Found a piece of France that was more French than the restaurants I ate at in Paris. The dinner we had at Cafe Salade de Fruits is what good back-to-basics French cuisine is all about.
Cafe Salade de Fruits is tucked away on the side of Granville and West 7th in the French Cultural Centre. The restaurant spills into the front lobby area so passerbys who are heading into the Centre gets to have a peek at what you’re eating. It’s quite the quirky space with decor that looks like it should belong to a festive cabana and not of a French bistro. But it was still comfortable, fun, and relaxing.
The staff speaks French so it brings a touch of authenticity to the place…and made me feel guilty for not being fluent in our country’s second language. But that was ok since our French waiter was cute and charming, and whatever he said in his cute French accent was…cute. If he was trying to sell me socks, I would have bought it on the spot.
In our poor French we managed to make out what some of the dishes were, of course with much help from our waiter. We started off with a simple mixed green salad topped with generous servings of feta, a papadum, and in a light balsamic dressing.
Our main dishes were simple, no fuss at all, with subtle flavours. The portions were plentiful at amazing prizes. My companion ordered this amazing duck confit (2 legs) with steamed vegetables and buttery mashed potatoes…all for only $17.99. The meat just fell off the bones and was incredibly tender.
I ordered the ‘Poisson du Jour’ which was Vietnamese cod in a light lemon sauce also served with steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes. The fish was light and flaky and melted in your mouth. The heavenly dish was only $16.99
This little cafe shows that you don’t need to go to a fine dining establishment and pay fine dining prices to experience excellent French cuisine. I absolutely fell in love with this place and would come back again to try out my high school French….or at least just listen to it all night long.
Side Note: they only accept cash. And closes Sunday and Monday.
Cafe Salade Fruits
1551 W 7th Ave
