Faubourg — Restaurant in Vancouver

After weeks of buying expensive baked goods for my girlfriend, I had a quandry. What place could possibly top Thierry, which was the latest palace of pastries that I had hit. While you're marinating on the answer, I'll go ahead and say that I don't think anything really can.

Thierry was the star I didn't know I was aiming for, and I don't think I can really shoot for anything higher in terms of a place that will match their renown. I did come across a place that had a very similar vibe to Thierry, though on a more modest scale. Perhaps not as well known, most people do recognize the name "Faubourg".

Literally right across from the Art Gallery, Faubourg is a quietly decadent Café that practically mirrors Thierry in terms of its offerings of pastries, macarons, baked goods, sandwiches and drinks. They even have pre~packaged items bearing their namesake with an eerily similar scripture to Thierry's branding. Indeed, if you didn't know any better, it would be a fair assumption that these two places were linked, at least in terms of their design aesthetic.

The decor is classy, tasteful, but also minimal. It's meant to invite you in, tempt you to stay awhile, and enjoy an espresso with a Pain Au Chocolat. A Parisienne Café, if you're wistfully wishing you were in Paris right now, Faubourg will probably help fill the void.

One of the things that I found irresistibly charming was that they had used what appeared to be a multiple candle holder to showcase their tea, placing the leaves into each individual glass cup. I haven't seen a display like that before, but it definitely made me want to buy a cup of their tea.

Alas, I wasn't there for myself, I was there to purchase this week's goods for my girlfriend. It was actually quite easy to choose what I wanted because their selections, while artfully appealing, were few. I scooped up a Hojicha Green Tea, Tonka Bean Chocolate, and a Blueberry Lavender Operette.

I also bought a box of Chocolate Biscotti, which I had seen while lining up to pay. Which is probably precisely why those pre~packaged items are placed alongside you so that while you're waiting to pay, you see them staring temptingly at you, whispering for you to pick them up and inspect them until you spontaneously decide to buy them too along with whatever else you were going to pay for.

Faubourg's own website states that "Everyday, we showcase our savoir-faire and share our passion for traditional French breads, viennoiseries, pastries and macarons. At Faubourg, we wish to inspire our customers to adopt the French art de vivre and to indulge in the pleasures that fine food can bring."

As far as I can tell, they have definitely succeeded in their mission. So should you stop by? I would say a...

The selection here is really extensive for a coffee shop: sandwiches and crepes all made to order, soups, various sweet and savoury baked goods, plus coffee and tea and more drinks. Nondairy milks are available but it looks like none of the food is vegan. There are plenty of vegetarian choices though. Very hard to make a choice since everything looked delightful. I had a tomato and bocconcini sandwich, a hazelnut mousse dacquoise w/ pear compote (the pastry of the month), and a lavender Italian soda. Was going to order a crepe but the barista told me it would be 15-20 minutes when I was hoping for a quicker lunch, but maybe next time. I really liked my sandwich, anyway. I had it on the multiseed bread which was hearty and fresh. I loved biting into the balls of fresh bocconini too. Sometimes sandwiches with pesto come out too oily for me, but that was not the case here. The pastry was also fantastic! I loved the contrasting textures and richness of the hazelnut cream, and the tart, juicy chunks of pear inside were a nice little surprise when I had been expecting something more jelly-like. The soda was good too. It was hard to mix the lavender syrup in, but once it got mixed it was very floral, and they didn't use too much syrup to make the drink too sweet. They have the clean, elegant Parisian aesthetic down inside, but I most enjoy sitting on the patio which is covered and elevated away from the sidewalk level, so you can relax away from the weather and crowds. Very welcoming and thorough service from the staff member in training who took my order. Drinks are called out from the bar, but food is brought to your table when you eat in. FYI they have mugs for coffee and plates and silverware, but my cold drink came in a plastic cup. Not sure if it was just a mistake or if they just don’t make the cold drinks in glasses, but I will watch out for...

If you are hoping for some simple eggs, forget it. I was hoping to get a bit of protein for breakfast this morning but the 3 options on the menu all included Salmon. The one option that didn't had a cream sauce on it. Besides that disappointment we were overall happy with our breakfast there this morning at 10:30 AM on a Sunday. There was no line when we walked in on this rainy morning. Most of the tables were available inside. Despite this the restaurant seemed noisy and bustling. I had a cinnamon apple muffin that was slightly doughy in the middle with large slides of apples. The flavor was excellent. I wished they had offered to warm it up. My son had a chocolate croissant, which must've been excellent because he had finished it in a blink of an eye. The cappuccino was OK, not as strong as I'm accustomed to, however. Our plates were removed from the table as we were still sipping our coffees. I took it as a sign they wanted us to move on as there was now a line going out the door, however in hindsight we had stacked our empty plates out of the way when they came to remove them. The atmosphere does have a cute French vibe and the chandeliers are a nice touch. There is ample covered outdoor...