PAUL Bakery is a French bakery that has its roots back to the 1800s in France. They opened their first Canadian location in 2021 and has been a popular cafe staple on Robson Street. At Paul, the pastries and breads are all made fresh in-house by French-trained chefs. In addition to an alluring front cafe section, they have a gorgeous dining space towards the back of the cafe for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. I came by earlier this week to try their Christmas menu. The PAUL Bakery Christmas menu features 3 courses with additional add-on options. Check out my full review below.
PAUL Bakery Christmas Menu 3 Course Prix Fixe – Starters
The Christmas menu is a three course set menu with your choice of salad, main course and dessert. Each option includes a complimentary serving of Paul Brioche bread with truffle whipped butter, featuring their unique blend of herbs and flaky salt.
For our dinner we went with:
- Kale & Braised Radicchio
- Smoked Salmon & Arugula
- French Onion Soup
The Kale & Braised Radicchio salad features braised radicchio, kale, shaved Granny Smith apple, feta cheese, hazelnuts, farro, and a zesty French herb vinaigrette. This was a well balanced salad with great textural contrast from the hazelnuts. The vinaigrette was really fresh and went well with the hearty greens.
The Smoked Salmon & Arugula salad features smoked salmon, arugula, romaine lettuce topped with roasted pumpkin seeds, Parmesan cheese, avocado crema and ranch dressing. There was lots of smoked salmon and the avocado crema was very rich.
I can never resist a French Onion Soup and this one was full of delicious caramelized onions and thyme. The cheese adds a nice touch to the indulgent soup.
PAUL Bakery Christmas Menu 3 Course Prix Fixe – Entrees and Desserts
- Arctic Char
- Rib Eye
- Noel Delight
- Eggnog Creme Brulee
For our mains we went with Arctic Char which features grilled 6oz local Arctic Char, served with onion soubise, prawn oil, prawn mousse tortellini. Its finished with a flavorful sauce vierge. The fish was moist and flakey, but I didn’t really taste much prawn flavours. The portion size was very generous.
The Rib Eye features a 12oz Ribeye Steak, grainy seed mustard, garlic potato purée, roasted parsnips and baby carrots cooked in beurre noisette, beet purée, and confit gem tomatoes in sage oil. Topped with a rich foie gras jus. This was extremely rich and a perfect holiday main. The Rib Eye was so tender and a perfect medium rare (as requested). The foie gras jus was so decadent, however it didn’t overwhelm the dish. Unfortunately, the plating did leave a lot to be desired. It was quite haphazard with all the different sauces leaking everywhere.
We were so full by this point, but we couldn’t resist at least trying the dessert. The Noel Delight features hazelnut paste, milk chocolate, dark chocolate passion fruit puree, cacao powder. This was incredible! The dessert was light and creamy with a really flavourful hazelnut taste. The dark chocolate passion fruit puree is slightly tart and balances out the sweetness of the dish. This is a must order!
The Eggnog Creme Brulee features eggnog, cinnamon tuile and maple syrup. The custard was smooth and creamy but I found the top to be lacking the true caramel crust that shatters when you hit it.
Worth a Try?
It’s a good choice for a Christmas menu dinner in Downton Vancouver. The portion sizes are very generous and you will definitely leave extremely full. Some of the dishes need a bit of refinement, but overall the experience was good and the dishes were tasty. The cafe itself is beautifully set for the holidays and I lovethe enormous Christmas tree that is the centerpiece of the entire cafe. PAUL Bakery is a great spot on Robson for coffee and desserts with friends or a filling holiday dinner. Definitely give this spot a try the next time you’re on Robson Street!
Paul Bakery, Café and Restaurant
Address: 1164 Robson St, Vancouver, BC V6E 1B2
Website: https://www.paul-bc.com
