Alouette Bistro is a charming new French bistro located inside the Hotel Le Soleil in Downtown Vancouver. They are serving up classic French dishes with West Coast twists. Gorgeous light fixtures adorn the interior with a large full bar along one side and an open concept kitchen on the other. There is a lovely bird and floral motif throughout the restaurant (in a nod to their name!). This bistro is perfect for date night, a girls night out or a drink at the bar.
Alouette Bistro is open for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Happy Hour. Check out all their menus here.
Cocktails at Alouette Bistro
To begin the night we had two cocktails – Empress Club ($15.00) and Sidecar ($16.00). The Empress Club features Empress gin, raspberry syrup, ginger-lemon juice, and egg white. It is light, fun, and floral. It goes down really easy so be careful with this cocktail! The Sidecar features D’usse cognac, Cointreau, lemon, sugar. It is a classic preparation and leaned on the sweeter side.
Starters at Alouette Bistro
The starters at Alouette Bistro feature classics like French Onion Soup, Beef Tartare and Gougères. The must order starter is the Beef Tartare ($24.00). The Beef Tartare is prepared tableside and features cornichons, shallots, dijonaise, egg, pecorino and bread.
The tartare is expertly assembled tableside on a trolley. The beef is finely minced and the dijonaise did not overwhelm the dish. This is one of the best tartare’s I have eaten in Vancouver.
Additionally, we had the French Onion Soup ($15.00). Prior to dining, I read rave reviews of this soup, so I knew I had to try. The soupd is full of caramelized onions and topped with gruyere. It was extremely flavourful and decadent and worthy of all the raving reviews! It comes piping hot to the table though, so be careful with your first few sips.
Main Courses at Alouette Bistro
For our mains we had Bouillabaisse ($49.00), Duck Cassoulet ($36.00) and Lamb Rack ($49.00).
The Bouillabaisse features scallops, shrimp, mussels, clams, crab, halibut, fennel, celeriac, tomato, saffron, fresh herbs, rouille, sourdough. There was plenty of ingredient in the rich tomato broth. The perfectly seared scallops were a definite highlight for me. The dish is pretty salty for me but still very flavourful! I had a side of fresh bread to dip into this and it was fantastic.
The Lamb Rack was highly recommended by our server and it features lentils, olives, tomato, grapes, pine nuts, braised greens, lamb jus. There are three thick lambchops that were very tender and a perfect medium rare. It did not taste too gamey.
The Duck Cassoulet features confit duck, lardon, sausage, cannellini bean, carrots, celeriac, tomato, onions. My friend is a duck confit connoisseur and he rates this as one of the best he has had in Vancouver. The duck leg was tender with a crisp skin, and the cannellini beans were soft and full of flavour.
Dessert at Alouette Bistro
For dessert we had to order the Crêpes Suzette ($16.00)! This show stopping dessert is set on fire tableside! It features peach, cocoa nibs, chantilly, and brown butter ice cream. This was the perfect sweet ending to a lovely dinner!
Worth a Try?
Yes! The food here is classic, comforting and full of flavour. I love the theatrics of the beef tartare and Crêpes Suzette! I highly recommend the beef tartare as a must order dish as this is the best I have had in Vancouver. If you’re in Downtown Vancouver looking for an intimate atmosphere with solid French food, definitely check out Alouette Bistro!