Restaurant Chez Michel used to look out over a narrow strip of coarse sandy beach towards Burrard Inlet, the lush green forest canopy of Stanley Park visible in the background.
If you craned your neck, you got what North Vancouver realtors euphemistically call a peekaboo view of the Lions Gate Bridge. Now the new, much-hyped Grosvenor Building, that high-end condo and commercial real estate hybrid that is to be the future home of the North Shore’s newest Earls Kitchen and first ever Meinhardt Fine Foods, dominates the view, closing off the scenery to yield a much more urban landscape.
During my recent solo visit to Chez Michel I asked the staff what they thought of the development across the street. With the natural tact and diplomacy that is the hallmark of true restaurant industry professionals they explained that they were looking forward to having fun new neighbours. Good answer, but I suspect the truth is a little less gracious.
That said, I suppose Chez Michel is well past the stage of worrying about how a change in view will affect its success. The place is a West Vancouver institution, after all, with a loyal regular clientele. I know this because I watched with interest as owner and host Michel Segur, who has run this restaurant since 1979, worked the floor. With confidence and an easygoing comportment he approached tables to see how diners were faring. Some seemed to be on a first name basis with him and he made a point of touching every table in the room while I was there. Well, nearly every table.
For some reason this solo diner tucked into the corner of the room, the guy with the big appetite that resulted in a four-course meal accompanied by two glasses of wine, the one with the most certainly higher-than-usual average cheque, didn’t get a visit from the eponymous restaurateur.
It’s probably best not to overthink it. I was well cared for by my server and another staff member who I inferred was the manager, so in the end I was wanting for nothing. Service was ultimately efficient and warm. Nevertheless, looking around the room I did begin to wonder if perhaps I was not seen as an ideal client for this space.
After all, I showed up without a reservation, without a fellow diner, and, as an infrequent patron of the restaurant, I was unfamiliar; I get the impression Chez Michel’s core clientele has been frequenting the room regularly for years.
In any event, I was pleased with my windowside table irrespective of the recently altered view and kicked off my meal with Chez Michel’s Dungeness Crab Cocktail. The dish was comprised of greens tossed in vinaigrette set beside a circle of fresh crab meat topped with a mayo dressing.
The menu says the crab comes with light mango curry or house dressing, but I wasn’t given a choice when ordering and can only infer the dressing was the latter given its lack of discernible curry notes. I would suggest that the dish clearly set the theme for my entire meal: fresh, tasty ingredients served with lots and lots of sauce. The mayo was understated in flavour but was portioned rather too liberally, in my estimation, overwhelming the delicate crab meat and transforming it into something better suited to be set atop a crouton or two.
Next up was my favourite dish of the meal and one I was grateful to the kitchen for accommodating. One of the evening’s entrée specials was Scallops Gratinée. I had my heart set on sweetbreads for my main and so asked if I could order a half portion of the scallops as a second appetizer. The request was given swift approval and I soon found myself tucking into two large scallops served in a supremely rich and delicious sauce of cheese, leeks, and mushrooms with notes of fresh dill and white wine.
Again, the sauce surrounding the central protein was very generously portioned, but this time it was welcome, especially as I had several slices of dense, crusty baguette to mop up all the cheesy goodness. A glass of ripe, brightly acidic New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc paired nicely.
Sweetbreads, which I feel compelled to order when I see them on a menu due to my belief that meat eaters like me ought to consume all of the animal and not just the choice bits, arrived swimming in their Calvados Brandy Cream Sauce.
Three slices of apple, poached soft in the sauce, accompanied the sweetbreads and offered a welcome tangy counterpart to the very creamy dish.
Sweetbreads are a tricky ingredient and need lots of care and attention to prepare well, usually requiring a lengthy soak to remove impurities, the removal of membranes, a quick parboil and an ice bath to firm them up, then whatever method of final preparation is ultimately chosen.
There is no question that Chez Michel’s kitchen team is adept at handling the finicky protein, but for my taste the meal was simply over sauced. A delicate potato hash with nicely caramelized onions helped to mop up the Calvados cream. I paired the entrée with a glass of well-structured, ripe but restrained red Bordeaux from Chateau Argaden. I capped the meal with Michel’s Caramel Port Custard, a nicely made flan with a deep and rich golden caramel sauce. My meal was $97 before gratuity.
Restaurant Chez Michel is located at 1373 Marine Dr. in West Vancouver. chezmichelvancouver.com 604-926-4913
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. A self-described wine fanatic, he earned his sommelier diploma in 2001. Contact: hungryontheshore@gmail.com. North Shore News dining reviews are conducted anonymously and all meals are paid for by the newspaper.
