One of the worst things you can do to a restaurant is enact change just for the sake of it. Sometimes, as tempting as it may be to put one’s stamp on every element, it’s best to recognize what’s working and to leave those things well enough alone.
That’s what Yianni Kerasiotis and Petro Kerasiotis have done with Les Faux Bourgeois, an 18-year-old French-style bistro in Vancouver’s burgeoning Fraserhood. The brothers, who run a hospitality group called Gaia House that is known for having some of the city’s buzziest haunts, knew that when they bought Les Faux from its founder and reopened it after a brief hiatus this past July, their job wasn’t so much to whip it into shape as it was to preserve and polish what was already going well.
That meant, for starters, the room. The cozy corner space feels lived-in but far from ramshackle, with white honeycomb tiling, warm wooden accents and gamay-hued leather barstools. Wall-mounted chalkboards still list the day’s specials; wine bottles still line the shelves. It surely would have been tempting to redesign the place from top to bottom, to make it feel more modern or new. But that would have meant erasing an existing aesthetic that still works perfectly for the restaurant’s ethos: unpretentious, homey and full of life. A vibe that says, truly, come as you are.
Of course, some upgrades were necessary — many of them invisible to the guest. The kitchen, for example, underwent a complete revamping and is now outfitted with new equipment. That was an important one, giving the restaurant’s new chefs, David Cassese (Sat Bains, Joe Beef) and Brent Thornton (Is That French), the kind of workspace worthy of their skill.
PHOTOS by Juno Kim.
“The food speaks for itself,” says general manager Georgio Yacoub, whose welcoming presence blankets the restaurant in a distinct sense of warmth. And he’s right. The menu has stayed true to its Parisian-bistro roots, but dishes now feel elevated and refined. Fresh oysters are served with house-made rhubarb hot sauce — a perfect mix of heat and acid. Scallops, on special, are brought to the next level with a sprinkling of steak spice and a bed of confit tomatoes. Beef tartare is mixed with creamy tartare sauce and dusted with grated mimolette, ready to be scooped up with impossibly thin potato chips. Other potatoes become transcendent in the off-menu Heston Fries (if you know, you know), which are triple-cooked so they’re extra crispy on the outside but light as air on the inside. Duck breast is cooked to tender perfection, accompanied by marinated cipollini onions and rich bordelaise sauce.
Wines range from classic vintages to new-age creations, including bottles from Richmond-based natural winery Flower Day Wine and Gaia House’s own collaboration with the Okanagan’s Rigour & Whimsy. So, if you find yourself in Fraserhood picking up on a mouthwatering aroma, follow the scent to Les Faux Bourgeois and indulge in all it has to offer.
FEATURE PHOTO BY JUNO KIM.
