Mia Stainsby
They took a former Mexican restaurant in downtown Chilliwack, deleted all traces of the former uglies and came up with Bravo Bistro. “It had looked like an atomic bomb went off in there,” said Damian du Plessis, one of the owners.
Now, why would I make a mind-numbing drive out to Chilliwack to review a restaurant? Well, it helps that some friends moved out that way a year ago. (What have we here? A Chilliwack trend?) It also helps that the guys behind Bravo Bis tro are city slickers from Delilah’s restaurant — first in that magnificently campy Haro Street location, then at its encore presentation on Comox Street Du Plessis was manager and partner. Louie De Jaeger was bartender at Delilah’s.
Come to think of it, Bravo reminds me of the handsome Parkside restaurant, which now is in the old Delilah’s location.
At Bravo, De Jaeger’s still shaking martinis, using his own infused vodkas. He’s put in a roof-top garden, with the help of Brian Minter (of Minter Gardens) which is yielding herbs like pear mint, and garnishes from the miniature crabapple tree. For aesthetics, they called upon friend Wade King, who’s done the interiors at several of Umberto Menghi restaurants as well as the chain of Take Five coffee shops in town.
The place could be air-lifted into Yaletown and trendy lofters would slip into it like a Tom Ford jacket. The sandstone-hued walls have 25 layers of colours, the black wainscotting shows traces of antique brown beneath and edges have been smoothed, the ceiling is like suede and the mosaic tiles don’t feel tile-y at all — they’re hand-painted onto concrete. A section of the fresco ceiling at the first Delilah’s was rescued and is behind the bar — their good luck charm.
They apparently don’t need it. Chilliwack has responded enthusiastically, even to the campy events, like the New Year’s Eve dinner with two of the hottest drag queens from Vancouver entertaining.
Of course, they wouldn’t get far without decent food and what they offer is good value. The cooking is not haute; it’s more bistro fare. Every dish on the menu, including beef tenderloin with stilton butter and potato gratin, is under $20, except for the rack of lamb which at $26 limbos pretty low.
I loved the appetizers I tried — three-cheese souffle with port and fig chutney was lovely as was the crab and mascarpone agnollotti. Both had nicely controlled flavours. I wasn’t quite as enthralled with the entrees I tried. The double-cut macadamia pork chop with apple cream was generous to a fault — it must have been two inches thick, sliced off a roast and it was dramatic and tasty but the apple cream sauce and macadamia crust didn’t play off it strongly enough. The bouillabaise — good, but not remarkable. The broth needed a little more intensity.
The vanilla bean creme brulee, perfectly cooked, was a lovely ending.
The menu also features taster plates of appetizers for one or two people as well as braised bison short ribs with port demi-glace; thin crust pizza; lamb osso buco with roast veggies; herb-roasted half chicken with sundried cranberry stuffing, and some pastas and risotto. They have a kitchen manager trained at Earl’s but the menu is guided by du Plessis and De Jaeger.
If you live in the city and need more than one reason to visit, Chilliwack, du Plessis insists, is a great place to visit. “I used to think Stanley Park was a nice refuge,” he says. “Now it doesn’t seem like wilderness. Chilliwack’s totally under-rated. And it’s golf heaven out here. There’s kayaking and river rafting, there’s a heron reserve on the Vedder River, there are fishing lodges and Minter Gardens isn’t far away.”
There you go. Some reasons to get on the Highway 1 and drive.
Ambiance ****1/2 Food ***1/2 Service **** Overall ***1/2
Restaurant visits are conducted anonymously and interviews are done by phone. Restaurants are rated out of five stars. (mstainsby@png.canwest.com)
46224 Yale Rd., Chilliwack. 1-604-792-7721. Open Wednesday to Saturday for dinner at 5 pm. Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays can be reserved for private functions.