Café Régalade

When Steeve Raye Pastry opened last October, we were thrilled by Steeve's incredible creations. We were devastated to hear of its imminent closure in February and only moderately mollified by news of its replacement, Café Régalade French Bistro. A few weeks ago, while we were in Whistler, the bistro opened, and ever since we've been itching to go.

Well, we finally made it to Café Régalade, for Tuesday brunch. We would have gone the day before, but they are closed on Mondays. Funny how people like to have a day off.

Waiting on a liquor licence to open for dinner, their menu focuses on brunch dishes, with regionally themed breakfasts (like the Toulouse Breakfast, above), along with sandwiches, and other items you might find in a bistro in France.

Featured prominently, and rightly so, are cheese plates, charcuterie plates, terrine and rillette plates, and combinations thereof.

duck pistachio terrine

pate campagne

rabbit terrine

A glass of wine would really go well with these.

assorted French cheeses

We were glad to see that many of Steeve's exquisite pastries and other baked goods were still available.

floating islands

Parisian flan

vanilla, chocolate and apple-cinnamon meringues

The takeout counter is still there, at least for the time being, offering a convenient station to grab a quick snack or pastry to go.

We ordered the Basque Breakfast: two eggs, piperade, and chorizo, aioli sauce on toast, with roasted potatoes and a green salad. I didn't want to stop eating this dish. The hearty piperade and chorizo alone were awesome, but the eggs and aioli completed this dish perfectly.

After almost getting the Healthy Breakfast (yes, yes, I know), we instead ordered one of the Omelettes of the Day, mushroom, which also came with potatoes and a salad. Light and airy, the well-seasoned eggs melded in flavour with the lightly-seasoned mushrooms.

Once again, we prevailed upon kind neighbours to allow us to photograph their food. Next time, we must order this amazing looking beet salad with shaved parmesan.

One of that day's specials, which we did not order, was the boeuf bourgignon.

Café Régalade is a great neighbourhood bistro, but with high enough quality to be a city-wide destination. Halfway through our meal, we were already thinking of our return visit. What might have been a disappointment for Steeve Rayé and his pastry shop has turned into a bonanza for us.