Chef Emanuel Joinville’s food would make the French proud — it’s straight-ahead bistro fare, cooked to perfection
Mia Stainsby
Sun
Stephan Gagnon, co-owner of Jules Bistro in Gastown holds an order of Moules Frites, steamed mussels in white wine with garlic and parsley, with french fries. Photograph by : Stuart Davis, Vancouver Sun
At Jules Bistro, I ate like a Labrador retriever (noted for lacking a stop-eating switch) and consumed way too many perfectly cooked frites. After a couple of dinners there I developed France fever.
Too many meals at Jules and I could find myself horribly fat, in France.
It was serendipitous in that I just did not expect Jules to be quite so perfectly charming. It’s in the historic Dominion Hotel and a light reno has transformed the room into a convincing slice of Paris. Mosaic tiles, black lacquer contrast, crystal chandeliers to lighten the black, a brick feature wall, white marble-topped bar and wait staff in black with heavy French accents. They hadn’t been open long before it got busier than they’d hoped while getting to their feet.
The other surprise is who’s in the kitchen. French chef/co-owner Emanuel Joinville is no stranger to this city. After running a couple of restaurants, one in Paris and another in Dijon, he came to Vancouver and opened up Soupspoons, which soon grew to five.
He sold and opened Jules with friend Stephan Gagnon, a contractor who recently worked on Gastropod and Fuel in Kitsilano. Gagnon is charged with front-of-the-house good will. (Although it’s more a sideways situation, with the open kitchen situated at the entryway beside the dining area.)
Joinville’s food would make the French proud. It’s straight-ahead bistro fare that the French have refined to perfect pitch over generations, like jambon persille (ham and parsley mould), steak frites, cassoulet, and beef Bourguignon. It feels as authentic as La Regalade but the fare isn’t quite as rustic or massively portioned.
Prices intend to seduce you senseless. Appetizers are $5 to $14; entrees are $12 to $21.
I do not die and go to heaven over foie gras, nor do I like the way the birds are force-fed to produce overblown livers, but I succumbed to the temptation of duck foie gras in ice wine with a beet chutney. I thought I’d eat a little but ate a lot! I love the poached quail eggs in red wine sauce with mushrooms, bacon and pearl onions.
If you love steak frites, you can order a three-course deal at $21 (salad, steak frites, creme caramel) or order a la carte at $15 or $21, depending on whether you want the 8-ounce or 12-ounce steak. It’s lovely, juicy, tender triple-A rib-eye meat and comes with those perfect frites that demand your undivided attention.
The cassoulet with duck confit, Toulouse sausage and double-smoked back bacon was a strapping meal, which, okay, I couldn’t finish. Salmon, slow-cooked, was succulently moist and more fine dining than bistro. The beef Bourguignon really disappointed me. I usually love it for its intensity and depth but Joinville serves it with linguine and in effect, becomes a sauce for the pasta.
For dessert, I’d urge you to try the creme brulee, velvety and rich; the “melting chocolate cake” was exactly that, a warm, moist, melt-in-mouth cake. The profiteroles didn’t make the cut … the pastry should yield to a fork but neither the choux pastry nor ice cream inside gave in easily and the chocolate sauce was like milk chocolate.
The small wine list features budget wines appropriate for a bistro and include B.C. and French; most are available by the glass.
The other serendipity in all this is Joinville’s sous chef Sean (whose last name Joinville didn’t know). He has worked at the three-Michelin star Michel Bras hotel restaurant in France.
“He knocked at the door just when we opened and now we are both so excited talking about food,” says Joinville.
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JULES BISTRO
Overall: 4
Food: 4
Ambience: 4
Service 3 1/2
Price: $$
216 Abbott St., 604-669-0033. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. www.julesbistro.ca.
Restaurant visits are conducted anonymously and interviews are done by phone. Restaurants are rated out of five stars.
© The Vancouver Sun 2007
