Hervé Martin, the celebrated chef and owner of The French Table bistro on Main Street, is welcoming lovers of French cuisine back to his beloved restaurant after an unexpected twist in his retirement journey. He trained in Michelin-starred restaurants in France and then went on to work in the elite kitchens of three Michelin-starred establishments in Switzerland and France. Hervé moved to Vancouver in 1985 and worked as the executive chef at the Pan Pacific Hotel. He then went on to open the famed Hermitage on Robson Street as chef/owner. For 25 years, Hermitage set the standard for French dining in the city before the building hosting the restaurant was demolished. In 2011 he opened The French Table, continuing to service classic French cuisine.
I was invited along with other media to meet with Chef Hervé Martin and sample the range of French dishes available at The French Table. We were greeted with a glass of Kir Royale, made using Crème de Casis, a liqueur collaboration between Chef Martin and The Odd Society distillery.
Chef brings cuisine from across France made authentically, with a French chef, beside himself at the restaurant. It is a warm and cozy restaurant, with a magnificent bar lined with bottles of wine from BC and around the world. The dishes we sampled:
- Duck terrine with onion marmalade, pickled gherkins, pearl onions, grainy mustard
- Marinated beet and pickled fennel salad with goat cheese, spicy maple nut crust, arugula, citrus vinaigrette
- Marinated salmon with lime juice, baby dill and extra virgin oil crème fraiche and crostini
- Garlic prawns with tomato, shallots, pastis flambé
- Escargots served with garlic butter
- Duck confit cassoulet stewed white beans, duck leg, braised pork, Toulouse sausage
- Beef Bourguignon with red wine sauce, vegetables, on noodles
- Bouillabaisse with local seasonal fish, scallops, mussels, croutons
- Moules frites, mussels, white wine, garlic, diced tomatoes, light creamy sauce, pommes frites
- Seafood Linguine with creamy lemon, roasted garlic & caper sauce
- Chocolate mousse
- Poached pears in a red wine sauce
- Lemon tart
- Chocolate profiterole
Note, there are many more offerings at The French Table including fondues. We did enjoy our dishes with a glass of Cote du Rhones red wine. The juiciness of the wine went well with many of the dishes.
All the dishes were delicious. In particular, I enjoyed the marinated salmon with dill, the cassoulet with creamy white beans, duck confit, and in-house made Toulouse sausage, the garlic prawns with Pernod, and the rich deep flavours of the Beef Bourguignon. Enjoy these photos showing samples of these dishes.
Make a booking for a delicious holiday dinner with family or friends. Reservations can be made directly by calling the restaurant at (604) 689-3237 or by visiting thefrenchtable.ca.
