and seasonal produce, simply prepared. With its reputation well established, and having just read La Regalade’s eponymous 2005 cookbook, I had a feeling that this restaurant had what I was looking for.
With today’s menu up on blackboards, this rule was mostly followed. Duck, oysters, rabbit, beef, pork, lamb, scallops, and steelhead salmon all earn their place on the fresh sheet, but I found myself confused why the caesar salad and tomato tart were chalked up. These out-of-season items were out of place, and belong, if anywhere, on the single laminated sheet of house specialities. This menu must have been static since the restaurant was decorated, apparently sometime in the mid nineties, but I had already planned to order some practiced dishes from the cookbook.
One should first be aware of the intense nature of a French winter meal. This food has evolved over centuries to nourish peasants and aristrocrats alike through the cold, dark Gallic months. One should prepare one’s self for a serious meal. I found the classic pear and blue cheese tart an appropriate warm up to my main event of boeuf bourguinon, and though its presentation left something to be desired, this example offered a skilfully stimulating balance. Rich and light, with subtly sweet pear slices and savoury, smoky blue cheese. Its temperature and texture were, however, particularly uninspiring, and would have benefited from some oven time, rather than having been plated seemingly straight from its tupperware home.
The boeuf bourguinon was exactly what I wanted it to be. Arriving in an enameled cast-iron tureen, a generous portion of comforting stew. Any dryness was compensated for by abundance of braisage, textured with a dice of soft carrots and toothsome mushroom slices. The sauce was expertly thickened, ever so lightly with veloute, not thick enough to be called gravy, but enough to luxuriously coat my side-order of pommes gratin.
The wine list is composed of a few selections of each major style, and divided into two sections, France and BC. Selections by the glass range from $6.50 to $14.50, with some bottles as low as $30. The average markup from BC Liquor prices was about 125%, about average. The list was, however, very wisely chosen, with some great value wines. Wild Goose BC Riesling paired magnificently with the blue cheese in my tart, a $42 bottle well spent, but I was truly impressed by the 2007 Crozes-Hermitage “Les Brunelles.” For a $60 bottle, this is exactly what I want in a French Syrah. Spicy, medium bodied with generous but well-balanced tannin, with subtle herbs and leather. Did I mention spicy? This wine is driven by pungent black pepper and plum, an absolutely ideal pairing with my rich bourguinon. Kudos to the sommelier.
I had their very last tarte tatin, a gorgeously executed classic, with deeply caramelized apples and praline ice cream. As with all of their desserts, I found the presentation leaving much to be desired... but at this point of the night, it was past midnight, and they were probably being plated by the dishwasher. All the same, I think the whole table had simultaneous spasms of pleasure.
When the plates were all cleared, all of us were absolutely stuffed after 3 courses. And everybody was immensely contented by the food. As a cook, I admire the practiced simplicity and execution of every single dish I tried, although I was disappointed at most of the presentation. What really impressed me was the service. As a waiter myself, I admired the patience of our servers, as we all knew that we were that party everybody hates serving. We arrived more than half an hour late, ordered more than an hour late, and kept their chef in the kitchen past his bedtime. It is hard to be patient and composed as a server, balancing the interests of your kitchen and your guests, but I must say that the veterans at La Regalade are masters of their craft. This restaurant is not fancy, and this restaurant is not pretentious. It is not perfect, and it is not polished. But it is honest. It is the product of years of culinary mastery, if a bit sloppy. It is very clear, however, that this is more than anything else, the product of a family that really cares about food. And that is truly the soul of French cuisine.
