Five French bistros worth checking out

In March 2013 Veronique Rivest became the first woman to reach the podium at the World’s Best Sommelier Competition in Tokyo. She placed second.

After this, offers began to arrive from all corners of the globe. Rather than uproot herself she elected to open a wine bar and bistro in her home of Gatineau. In 2014 she launched Soif Bar a Vin.

Nine years and one pandemic later, Soif finds itself as popular as ever and with a renewed energy.

During my dinner I asked server Guillaume Larose about the spirit and energy of collegiality I felt as a customer. “We have new people who join the team, but we’re very lucky because everybody really likes each other. And they’re people who are always interested in learning,” he said.

Whether selecting the right staff is down to luck or Veronique’s and general manager Roxanne Mant’s intuition is an open question, but it undoubtedly contributes to a happy dining experience.

Another source of inspiration appears to be the acquisition of chef Erik Brooman who had last cooked at Vilains Garçon.

He has created a menu of small plates bistro fare that offers something for most diets and will win the hearts of those who love a plate of charcuterie with a glass of wine after work. More on that later.

What a concept. Take your idea of a bistro, hire an accomplished chef (Frédéric Dufort) to build a bistro menu while adding twists to the classics and do it all while offering the public substantial portions at fair prices.

Since 2013, Quebec-based Chez Lionel, has only rolled out five restaurants. I’m encouraged by this measured approach to growth as it suggests a focus on consistency and quality. It was certainly a key ingredient on the day of my visit.

In retrospect it strikes me as odd that I’ve never been inclined to seek out French dining in Ottawa. Certainly I’ve enjoyed very good bistro dishes at places such as Les Fougeres in Chelsea but unless the landscape is littered with bistros, it’s not been on my radar to compare them.

Cocotte, in the newly renovated Metcalfe Hotel, however, has my curiosity piqued. I expect I’ll be back many more times before the year is out.

The space is nicely appointed with the kind of furnishings you’d expect at a bistro and the floor is a hypnotic stunner in black, white and grey. The rooms evoke a nouvelle époque elegance with a nod to the late 70’s. At least that’s the emotional charge it carried for me.

The food is sometimes similar but what is the difference between a bistro and a brasserie?

A brasserie of course suggests that beer is brewed on site. That’s not the case with Metropolitain Brasserie, but it does meet the other standard: it remains open throughout the day. A bistro will have more selective hours.

Bistros (at least in France) will offer food with a more regional focus whereas the menus at brasseries are more expansive. That’s the case at Metropolitain Brasserie.

As it should be in a bistro, the menu is compact with dishes to suit most diets, with a focus on seafood.

A friend and I were on our way to another lunch destination in Old Hull when I noticed that Le Cellier, the respected French restaurant, was open. 

For some reason, I thought that they only opened for dinner, but in the mood for a bistro this afternoon, we quickly found a parking spot.

We found ourselves in a quietly elegant bistro setting that was both modern and evoked something a little more Quebec countryside. It was evocative of something you might find in the Eastern Townships.