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coop : could you give the adresses of those pho places. I'm very fond of vietnamese cuisine and i'd love to try out these restaurants.

A really good adress is "le Baratin", rue Joye-Rouve, in the 18th, quartier Belleville. Great wine bar, good french bistro food with a twist (joue de veau braisee a l'orange, pave de cabillaud poele...). Great atmosphere, very french, very parisian. Open at lunch for a great bargain during the week + every night - sunday and monday closed. Think about booking before showing up. It's a small and busy place. It's well worth it, they have a wonderful small wine list by the glass, as well as hidden treasures in the cave downstairs. Please dont spread this information further, as they're already packed all the time ! Damn, i miss those bistros ! Nothing really compares, down here in Vancouver...

for a satisfying experience, go to "le relais chablisien", not far from la samaritaine, meters from the Seine. Excellent wine selection by the glass focusing on Burgundy, typical bourguignonne cuisine. A great bistro ! The owner, Christian, and his wife really know what they're talking about. About 20-30 euros per person. Also, "L'avant-gout", rue Bobillot, not far from Place d'Italie. Good moderne bistro, revisiting french classics. Enjoy !

that's funny, because that's exactly the vibe i get in Canada. And as a french citizen, i never felt that way in my own country !

Hi David, i worked in France. I'm a "maudit francais" !

Johnathon : Yes i'm currently working as a chef in Vancouver. But i do not have the opportunity to express myself there. I do have ideas and projects though. But it will take a couple of years (best case scenario !) before these thoughts materialize. 200 000 dollars, anyone ? I recently arrived to Vancouver. It's sometimes hard to understand local customs, needs, lacks. But the beauty of BC speaks to me loudly, and that's fortunate. I still have to learn about local produce. What kind of shellfish, fish, meat can be bought fresh. There's many produce that i'm not used to work with, and it takes time to figure them all out. When they're on season, the best and most efficient way to cook them, who to get them from... That's why i'm hoping to head to the Gulf islands next spring to tame the soil, learn and get to meet some good folks who get the soil at work ! Long process... but very promising... My intent is not to get locals all pumped up by my posts. I just want to see things improving, people getting together, debating and taking actions. Let's put at least a good bakery in every neighbourhood... Ah, good bread !

I intend to bring my cards to the game, indeed. Because criticizing has te be the first step to improvement. I dont think i said i had it all figured out. But i do have an idea of what a restaurant should provide. This is my profession, and i take it seriously. A good restaurant, regardless of its class, has to be driven by passion, authenticity and a strong willingness to share a contagious love for food and wine. Whenever that's not the case, the experience is a failure. It seems to me that restaurants in France suffer way more taxes. But you can still find wonderful bistros where you'll eat for 10 euros... There's a major difference here : people in France rarely consider investing in a restaurant a "financial investment". It's their trade, and as cooking is very personal in some ways, they want to open their own place. I'm happy that there are some passionate chefs out there; i never doubted it. Any passionate waiter though ?

Coming from Europe and being a chef, i have a very different idea of what a good meal should be in a high-end restaurant. i feel like Vancouver doesn' t have a solid craftsmanship and lack integrity, and that creativity in that context can only be disorientated (to say the least ! ). As for prices, selling a chicken breast for 25 dollars is totally ridiculous. I find that many places will provide you bistro cuisine in a fancy surrounding and want you to believe they're blessing you with a 3* experience. Truth is, the restaurant industry here is a real business. And you can tell. High prices, low standards. No passion, no integrity. And the only feeling you keep walking away is that you've been ripped-off in style... I havent tried Cru yet. The place looks nice, but forgive me if a duck confit doesnt do it for me. I'm also doubtful about the oversimplified wine list. I'm convinced that it is not the right approach. I went to Victoria a couple of weeks ago. Parks closures keeping me away from the outdoors, my vacations turned out to be more of a culinary tour. And i think that you can eat as well, if not better, in greater Victoria than in Vancouver... I had diner at Cafe Brio, really enjoyed the room, the very warm and sympathetic staff, the knowledgeable owner who takes great care of his wine list and who'll spend time with you figuring out your taste and mood to come up with the best match for what you've ordered. I had an excellent evening. Cooking and seasoning of the produce were under control, and you got the feeling that people working there were really enthousiastic and serious about what their profession. Lunch at Zambri's was really nice. Coutryside italian bistro cuisine. Simple and very flavourful fare. My friend had a duck ragu with sage for 9 bucks, and i felt truly happy to find this european bistro atmosphere, where workers from around come for a satisfying and unpretentious meal. Ah, yes, that was great and got me nostalgic. Their 5-course tasting menu on saturday nights are without doubt worth a try. Spinnakers brew pub offers a great getaway from downtown Victoria. Good traditional brunch, and a pub fare that's conscious about produce, getting most of his veg from the island, wild fish and free-range poultry. For my last trip, i went to The aerie for lunch. Had some really good salt spring lamb, perfectly cooked, and could only look at the tasting menus with curiousity and envy. If anyone has had a meal there, please let me know about your experience. What i really appreciate when eating on the island is the authenticity and generosity of restaurateurs. They also seem to be commited to local produce and very organized as a community. The food is comparable to what you'd find in Vancouver, but the passion perspires. And that's contagious. Food wise, Vancouver is a very self-centered and self-satisfied city. I'd like to see chefs more humble and working on getting better. Cooking is a mode of expression and can be taken to the level of art (the most satisfying one ). So please, get out there in the woods, on the ocean, in the mountains. Open your eyes, get inspired by the unlimited natural wonders of British Columbia, think it over, and stop black-boxing your menus. Interpretate. Cultivate a terroir and drop the duck confit !

Although those places might feel like a bargain for wealthy americans, i do think that they're usually overpriced for what they have to offer. To get food that is properly seasoned and made from good produce is just a start, not an accomplishment. When spending 100-150 dollars on a meal, i expect it to be memorable, and i can only put up with little mistakes. Lumiere used to be a good deal 5 years ago, when the tasting menu was about 75 bucks and the room half empty (when it didnt feel like being a anchovy packed in a tin). A night at Diva last year was a total joke. Although the room was nearly empty, the waiter (who had been working there for 5 years) still managed to forget my amuse and bring my glass of red wine 5 mn after i got my venison, and so on... Some of my friends were totally overlooked and poorly treated when going to Ouest and Sooke harbour house... Maybe we should just blaim ourselves for being locals, 25 years old and not wearing an Armani suit ?

having West and Lumiere as flagships of the local gastronomy is a sad sign for Vancouver...