Mistral Bistro

I sampled their weekday 3 course menu at $ 35 and it’s just OK. I had hoped much more. The best impression was the ambience. Of all the restaurants I’ve been to in Vancouver, Mistral has the most European décor and feel. Truly… the walls, table clothes, colour theme, etc. The staff was also mostly French speaking. My dish choices were:
— Smoked sockeye salmon, beets, mozzarella, sour cream — Individually everything was good, but I’m just puzzled by this combination. I wouldn’t do this at home, very messy plate.
— Grilled steak with green peppercorn sauce — OK because I haven’t had steak in a while now. But meat was overdone, and full of tendons. I left half on the plate.
— Giant coffee macaron, coffee ice cream — I liked my dessert the most, except the whipped cream. Both macaron and ice cream was good!

Came here for a birthday party. As I haven’t really done too much fine French dining in Vancouver, I can’t really compare to other places.
Parking is plentiful on the side streets.
The interior is quite dozy, with a definite European feel. While other places of this caliber can make you feel underdressed, the feel was a little more casual than a 5-​star hotel. The staff all had heavy French accents, including the chefs. Good enough for me.
As we were in a large group, many dishes were shared. The following are descriptions from the website, followed by my comments.
Clams a la Provencale — fresh clams in white wine-​butter sauce with shallots, garlic and tomato cubes, served with house French fries. — very light sauce, good balance. Clams seemed quite fresh. The vegetables added a bit of tang, which was needed. The (French?) fries were decent but could’ve been crispier?
Charcuterie (large) — Saucisson sec, chorizo, Parma prosciutto, Duck rillette, Duck Caillette, Grison Beef, and Lonzo, smoked sausage, marinated artichokes, cornichons — sounds like a lot, but the portion was curiously small. I’d recommend maybe 4 – 6 people at most for this one maximum. The artichokes were very good. The duck bits were a bit curious, but pleasant. Of course, try not to think about the fat or sodium content of these dishes.
The bread served is restaurant is actually supplied by Farbourg. These have to be some of the finest and most authentic European bread I’ve had in years. Light and fluffy, and absolutely delicious when hot.
Bourride Marseillais — clams, scallops, prawns and fresh daily fish in creamy saffron aïoli sauce, baby potatoes, carrots, pearl onions, mushrooms, snap peas. Again, don’t think about the fat. The sauce is like a slightly lighter version of mayonnaise, but you’re still going to have a heart attack. The fish came in large satisfying slices.
For wine we had a Malbec from Saint Cosme 2010. The wine wasn’t too strong and was on the dry side. Went well with the food.
Definitely one of the finer experiences I’ve had in recent memory, and would be a great place for a nice romantic dinner, with reasonable pricing. Recommended.

My fiancée and I went here for dinner on the Saturday before Valentines. Made our reservations for 6pm. When we got there we were greeted with a warm smile and a cozy atmosphere. It wasn’t too busy, so we had our choice of table. We picked one by the pillar in the middle of the restaurant.
The staff were very friendly and seemed to show up at just the right moment. The food selection was great, both of us had a hard time deciding what to order. We both ended up ordering French Onion Soup for an appetizer which was very delicious. Instead of croutons they used real slices of French bread. For my main I ordered the beef cheek stew which almost brought tears to my eyes because it was so good. My fiancée ordered a seafood platter. I’m not a fan of muscles and clams, but she is and she seemed to really enjoy it as well. We didn’t order a desert, instead opted to relax for a bit and enjoy a coffee and tea. The coffee I had was fantastic. And her tea was very good too.
The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is that about 35 minutes after arriving the place had gotten pretty busy, and the noise level from everyone talking in such a small dining space was fairly loud. I was sitting only about 3 feet away from my fiancée and I had a hard time hearing her unless she spoke up. By the end of our stay I was starting to get a head ache from all the noise. This is the only time I’ve been to this restaurant so by no means am I going to judge it negatively just because some of the patrons were talking loudly. It may have just been the crowd that night.
I would highly recommend this place. Beautiful atmosphere, great food, excellent service.

Went for Dine Out 2012. As a whole, Mistral’s menu is predictable; there is nothing fancy or innovative. However, I realized its entrees were drawn from its regular menu, so the quality of the dishes during Dine Out would be a fairly accurate indicator of its food quality outside of this period. Three of us combined tried everything on the menu. Provencal Tomato Soup was monster size! But it’s just a lot of simple, basic tomato soup. Flavour of Albacore Tuna was okay but the dish didn’t really say French to me. It’s interesting to see soy sauce and sesame seeds play a part in French cuisine.
Duck Leg Confit here was decent. It’s only lightly salted with a nice crispy skin. The Gratin Dauphinois was very good. It’s paper-​thin potatoes stacked and baked in a creamy sauce. The Grilled Steak was a bit boring to me. D ordered it medium rare, but it came out more like medium. Daube de Boeuf were super tender and moist, and had absorbed all the flavours from the red wine jus. The fresh spaghetti was only so-​so to me. It’s doughy and it’s not really giving me the al dante texture.
Giant Coffee Macaron was super good. The macaron was like the size of my face! It had this fragrant, coffee smell, and crunchy/​gooey texture that a macaron should have. Mistral Dark Chocolate Mousse was light and fluffy, yet creamy and decadent.
A very strange observation we made throughout our dinner — that they don’t seem to change the table clothes! We saw one of the servers simply wipe the table cloth with used napkins from previous diners then continued with table setting. Then, at another table we saw the same server flip the table cloth to the other side before setting the table for the next group of customers.
Pictures and more details here:

This is my go-​to place for a business dinner in Kits (make reservations!). I tend not to go there for non-​work dinners because they close the place down fairly early and it doesn’t have the casual sit and linger over wine/​coffee atmosphere. It’s well done traditional french food with a decent wine list (you definitely want to save room for dessert!). I stick to the dishes you expect to see on a French Bistro menu and have never had a bad meal there.
My only complaint is that the tables are *very* close together. I always feel that if I don’t pull my chair all the way in a server will either run into me or something might land on my head (not that that’s ever happened!).
Word of advice: MAKE RESERVATIONS (for dinner)!

Very formal atmosphere but an intimate, warm setting. I saw that they offered fresh spaghetti with scallops and I was sold. For being a French bistro, I probably should have gone with a braised/​stewed meat option, but I couldn’t help myself! Unfortunately, the dish fell a little flat, but overall the experience was memorable.

Disclaimer: This was during Dine Out Vancouver and it is rated at a scale of what I expected, compared to other places during this promotion. Let’s face it, service will be rushed, food will not be as good and your time at the table will not be as relaxed. For those reasons, I have not participated in Dine Out Vancouver for about 4 years.
Me and the wife tried this small, homey French bistro during the aforementioned event, everything was ordered from the $ 28 menu aside from the half-​litre of Bordeaux.
I started with the dungeness crab salad. It was refreshing and quite substantial, considering it was Dine Out. I’d rate it 3.5 out of 5.
My wifey decided on the Butternut squash soup. Again, large portion, but the server did not ask if we wanted fresh ground pepper and she had to ask for it. The soup could’ve been a little warmer, but again, to be expected in a rushed service. Average (³⁄₅)
Staying with my wife, her main of choice was the coq au vin and it was very hearty and the chicken was quite tender and juicy. I had to help finish it due to the size of the portions. (⁴⁄₅)
My main was the rib eye steak with homemade fries. I was honestly a bit disappointed with the dish. The steak had quite a bit gristle in it and the fries were a bit soggy. Everything on the steak outside the gristle was good however, but I can’t recommend it. (³⁄₅)
The desserts for us were the belgian waffle with ice cream and chocolate cake with mousse. Decent, but we’ve had better elsewhere. The portions were huge though and I was comatose by the end of the night. I probably would’ve chosen the Crème Brulee of the regular menu normally.
In any case, I still rate Mistral a solid (⁴⁄₅). Why? Because undoubtely, this place serves up better fare when outside of Dine Out Vancouver. Give it a shot… Dine Out is over!

I’m being VERY charitable with my 3 only because we paid $ 28 per person with Dine Out.
The décor is charming and clearly conveys the atmosphere of a bistro in France. We received a friendly greeting upon arrival and had our choice of seating. We ended up sitting along a wall on a banquette with about 15 inches between us and the next party. If you want a quiet private conversation then this is not the right place for you.
We were immediately handed menus and asked to place a drink order. It is a good thing we ordered cocktails at this point because no one ever asked us again if we wanted something to drink. The drinks came and our dinner order was taken. I would be surprised if 5 minutes elapsed before our appetizers arrived.
My husband ordered a dungeness crab salad wrapped in salmon and he said it was delicious. I ordered a fourme d’ambert tart with a green salad. The tart had a nice flavor but had obviously been sitting around for awhile because the pastry had gotten soggy in the middle.
We had no sooner put our forks down from our appetizers then the plates were cleared and our entrees arrived. We both had the coq au vin. The flavour, pasta and vegetables in the dish were outstanding
but they managed to overcook ²⁄₃ of the chicken thighs rendering them very dry and somewhat inedible. No wait staff came by to see how our meal was or even inquire why I only ate ¹⁄₃ of my entrée, they simply whisked our plates away when the forks went down. Within a minute our desserts arrived — evidently we ordered from the «bum’s rush» dining out menu because I have never had courses served to me in such rapid succession. I had a belgian waffle with ice cream and my husband had a chocolate cake with chocolate mousse, both of which were good but neither of which rocked my world.
Surprise, surprise we were presented the bill immediately and they wasted no time in processing the payment. I guess they must have booked tables based on a 1 hour schedule because there were at least 10 people waiting in the lobby. Mistral blew the opportunity to convert us to regular non-​Dine Out customers — they treated us like we were on a speed date and they didn’t put their best foot forward in the short time we had together.

We were driving down Broadway yesterday looking for a place to eat lunch. I saw the sign for the Mistral Bistro and decided we should stop there. As we were parking we had a brief discussion of what a bistro is. I define it as a restaurant that serves simple food, well prepared, in a non-​snooty environment. The food often includes braised dishes and more traditional regional offerings.
Just before noon, we walked in the door at Mistral and were asked if we had reservations. We were quickly assured that we didn’t need them. Fortunately, we were seated next to the window and had a great view of all that was happening in the restaurant. Later it became apparent why the reservation question was asked. By the time we left, the restaurant was full and the noise level went up in proportion. This is popular destination.
The menu was quite extensive. The standard menu had lots of choices including prix fix choices and ala carte options. There was a daily menu presented to us as well. After looking at the menu, we were then informed that there were additional daily specials. Lots of things to choose from and most of them sounded great. Prices are about average for restaurant of this calliper.
I don’t usually eat much for lunch, but the opportunity to try a few things was too much to pass up. I opted for the Provence set menu. This included an appetizer of black olive spread, pureed creamed cod and an anchovy and garlic dipping sauce. All 3 spreads had a fish taste to them. The celery and radishes were a nice match to these. I chose the braised lamb shoulder as my entrée. This came with green beans, pearl onions, and carrots in a wonderful wine sauce. Frites were included on the side. The dish was very good.
My wife had the warm goat cheese salad and ate this quicker than I could get my fork there. My niece opted for the Ceaser salad that looked quite nice. They then split one of the daily specials, a potato tart with Camembert and a second cheese in layers. This didn’t look like a large meal. It was deceptive. The richness made this a great compliment to the earlier salads. Quite tasty and worth a place on the menu.
My meal came with desert. I chose the crème brûlée. The fresh fruit that was served with it was very good and the dish was a treat. My wife ordered the pear tart. This was a great choice. I would recommend stopping at the Mistral for coffee and dessert if they would let you. Lots of great choices and I didn’t see anything I would turn away.
The other tables seemed to pick great looking dishes as well. The colors and presentation made the meal even more enjoyable. We had very good service even though the restaurant was crowded. It was my kind of waitstaff. Professional. They were attentive, but not trying to be your friend.
I would recommend coming here. It isn’t Le Crocodile, but at a fraction of the price, it is a great neighborhood stop.

I’ve given this place 4 stars before but all that has changed since my last visit.
It was the 3^rd week of March when I decided to celebrate my birthday at Mistral with a couple of close friends. From where I was sitting, I was able to get a wider view into the kitchen. What I witnessed brought back visions of french movies where the romantic french/​european lover had a non-​chalant attitude towards hygenie. I guess that’s great in a movie/​fantasy but not in a restaurant.
I believe it was the head chef and he was PICKING at his teeth. I really think that some people believe it’s okay to pick at your teeth in public. I’ve had one girl in a school environment talk to me while flossing her teeth and two other people on separate occasions pick/​scrape at their teeth while having a conversation with me. Granted, the latter was during lunch hour but please, take it to the loo behind closed doors.
Not only was this guy picking at his teeth, his fingers also wandered into his nostrals. This was every time I looked over. It didn’t seem like he was cooking but he was checking the finished product before it headed out of the kitchen. So he was HANDLING the food.
I’m glad that I’ve found a replacement — les faux bourgeois.

One of my fave spots in the city for great European (French) food in a warm atmosphere. Service is fantastic; food consistently good.

Perfect cozy bistro. The Prix Fix menu is a bargain @ $ 35 (in my opinion the seafood bourride alone is worth $ 30). But even if you want to order a la carte the pricing is not bad at all. Reasonable wine pricing. 2 people including wine you can walk out the door with less than $ 140. Good value, good food, owner lady v. nice.

Mistral used to be on my top three choices of restaurant when I want nice meal. But for the last couple of times we went there the quality is not as good as before. The lunch set menu still has good value. The service is great, very sincere.

Mistral seemed to be overshadowed for a long time by its «Iron Chef» neigbours (and I suppose still needs to compete with DB’s new location); but it feels a lot less trendy and pretentious, and deserves a look (and a taste!).
The room is cozy and somewhat homey; it feels more like you’ve been invited over to someone’s provincal maison for dinner, rather than some stuffy french restaurant.
Each time I’ve been there the service has been very good: attentive and prompt but not fussy. A great place for a romantic dinner for two or a celebratory dinner with friends.
The Bourride & Cassoulet shine! These are the two classic dishes that really stand out on the menu. In my mind they are so good, that the opportunity cost of ordering something else, must always be borne by someone else!
The first time I visited, was during DineOut a couple years ago. Despite the small room being packed to the gills with famished Continental Cravers, the food was delicious and the service top notch.
Unfortunately, my wife’s coat went missing (coats are stored in a sort of cloakroom zone — no room for backpacks or lunch pails)… This really put a damper on things… until my wife received a call from the maître d’ shortly after we arrived home. The coat had been located AND the maître d’ stopped by our place to drop it off shortly thereafter! Now That is ***** Service!

Every time I have gone to Mistral I have been seated quickly, given friendly service, and had great food.

I went there with friends and had dine-​out vancouver menu. The place was packed, service is a bit on the slow side. We made a mistake of not telling the hostess we were splitting the bill. instead of listening to us how to split the bill (basically print the same bill number of times, and let one person pay for wine), she spend the same amount of time telling us how the bill can’t be split.
Given that the hostess was really busy, but service definitely can be better.