Left Bank Restaurant and Bar is now open at 751 Denman Street in the location that once housed Le Parisien and previously Cafe de Paris. The revamp was more than just a room spruce up,this time around and both the menu and the interior are very different. While there will still be some of the classic French dishes on the menu, they are now influenced by international flavours and many items venture far from France.

Restaurateur John Blakely is the proprietor here; he also owns Kitsilano’s Pastis and had Le Parisien previously in this space. Many remember Blakely from his days at Diva at The Met, he is a fixture in the Vancouver restaurant scene and a epic host! In the kitchen Chef Spencer Watts is in charge and front of house is the always charming and attentive Guillaume Cagna; they make a very good team. Pictured above are Cagna and Watts and Chef Rory Higdon.

The new modern French bistro menu has lots of bar nibbles such as the tempura haricot vert (above), delightful tuna cones wrapped in soy paper (pictured above top), lamb tartar with spiced cauliflower and mint pesto, sticky pork ribs, black sesame pomme frites, and fresh oysters.

Left Bank’s dinner offerings include steamed mussels and crisp pork belly (pictured above) and mains such as duck confit and sockeye salmon (also pictured above) and of course there is the classic steak frites.

There’s now a 35 seat patio and the room is nice and bright with accents such as the red chairs, leather banquets and a variety of zones you can tuck into. Wine list is mostly French and there’s some innovative cocktails and craft beer for those who prefer.

Do leave ample room for dessert as the Raspberry & Goat Cheesecake is a must, the Coconut Panacotta a refreshingly fruity delight served with black sesame cake , kumquat and fresh mango (pictured below) and the Chocolate Marquis so decadent and just perfect with its side of green tea ice cream (below). You can also get a bit of everything in the dessert degustation if you can’t decide.

 

Left Bank along with top notch cuisine features these specials weekly:

• 30% off wine on Sunday/Monday
• $10 corkage fee on Wednesdays for #WineWednesday
• Happy hour 5pm – 6:30 pm $4 glasses of wine

Left Bank Restaurant

751 Denman Street
604-687-1418
Open Monday to Friday 5 p.m. to 12 a.m., and Saturday, Sunday, and holidays 10:30 a.m. to 12 a.m. Lunch to come soon.