bistro Archives - Macarons and Mischief

For my third dine out adventure, thewalkntalk and I went to a French restaurant called Le Parisien in West End. They had a $28 dinner menu for a $38 dinner menu; and we both opted for the $28 option.

We started with warm bread and butter. The bread was delicious, soft and on the hot side; with a bit of crunch in the crust.

For appetizer, I had the crispy calamari.

Crispy Calamari, Oven Dried Tomatoes, Saffron Aioli

The calamari was fried well as it wasn’t greasy or oily, it was crispy too! But the flavouring of the fried layer took over the taste of the calamari. The aioli that came with it was full of flavour which I enjoyed smothering the vegetables and calamari in.

If you follow me on instagram, you might have happened to see a snapshot of my delicious main course; the duck confit!

Duck Confit, Pomme Puree, Haricots Vert, Prune and Armagnac Jus

I usually only have my duck in Asian restaurants, so having it cooked French style was a new experience and it was definitely a memory for my tastebuds. The duck was very moist, tender, and juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside. The mashed potatoes were at the perfect level of buttery creaminess, and the jus complemented everything in the dish.

Lastly, for dessert I had the Lemon Tart.

Lemon Tart, Burnt Meringue, Raspberry Coulis

I hope you don’t mind me posting two pictures of my dessert in different lighting! I just love positioning food and dessert photography. When my plate arrived, first thing I dug my fork into, the crust! The crust didn’t break apart easily, and it wasn’t overly buttery. Love a good crust! The lemon tart wasn’t too sour nor too sweet and I had fun dipping it in the burnt meringue.

The food came quickly and we finished dinner within an hour. I was glad I didn’t have to wait much between courses because I was hungry! The portions of the meal were perfect and I was very satisfied after dinner was over.

I have to add, the service was amazing there. When we arrived, we were greeted by a flurry of friendly French accents and warm smiles. They periodically checked our water was always filled and they came by several times to ask if we enjoyed our meal. This menu was well worth my $28 and I paid 15% tax because I was so pleased with this dine out experience. I hope to try some of their future dishes soon!

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One of my many favourite American styled meals to eat in Richmond is L.A. Grill and Bistro. It’s located on No.2 and Blundell, which could be far for a few, but luckily it’s a 5 minute drive or a 15-20 minute walk for me. I had a family lunch here on Saturday with my mom and brother and we thorougly enjoyed our meal. Too bad we went on a Saturday, because on weekdays, there are lunch specials with extremely good prices. However, due to my work schedule, I don’t have much time to come here on a weekday. 🙁

This is the weekday special; buy a drink and get an entree for $5.95:

Photo 2012-08-04 12 34 30 PM — Lunch specials

Despite the fact that I could’ve paid cheaper for a plate of Chicken Souvlaki, my mom insisted on getting this and I ended up sharing it with her. The regular price is $11.95.This plate comes with chicken skewer with caesar salad, potatoes, pita bread & tzatziki.

Photo 2012-08-04 12 19 38 PM — Chicken souvlaki

The caesar salad was delicious- maybe because I haven’t had any for so long. The sauce was creamy and flavourful, and the lettuce was fresh! The potatoes were seasoned nicely as well. The pita bread was fluffy, but I gave most of it to my mom. I really like rice pilaf- creamy, western rice- it’s so rare I eat this and I loved every morsel. The chicken was moist, but I wish there was more than one skewer. I wasn’t a fan of tzatziki though, since I don’t like yogurt. I preferred eating the chicken as is, which was fine with me!

My brother ordered the Cajun Chicken -which is fresh chicken breast, blackened with cajun spices – and it also comes with rice pilaf, green salad, roasted potatoes, and garlic bread. This plate is also $11.95.

Photo 2012-08-04 12 19 28 PM — Cajun chicken

Again, a bit small on the meat portion, but my brother liked it! I tried a bit of the chicken and I love the cajun, even more than the souvlaki. I had to stay away from spicy food though, since I got some allergic reaction on my lips couple days ago and spicy food made them burn.

For the weekday specials where you have to buy a beverage; I recommend the iced tea. It tastes a lot better than Nestea or other sugary conventional lemon tea drinks. It’s refreshing and there’s a certain flavour to it that made it different. I forgot the price for it, I think $2-$3?

The servers are very friendly and I like the way the place is set up. I enjoy the casual atmosphere and the dishes they serve. Sort of like White Spot, but more lighting! have been here several times, and I will definitely be back for more times. I want to try everything on the lunch special menu!

Dine Out Vancouver 2013: Le Parisien

Chicken goodness at L.A. Grill and Bistro

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