La Bretagne Crêperie

Prior to this visit, I have never had an authentic French crêpe before. Cafe Crêpe doesn’t count, right? According to my friend Lady Grey, who has been to Montreal before, La Bretagane Crêperie is as authentic as it gets to French crêpes in Vancouver.

I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of the exterior of the restaurant, as it was snowing/raining and I didn’t want to damage my camera. However, this place is pretty easy to locate – it’s just right off the side of Robson St on Jervis.

Inside, the restaurant is small and homey. Upon entering, we were seated immediately and given glasses of cold water. It was a cold day that day, so we requested for warm water,which our waitress graciously obliged.

We all decided to go for the savory crêpe, as it was lunch time when we got there, and no one was really in the mood for anything cold. Although the ice cream crêpe that this lady sitting across from us ordered looked enticing,I had to remind myself that there is always next time. For the savory crêpes, you have a choice between the Crêpe Froment (organic white flour) or the Galette Sarazin (organic buckwheat flour). The difference between the two is that crêpes are traditionally made with white wheat flour and filled with sweet ingredients, while galettes are made with buckwheat flour and have savory fillings.

Spinach and Salmon Crêpe with White Wine Sauce $9.75:

I got this on the buckwheat galette. The galette was presented  folded up into a square, unlike the cone shaped crepes that I am more familiar to seeing. Apparently, this is how crêpes are traditionally prepared in France. The crepe was freshly made, and was at just the right temperature to eat when it arrived in front of us. The crêpe skin was cooked perfectly, though the buckwheat took some time for me to get used to. The buckwheat gave the crêpe skin a grassy and earthy flavour, which I found really interesting. The taste of buckwheat is certainly not for everyone, so I suggest going with the white flour crêpe for those who want to play it safe. As I dug through the crêpe to reveal the salmon under the mound of spinach and sauce, I was pleasantly surprised that I was given a whole salmon fillet, and not just flakes of salmon or smoked salmon like I had expected when I ordered this. As for the sauce, I couldn’t really taste the wine. The flavour was there though – it was just very subtle. The creamy sauce went well with the spinach and salmon, but I thought there was a tad too much of it. I was a little disappointed with the spinach – I wish that it could have been more fresh, and less mushy.

Seafood and Mushrooms Crêpe with White Wine Sauce $9.95:

Although this was a “seafood’ crêpe, the only seafood that it contained was shrimp. The wine was very apparent in the shrimp that I tried.

Mushrooms, Black Forest Ham & Bechamel (Swiss Cheese extra 2.95) $8.75:

Didn’t try, but my friend enjoyed it!

Apple, Cinnamon, and Swiss Cheese (extra  $2.75 for sausages) $6.95:

I had a bite of this, and it tasted amazing! I don’t know how well the sausages went with the apple and cinnamon flavours, however, especially after syrup was drizzled on top of the crêpe.

This cozy little restaurant is a great place for catching up with friends while bonding over delicious french crêpes. Service was prompt, and the waitress also made sure that everyone’s entrees arrived at the same time (so no one has to sit and watch others eat with their stomachs growling). Aside from their sweet crêpes and savory galettes, they also have soup, sandwiches, and baked crepes on the menu. While the prices for the crêpes here are more expensive compared to places such as Cafe Crêpe, they do give you plenty of filling.

I’ll definitely be back for more the next time a craving hits!