I have been to Le Crocodile a handful of times, but not since the official take over by Canadian legend Rob Feenie. He is now the Executive Chef and Partner, and to reflect this, the restaurant includes his name in its.
Their recent weekday lunch promotion has brought us in today. Tuesday through Friday from 11:30am to 2:30pm, guests can take advantage of their 50% off all bottles of Champagne special. And their sommelier team is always on hand to guide you through the selection, and help you make the best choice for the meal you order.
I visited with a friend, who has never visited Le Crocodile prior to today, so we thought to stick to the French classics. Although we did take note that they currently have a lunch prix fixe menu. Three courses for $55 per person, which includes an endive salad, steak frites, and a chocolatey dessert. The rest of the menu remains rooted in traditional French cuisine with Rob Feenie’s touches seen in the use of more seasonally driven vegetables.
Given our selection of rich appetizers and diverse mains, our sommelier choose a bottle of Champagne Charles Heidsieck for us. It was crisp with dry apple and made a good neutralizer and bridge from dish to dish. For the first course the champagne served as palate refresher and helped to cut into all the bold flavours of Caesar salad dressing, foie gras, and pesto escargots with its tiny bubble and citrusy acid.
We both love anchovies and reading it present in the Le Crocodile Caesar Salad, this was a must try. Seasonal greens, anchovy crumb, parmigiano reggiano, prosciutto crisp, and Rob Feenie’s house dressing. This was everything I want any salad to be. The perfect portion and flavourful with plenty of diverse toppings offering salty chunks, crispy bits, and a satisfying umami. In fact there were more toppings than lettuce, which you more often see the other way around. Each leaf was fully coated in dressing with plenty of everything else to hide that there was even any greens in the first place. When I return I will be ordering this one again.
The Foie Gras Terrine was just as stunning to look at as it was delicious. Topped with seasonal confiture, which was beets and radish today. The terrine was soft like mousse, easy to slice into and smear over the accompanying plate of toasted brioche, that served as a solid heartier base. The flavour so rich and satisfying. Even layering it on thick we had extra, so ordered more bread, as to not have any of it go to waste.
The Escargot de Bourgogne was another French classic. Pernod parsley garlic butter, mushroom duxelles, and Small Victory’s baguette. The brightening herbs helped to cut into the otherwise musky snail and the bread was needed to help balance out its bold seasoned oils.
Once again the champagne served as a great palate refresher as we moved into our fish course with Roasted Sablefish, yuzu butter sauce, fingerling potatoes, and seasonal vegetables. This was beautifully prepared with not one ingredient outshining another. Moist and flaky fish sitting in a light pool of butter, that also brought together the perfectly crisp vegetables.
On the heavier side was the Grilled Veal Medallions with pappardelle, and the classic Le Crocodile morel sauce. Like everything else, this was seasoned to perfection. Tender veal that was so easy to slice into, paired with evenly buttered noodles that was just light enough to carry any of the extra pooled sauce and meat juices. I did appreciate that the gravy was left on the side to give you the option of how much you wanted to let in soak in.
We were fairly full as it was, but upon hearing its description, we could not walk away without trying their Profiteroles. These were essentially mini ice cream sandwiches made using cream puffs and fragrant vanilla bean ice cream. Served with a generous amount of warm chocolate sauce in a gravy boat that you could easily pour over your dessert yourself. The pastry was harder due to the cold of the ice cream, and the chocolate only did so much to soften things out. Not too sweet or decadent, this was a fun and interactive dessert, and a great one for sharing.
And before our sweet end we were treated to a scoop of Pear Sorbet. This acted as a tart and icy palate refresher, where the natural flavour and the gritty texture of the pear comes through. This matched the champagne, unlike the chocolate and ice cream above. This was a needed bridge between savoury and sweet.
And the meal still ends in the complimentary Le Crocodile chocolate, one for each guest. However, where as it used to be thicker and shaped like a crocodile using a mould. It is now a thin brick, with their golden crocodile logo spray stencilled on top. Still a nice touch, but it doesn’t offer the same gusto as it use to.
As a whole, everything we had was done so intelligently. I have no notes or complaints. Despite finishing all our plates, the notable use of butter, and leaving full, we did not feel heavy or stuffed to discomfort. A meal so good that I would want it repeated. And with the 50% off bottles of champagne, there is another reason to visit sooner.
Le Crocodile
100 – 909 Burrard St. Vancouver BC
604-669-4298
lecrocodilerestaurant.com
