Mussel your way in: Vancouver restaurants for moules-frites
This classic French/Belgian bistro staple is the perfect meal when you’re looking for a small meal packed with flavour. Whether you’re digging in alone or planning to share with the table, these restaurants all serve up delectable, briny steamers and their sidekicks you’ll be slurping back in no time.
Chambar Restaurant
568 Beatty St, Vancouver BC V6B 2L3This Crosstown favourite fuses Belgian and Moroccan cuisines to flavourful effect. They offer three types of mussels; try, though, their Congolaise. These are brought to your table in a large tin pot, and once the lid is removed, you’re hit with a fragrantly spiced broth of coconut milk, tomato, smoked chilis and lime. Fresh, plump mussels are at home in this bath and ready for popping into your mouth. Ask for incredible house bread to sop up that life-affirming sauce.
Les Faux Bourgeois Bistro
663 15th Ave E, Vancouver BC V5T 2R6Discerning 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.
BierCraft Bistro
3305 Cambie St, Vancouver BC V5Z 2W6Known for its impressive list — the menu is encyclopaedic — of Belgian beers, Cambie Village go-to Biercraft also sticks to the script with their six choices of mussels. With flavours from Thailand, Spain, France and the American South, you’re sure to find a brothy home for your juicy, fresh shellfish that you’ll both love. Note that you’ll have to order a side of fries for the full experience but these won’t disappoint. Orders are also available by the half-pound or pound.
La Brasserie
1091 Davie St, Vancouver BC V6E 1M5Staying true to their casual bistro vibe, Davie’s La Brasserie presents the classic moules-frites: sauce marinière composed of shallots, garlic, herbs and white wine. The accompanying fries are excellent — salty, crispy and perfect for dunking into leftover broth. And their stock of daily fresh baguettes will also find a home in your shell-depleted bowl. Sip one of their French or German beers for the authentic experience.
Salade de Fruits Inc
1545 7th Ave W, Vancouver BC V6J 1S1You can expect the café at the French Cultural Centre to know a thing or two about French cooking. Their mussels are no exception. Served in a massive pot with nary a closed or empty shell in sight, these are best shared as an appetizer with the table before your equally tasty main courses. Their white wine sauce is amped up with cream, which the French never shy away from, and the richness is nicely cut with their thin salty frites. A winner.
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