The French Table - Vancouver

Experience we hope we never repeat in a restaurant. From the moment we were seated the staff was already stressed and disorganized. After one hour of repeatedly requesting when meals would appear and watching favored tables receiving theirs, four inedible steaks appeared. They were like shoe leather. The bread and the plating were an embarrassment toany real French restaurant. You do not get what you pay for.

The French Table is a classic French bistro that’s located on Main Street in Vancouver. Prior to opening The French Table, owner Herve Martin had run the long-standing Hermitage on Robson Street for 24 years.We stopped by in late March for dinner. One side of the restaurant appears to be a bit more open and brighter than the other side but we wound up near the back where the lighting is much dimmer (hence the dark pictures).First to the table was the complimentary crusty bread and butter. This is really one of the reasons why I love French restaurants… I know it’s just filler but there’s something about fresh, crusty bread that gets me every time.We ordered some Escargot ($15) traditionally prepared with garlic butter. This is a simple dish and the snails weren’t rubbery.Of course, if there’s any dish that you should order at a French restaurant, it’s French onion soup. Their Soupe a l’oignon ($14) is made with emmental cheese which is a medium-hard Swiss cheese. Seriously loved the cheesy pull of this soup and could eat this all day long.The Coq Au Vin ($28) is prepared with free range chicken marinated in red wine and mushrooms with pearl onions and bacon. This dish is quite good with fork-tender chicken.The Duck Confit Cassoulet ($29) with stewed white beans, duck legs, braised pork, and Toulouse sausage was a bit on the salty side but I did think the Toulouse sausage was really good.We finished our meal with an order of Chocolate Mousse ($9) served with whipped cream and roasted almonds.Highlights of our meal were definitely the coq au vin and soupe a l’oignon.

Just discovered a gem of a French Bistro- The French Table on Main Street & 24th Avenue! The owner/chef, Herve Martin, was head chef @ The PanPacific Restaurants from 1995-1997 before moving on to open his own restaurant, L'Hermitage, which he ran very successfully for 25 years until the property was sold. This Main Street site has been open for 6 years. We ordered pan seared scallops with arugula & crispy parsnip slivers, garlic prawns in tomato shallots patis flambé, marinated beet & pickled fennel salad, Bouillabaisse made with local seafood , & Seafood Linguine with creamy lemon, roasted garlic sauce. Every dish was cooked to perfection! The seafood was fresh . The pasta was al dente. Our waiters were mature gentlemen with years of experience. Important point to make here is Herve has a large garden at his house & grows all the organic herbs, vegetables and seasonal produce himself. We finished with home grown rhubarb pie & cream. Nicely furnished restaurant with cosy bar area & SOFT music. Outdoor seating available & parking at the rear of building.

The owner is passionate about his cuisine and his restaurant :) Great food and friendly people there! I've been there twice, both times having their Burgundy Fondue.... soooooo good!!! :D The wine soup base tastes excellent and the 5 different sauces are awesome, superior, marvelous! They are 1) Mayo, 2) Tomato Cognac Cream, 3) Soya Ginger, 4) Garlic Pesto, 5) Tarragon Pepper Cream!!!! Some herbs are grown by the owner himself!

What a great experience. My wife and I really enjoyed our dining there. The place looks very nice and staff are friendly and knowledgeable. Our food was delightfully prepared and presented. We definitely like to go back again.