IN less than a year, the Ambleside stretch of Marine Drive in West Vancouver has become something of a restaurant row.
There have always been good places to eat at. Carmelo's is a mainstay, and even given its many reinventions, the restaurant currently known as Beachside Forno has always been good. Chez Michel, Handi, Thai Pudpong, Trafiq, Cindy's and the Savary Island Pie Company are all worthy of your time.
Since last December the ante has been upped. There is
no coasting allowed for old favourites. First Chef Hung Taiwanese Noodle opened, serving up hot, beefy bowls of delicious noodle soup; then Bene Sushi and its super swishy black rice rolls joined the upscale fray.
The neophyte on the block is now the very pretty and polished C.C. Violin Patisserie and Café, a cream-and-lavender confection of a shop, filled with elegant pastries and tarts, pulling frothy espresso from a Nuova Simonelli espresso machine and serving a small menu of top-notch housemade lunch items.
The new business is the creation of owner-operator Cissy Chen. After courses at the French Pastry School of Chicago, Chen continued her studies in Vancouver and began to sketch out her French patisserie dreams. She's hired pastry chef Brett McDonald - formerly of West, Cioppino's and the Wickanninnish Inn - to help her realize those dreams in butter, sugar and chocolate.
I brought a big appetite with me when I visited for lunch on a recent weekday. Although there isn't an extensive list of lunch items ($6.95-$7.25), what's here looks divine: a cheesy croque monsieur, a luscious quiche with greens, a few sandwich selections on homemade baguette and a soup of the day, in this case, Thai chicken. My own chicken and brie stacker consisted of dense, chewy baguette layered with juicy chunks of chicken breast, thick wedges of creamy brie, tomatoes, marinated peppers and a handful of peppery spring mix. So good . . .and so messy.
One complaint: As I held my dripping sandwich in one hand, unwilling to set it down in case the whole thing slid apart, the server dropped off my latté. "You can get sugar over there," she nodded toward a sugar and milk station against the wall. Hmm.
For those dining in, it would be much more convenient to have sugar on the table, or delivered with the drink. Still, once I carefully set down my sandwich, wiped my messy fingers, carried my latté to get milk and came back, I found it perfect: roasty and rich, made with beans from North Vancouver's Moja coffee roasters, and topped with foamy steamed milk.
Of course, the headliners here are the pastries, tarts, cakes and cookies ($.50-$5.75). Placed behind glass in exacting rows, they are far more than dessert, they're works of art. There's a green apple mousse cake shaped like an apple; a dark rectangle of black forest cake layered with puffs of cream and a thin wisp of chocolate; shiny fruit tarts and airy choux layered with mousse. The next case contains the croissants, pain au chocolate and brioche, and in jars beside the cash register: chocolate cookies, meringues, and oh my, are those marshmallows? (Yes, came the answer, in coconut or mango flavours). I ordered a selection to share back at home. Tarte au citron featured intensely lemony curd under beautifully toasted meringue. Pain au chocolate was buttery, flaky and ribboned with dark chocolate. My favourite, café choux, was a pretty puff filled with whipped espresso cream.
I did my best, but another visit is needed for a broader perspective. See you there. C.C. Violin Patisserie & Café is at 1564 Marine Dr., West Vancouver; 604-281-1680.
