Get Stuffed in Gastown

It was 8 years ago, I was new in town, working at Fraiche and I had heard amazing things about a restaurant newly opened in Gastown. This is a unique area of Vancouver with beautiful heritage buildings surrounding the cobblestone streets. A historical area that many enjoy, however, this is not my favourite area in Vancouver. Whether I like Gastown or not I go where the food takes me. This time the food took me to L’Abattoir and I was excited to check it out.

I had heard about the great food and amazing bar program and this was not wrong. I walked into a warm and inviting room and was seated on the second level. The room was warm and inviting and the atmosphere had a great energy. The walls are rustic brick and the lighting is warm and although the space is quite open it still feels warm and cozy. The staff were warm and inviting as well, knew the menu well and gave the appropriate space to the customer to enjoy their experience.

We started with cocktails, as I heard the bar program is so great. The cocktails did not disappoint; beautifully presented, well-balanced and enjoyable cocktails. This is when the server brought the bread basket over, the bread basket was an amazing assortment of fresh baked breads. The bacon bread reminded me of the ham bread from back home in Venezuela. The bread was so fantastic that we had to order more (prepare to get stuffed). When I perused the menu I wanted to order everything (no way I could do that after all the bread I just ate). I was intrigued by the ingredients used to the concept of each menu item.

We settled on two appetizers; Foie Gras Torchon and the Crab Salad. When the food arrived, I was incredibly impressed by the presentation of the Crab Salad on the textured glass plate. The Foie Gras Torchon was served with a Red Currant Marmalade and Brioche. Both were delightful appetizers; the Crab Salad was refreshing and very nice which balanced with the rich flavours of the Foie Gras Torchon quite well. The evening was going very well, the experience was very pleasant and I wished I could have eaten everything from the menu. During dinner I was already making plans to return for dinner with my entire staff.

I have returned to L’Abattoir many times since and have always enjoyed an amazing meal and experience. Today (8 years after my first visit) I went to enjoy brunch with a friend. Brunch is another great experience. We sat in the back of the lower level in a solarium type room with white brick walls, a row of tables with a booth on one side. The view from the window is of other rustic heritage buildings and has a European cafe vibe. They serve an assortment of fresh baked pastries, the server brings over a basket of these delicious looking goodies and if you like you can choose to have a pastry with your brunch which is of course what we did.

It is always nice to. see a Chef succeed, congratulations to Chef Lee Cooper and his team for his accomplishments. As always L’Abattoir has been a wonderful dining experience. I highly recommend you venture into Gastown to go and enjoy brunch, dinner or both sometime, you will not be disappointed. I am happily stuffed, THE END.