Step into Les Faux Bourgeois, with its sleek mahogany paneling, charming French wait staff and joie de vivre ambiance, and you’d think you’d been transported to a bistro off Les Champs Elysées. But look across the street to the small park and you’ll remember you’re in Mount Pleasant’s Fraser and 15th triangle, an area ‘Fauxbo’ helped put on the map when Stephan Gagnon and Andreas Seppelt opened it in 2008. “We realized on the Eastside, aside from neighbourhood pubs and excellent Asian cuisine, there was no place to go out and get French food and a glass of wine,” says Andreas.
But it’s not just Mount Pleasant locals who flock here for a plate of Boudin Noir and what are known as the best steak frites in the city (just try getting a table without a reservation). People come from all over the lower mainland for their Fauxbo fix. What draws them, along with the excellent French comfort food, is the unpretentious vibe, so different from the white linen service of most French restaurants in Vancouver. “The idea was to create a bistro that was truly a bistro in the traditional sense like you’d find in Montreal or France – noisy, utilitarian, reasonably priced,” says Andreas.
Selected French and artisan cheeses
Two-cheese plate
Four-cheese plate
2 COURSES $ 30
3 COURSES $ 37
SOUPE À L´OIGNON GRATINÉE
Caramelized onion, smoked bacon, gruyère, mozzarella
SALADE DE CHÈVRE CHAUD
Warm goat cheese crostini, walnuts, organic greens, beets and
sherry vinaigrette
Escargots de Bourgogne
Parsley, garlic butter, crostini
CANARD CONFIT
Confit duck leg, pommes Sarladaise, spinach, goat cheese,
pickled red onions
TRUITE SAUMONÉE
Steelhead salmon, squash, radish, brussels sprouts, potato, dill,
brown butter sauce
LE STEAK FRITES
Hanger steak served with fries and red wine shallot jus
Salad option available.
FILET DE BOEUF GRILLÉ (ADD $4)
Beef tenderloin with potato gratin and glazed vegetables, red wine shallot jus
Crème brûlée
Lemon tart
Apple tarte tatin
Drinks
Wine , RED, , WHITE, Rosé, Sparkling
SOUPE À L’OIGNON GRATINÉE
Our classic with caramelized onions, smoked bacon, gruyère, mozzarella
Vegetarian option available
SALADE DE CHÈVRE CHAUD
Warm goat cheese crostini, walnuts, organic greens, beets and sherry vinaigrette
SALADE NIÇOISE
Confit tuna, artisanal greens, niçoise olives, capers, anchoïade
SALADE VERTE
Organic greens, radishes, herbed croutons, pumpkin seeds
PÂTÉ DE CAMPAGNE
Country-style pork paté, great for sharing
BOUDIN NOIR
Our version of the French blood-pudding with apple and brown butter purée
TARTES FLAMBÉES
ALSACIENNE: Puff pastry tart with caramelized onions, smoked bacon,
crème fraîche, ricotta FLORENTINE: Puff pastry tart with spinach, mornay,
goats cheese and olive tapenade
ESCARGOTS DE BOURGOGNE
Parsley, garlic butter, with crostini
ASSIETTE DE CHARCUTERIE
Daily assortment of local charcuterie, cornichons and Dijon
MON PLEASANT PICNIC
Combination of selected artisan cheeses and charcuterie
MON PLEASANT PICNIC
Combination of selected artisan cheeses and charcuterie
MOULES MARINIÈRES
Mussels in white wine, garlic and parsley, pommes frites
CABILLAUD
Pacific Cod, mushrooms, savoy cabbage, cod croquettes and
manila clam pan jus
TRUITE SAUMONÉE
Steelhead salmon, squash, radish, brussels sprouts, potato,
dill, brown butter sauce
CANARD CONFIT
Confit duck on a warm salad of Sarladaise potatoes,
goat cheese, arugula and port jus
CASSOULET
White bean stew, pork, duck and Toulouse sausage
BEEF BOURGUIGNON
The classic dish of beef, braised in red wine, with pommes purée
PORTOBELLO PARMENTIER
Garlic roasted Portobello mushroom and seasonal mushroom sauté,
Pommes purée gratinée, seasonal greens
LE STEAK FRITES
Hanger steak served with fries (salad option available)
Choice of: red wine shallot jus, herb butter or peppercorn sauce
CHOUCROUTE
Braised white wine cabbage with Toulouse sausage, pork hock and bacon
FILET DE BOEUF GRILLÉ
Beef tenderloin, potato gratin and glazed vegetables
Choice of: red wine shallot jus, herb butter or peppercorn sauce
Marinated olives
Glazed vegetables
Garlic spinach
Pommes frites
Pommes purée
Potato gratin
Crème brûlée
Apple tarte tatin, salted butter caramel
Chocolate mousse
Lemon tart, raspberry coulis
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Faux Bourgeois is notably one of Vancouver’s most romantic restaurants. With its dim lighting and delicious French cuisine, this charming bistro is the perfect location to bring that special someone. The menu features classic French fare such as steak frites, bouillabaisse and duck confit. Be sure to come on an empty stomach because you’ll definitely want to try a little bit of everything!
View this Smart ListDiscerning diners have claimed the Moules Marinières served at this Fraserhood bistro are the best in the city. It’s not a tough argument to make. The soup-like broth they come swimming in is good enough to slurp. Studded with mellow garlic, freshened with parsley and brightened with white wine and a hint of lemon, you’ll want to ask for a spoon. The fat mussels retain their own briny flavour and the aioli that comes with the fries is a welcome touch.
View this Smart ListA pioneer on the formerly sketchy block of Fraser and Kingsway, Les Faux Bourgeois has expanded to accommodate the legions of Vancouver diners who have been flocking here since 2008. This is no-fuss, old world French cooking: salade de gesiers, pâté de campagne duck confit, bouillabaisse. Staff are charmingly French-accented and the space itself refreshingly unfussy. Reservations are strongly recommended, or find a spot at the bar if that craving for Cassoulet on a cold January night quickly needs addressing.
View this Smart List