Vancouver gets cozy

By Angela Murrills

BishOP'S

Sure, Vancouver is outdoors obsessed, but rules change when it's time to share plates with your beloved. Snuggly ambiance is just the beginning. Even more crucial in this food-centric city is what simmers behind the kitchen door.

Mistral

A week in Provence not on? Pity. Still, this saffron-walled West Side bistro will do nicely. Hide away in a corner or score a window table, while chef Jean-Yves Benoit creates southern French sunshine with his herby daubes, divine pissaladière and light take on cassoulet. Tailor-made for a naughty, lengthy lunch but just as suitable for dinner à deux. Either way, watch the garlic.

2585 West Broadway, 604-733-0046

Le Gavroche

Le Gavroche

A long-time fave for first dates and subsequent anniversaries, this two-storey Victorian house has old-fashioned charm worthy of Colette. Specify a fireside table, and expect a chateau-worthy carte plus French-inspired cuisine strong on local ingredients. Order rib-eye with two sauces (one truffled) served tableside. Then ask owner/ace sommelier Manuel Ferreira for the back-story on his Lili La Puce meringue and hazelnut dessert.

1616 Alberni Street, 604-685-3924

Bishop's

It's luxurious, intimate and discreet (as the famous know), but Bishop's hallmark is the engaging service personified by gentleman John Bishop himself. Art-filled walls and white linen hint at formality but the mood is relaxed and the cooking is an embrace of the senses. While love knows no season, the all-organic menu does. Cowichan Valley duck breast with sweet potato purée and Dungeness crab cake with pear-cranberry chutney feel just right on a chilly night.

2183 West 4th Avenue, 604-738-2025

Parkside

Parkside

Couples are quite content with any table in this warm West End room, but for casbah glamour, aim for the tent-draped private haven at the back – furnished with what saucy Brits call “bonk-ettes.” Seasonal, local and sophisticated are the bywords on Andrey Durbach's menu. Flavours are bold: prawn-crusted cod, pumpkin and Brie ravioli, venison with cèpes. Pray that his ambrosial foie gras parfait is listed, and don't saunter home without indulging in the stellar after-dinner drinks list.

1906 Haro Street, 604-683-6912

Brix Restaurant and Wine Bar

Brix

Framed by tall brick walls, Brix's courtyard – heated year-round and partially glassed over – was once a turn-around for horse-drawn carriages. Now, it's polite canoodling by candlelight and modern fare like “bundled” trout and mascarpone, or local chicken stuffed with squash and cheddar, matched with 60+ wines, all served by the glass. Cheese or chocolate fondue is intrinsically romantic, and because businesses – not condos – overlook this hideaway, you can linger all you like.

1138 Homer Street 604-915-9463

(Angela Murrills writes about travel and food, and she spends a disgraceful amount of time indulging in both.)

Getting There

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