WHITE ROCK — An aromatic blend of freshly cooked Canard a L’orange and cooling pastries whirls to the entrance of Marine Drive’s Le Vol Au Vent, as the chef pulls out the night’s offering of poultry from the oven to present to diners, mouths watering, on Sunday evening (Jan. 25).
It’s 6 p.m., and the eatery’s patronage – 20 in total – will dine (and drink and chat) until about 10 p.m. That’s just how the experience works.
Le Vol Au Vent, a quaint mom-and-pop-run restaurant that seats no more than 25, is one of 18 participating restaurants in Taste White Rock, a dine-out festival on the peninsula aimed at getting local and touring foodies eating out during what would typically be a slow season.
Taste White Rock, formerly known as Bite of the Rock, kicked off Jan. 20 and runs until Feb. 13, with restaurants in the City by the Sea offering three-course menus for $25 and $35.
Run by Parisian couple Nana and Michel Ficot, Le Vol Au Vent serves cuisine that evokes an authentically French dining experience but with none of the pomp characterized by the pays du vin.
Billed as the only authentic French restaurant south of the Fraser, the place has got taste, food and hospitality down to a T.
The Now was invited to taste this bit of White Rock, with all food paid for by Le Vol Au Vent and White Rock BIA.
Restaurant co-owner and our server for the night, Nana, whets our palates with a complimentary hors d’oeuvre chicken liver mousse spread over a baguette slice with a pressed olive on top, and pairs it with a white 2013 sancerre.
Next up is escargot, with a lesson on how to scoop up the mollusks, rub whole garlic cloves against more baguette slices and spread the snail and garlic over the slice.
Then, before the three-course meal even begins, Nana shows off a basket of wild hedgehog mushrooms that will be used in the soupe aux champignons sauvage a l’huile de truffes starter. Talk about a fresh cooked meal.
Other starters to choose from are the duck paté, a mixed green salad with profiteroles and stuffed mussels.
Then, paired with a red blend by Terrasses Chateau Pesquile from the Rhone Valley, the main courses arrive. On the menu, it would seem that the half-orange duck or the seafood vol au vent – bearing the restaurant’s name – would be the obvious choice. That is, until Nana explains that she only makes her cassoulet twice per year, and it takes three days until it’s ready to be served. It’s a white bean stew with chunks of roast lamb, chicken, beef and sausages broiled together.
Nana spares no modesty in refilling our wine glasses as we take our time to chat and eat.
For dessert, there’s no shortage of options, as sweets and pastries are set out on the counter from the entrance. There’s a fluffy cheesecake topped with raspberries and chocolate, bread pudding with whipped cream, raspberry tarts topped with chocolate and whipped cream. Me? I settle on the red wine poached pear, re-broiled and served with whipped cream and ice cream.
Three courses, two bottles of wine and four hours later, we have had quite a taste of White Rock. We may soon return to Le Vol Au Vent to try yet another combination of choices on their three-course menu, if not just for the full-bodied dining experience.
