Pendulum Magazine

View Original

JULES BISTRO || Charming French Bistro in Historic Gastown Unveils New Table D'Hote Menu

Jules Bistro is a charming bistro tucked away in the heart of Gastown is a neighborhood gem waiting to be discovered.

Its cute tree-lined patio which makes for the ideal lunch setting. Chef Emmanuel Joinville opened this cozy bistro in 2007 when his family immigrated from Paris to Vancouver. Chef Joinville has two decades of experience running culinary establishments in France, both in his hometown of Dijon and in Paris. Jules Bistro is the embodiment of Emmanuel’s seasoned career as a French chef, where the menu serves up authentic flavors of France, West Coast style.

Inside you will find a cozy dining room a quaint bar, an open kitchen, and a cozy red-brick interior. As the evening carries on, dinner guests are treated to live piano music as they sip on tasty wines and delightful French dishes.

A beautiful chandelier is the centrepiece in the dining room

Wine glasses and other trinkets sit atop a wooden piano where guests can enjoy live music over dinner

For those visiting for lunch, the 3-course menu makes for a hearty lunch option. Start with the soup of the day, then choose from Bavette a l’echalotte or Moules marinieres as your entrée and pair the dish with salad or fries. As the perfect end note to a relaxing lunch, enjoy the Chocolate Terrine with salted caramel sauce and berries.

The dinner options provide for more hearty portions, with a warming French Onion Soup or Bistro Salad as the appetizer dish. For your main, you can select from Beef bourguignon served with buttered fingerling potatoes or the Steelhead filet with pickled shimeji, vine tomatoes, and basil salad. There are 2 classic French desserts to choose from including Vanilla Creme Brulée or a Chocolate Tart with salted caramel sauce and berries. The menu serves up both an indulgent and a lighter, refreshing option for you to choose from.

The a la carte menu also offers tasty staples that are not to be missed. The Escargots Bourguignonne with piping-hot bite-sized escargot is perfect to start your meal, as is the Salade Niçoise for those looking for a lighter option.

For your main course, the Moule Marinières is a popular dish with a bucketful of mussels for seafood lovers. Enjoy this with a generous serving of fries with ketchup and mayonnaise. If you are looking for a meat option, the Duck Confit Cassoulet served with a white beans casserole, bacon, sausage, and ham presents a duck thigh with the best fat to meat ratio. We loved how the fat was cooked in a way where it wasn’t oily or greasy and added flavour and texture to the meat. Two slices of soft bacon sit atop the duck thigh, adding another layer of delicious aromas and taste to the dish.

Escargots are the perfect small bites to start a meal

The Duck Confit has the perfect fat to meat ratio

Our waitress shared that the Moule Frites is the bistro’s signature menu item

For those who wish to dine outdoors, the bistro also has a greenery-enclosed patio where guests can enjoy while cloaked in a warm blanket. On sunny autumn days, it’s the ideal spot to enjoy the crisp autumn air and soak up some vitamin D. The Lunch set menu is $25 and the dinner set menu is $35 per person, an extremely reasonable price point to enjoy a nourishing meal at this lovely french bistro.

The next time you plan an outing to historic Gastown, book a table at Jules Bistro for a tasty lunch or an intimate dinner to enjoy the authentic French dishes on the menu.

A delightful dinner in a cozy dining room

The bistro also has a small enclosed patio lined with greenery

Visit

Jules Bistro

216 Abbott Street, Vancouver

(604) 669-0033