L'Abattoir

Okay the bread here is SO good! My favourite was the Anchovy Parmesan Twists. If they were on the menu for purchase I would definitely bring some home with me.

Had the sweetbreads for our appetizers and they were delicious, but the star of the meal was of course the entrée...DUCK! Do you see the colour in this photo?! Cooked to literal perfection! So soft and tender with a nice crispy skin. Literally everything on this plate was 10/10 including the pieces of kale. Like HOW DOES ONE MAKE KALE TASTE DELICIOUS? Idk l'abattoir, you tell me.

FYI I also took a bite of the Steak Diane which was equally as amazing with a soft tender texture and flavours bursting in the mouth!! I'm just not partial to steak so chose the duck but you can't go wrong with either!

Excellent service here! Staff were very knowledgeable about the menu & friendly in house sommelier was wonderful. Food was fantastic! Loved the vibe. Definitely felt like a treat

You know those nights you're feeling fancy enough to stroll into an upscale restaurant and be like- yahhh just dessert tonight.. this was one of those nights and after stuffing ourselves and taking a short walk we decided to indulge in some decadence.. and decadence we found.

We were seated at a table in the back of the restaurant right away and awed at the artistic ceiling with wood branches decorating a sky lit glass roof. The industries brick wall added to the effect along with the intimate candle light.

As we salivated over the dessert menu, the couple next to us received their appetizers and then entrees, and we found ourselves wistful that we were in fact full..already blowing our diets..but oh so wanting to follow our genetic hobbit tendencies and follow dinner with supper.

There were several options on their dessert menu that were gluten free and I did not deny myself. I had the chocolate mousse cake which came with gold flakes and im like.. finally someone gets me and is treating me like the princess I am. The husband.. after rolling his eyes at me.. dug into his passion fruit ganache with the most delish banana and dark chocolate toppings.

We easily could have started from scratch right there and ordered apps and began a whole nother three course meal; but we decided to be adults and demonstrate some self control. The prices are definitely on the higher end.. and I wouldn't say the portions are all that generous.. but quality, presentation, and clever flavor profiles were on point.

Well goodness me - wasn't this a lucky find and all I can say is I wish they had been open on a Monday !
After a fab dinner ( at Miku) was looking for a spot for a dessert and low and behold a table was right there in the bar available ! Look at the dessert - and yes folks it tastes like the perfection it looks - PLUS the staff here are SO FRIENDLY and spot on just chatty and accommodating - wish we could have dinner here another
time ( another trip perhaps ) because this place is probs the #1 not to be missed ( albeit a strange name )

Had a private event in their separate facility and everything that was served was superb. I'm not sure the dishes we were served were on the main menu, but I would be surprised if those are not as tastey as what we were offered.

Can you say AMAZING bread? Holy, the bread at L'Abbatoir is off the charts good! I could eat it forever (sorry to my celiac friends)

But it doesn't stop there, with great cocktails, the best steak I've had in a really long time, oysters - yum! Everything was really good, but the bread is to die for!

The food was amazing, especially the house baked breads. Love the the oyster can't resist anything with truffle in it. The Entrée halibut was cooked beautifully however the acidity from the source and the garnish kind of serves the same purpose so I would prefer a bit more savory element perhaps more pancetta. The dessert was perfectly balanced which is hard to do on a chocolate dish, don't miss the rice cake.
Overall a wonderful night spent.

L'Abattoir is French for slaughterhouse. Visions of offal danced in my head. Sweetbreads in tutu's on parade? I missed the Powerball by only 6 numbers but my offal fantasy was on the cusp of being realized. Then I thought maybe the slaughterhouse concept was the first thing that came to mind when you were presented with the bill. Well, it was no to both. (Okay, Sweetbreads did show up twice on the menu).

This is a brick and mortar spot that really is a brick and mortar building and not just a metaphor.

Enter a small vestibule and either go up to a dining room or go down through a long hall with wine storage cleverly embedded in the wall and dead end at a T with a row of two tops.

The Staff: Knowledgeable about the menu both liquid and chewable. While they are casual they are serious about what they're doing and with/for whom. My server was so nice she was willing to unstick my zipper. Not a Weinstein sick ploy...it was my Down Jacket when a fat feather made its escape and jammed the works.

The Vibe: Hip as the low volume ip op as the French would say. WHo's in the house? White collars, fancy food hallers, biz ballers and out of towners who did their homework.

The Bar Program: It has everything. A truly lovely wine list of eclectic, interesting options you're not going to find at Tim Horton's. Drafts, Ciders and Signature Cocktails as complicated as Ikea instructions.

"Tried and true" I said. "Oh, we don't make that, but I'll ask the bar tender." "I meant a Whiskey Sour" "I got it and you re'gonna get it." Even with egg whites which should be reserved for a wussy omelet this was dandy liquid candy.

The Food: Not really French but really au courant. The menu is small and tight and there are no weak links. Be prepared to expect the unexpected.

A bottomless bread basket shows up in a hurry. Anchovy Twist (a 60's dance craze?), Bacon Brioche (gauche to ask for an extra basket?), and Everything Crackers that meant everything to me.

The Endive au Gratin had me thinking a cute little cast iron pan after time on a tanning bed in the Salamander. Nope. The Endive leaves were filled with a brunoise of tart Apple prepared by someone with knife skills learned in a surgical suite and not an abattoir. A strip of Pork Jowl straddled that and a racing stripe of melted Gruyere topped it off. Think Rene Redzepi goes to Chamonix.

The baked Pacific Oysters with whipped Garlic Butter masquerading as Hollandaise and Black Truffle specks dotting the peaks came out next. Five meaty beasts to an order, so if you're a duo, its Rocks, Paper Scissors for the last one. Talk about a creamy dream. These were hopelessly delicious.

The Scallops with Guanciale and White Beans was way more than the description suggested. (Think prefect blind date). Scallops seared off just right, still slightly briny tender and moist. Each bivalve mollusk wearing it's own neckless of shaved Fennel, with Tempura Sunchokes, and Pea Shoots. Something The Little Mermaid and Aquaman would enjoy on their third date. The heat either came from their mutual attraction or the ground White Pepper in the White Bean mash.

The Steak Diane was not flambeed tableside. Cooked in the kitchen it came draped with Salsify, sprinkled with Peppercorns, and settled in a pool of Bordelaise Sauce. Totally deconstructed and broken down like the Tabloids dissed Di. Both that Di and this Diane are worthy of glowing praise.

My happy ending was the Chocolate Marjolaine with Passion Fruit Gelee, Coffee Cream, Chocolate Ganache, and a lattice Almond Crisp. This might be the (underlined) dessert for 2018. A glass of fortified Tissot Pinot finished me off with joy. It was as sweet and soft as a new puppy.

Well, there you ah at L'Abattoir, slaughtering the competition.

Excellent dinner at this wonderful Gastown restaurant. Everything was great especially the heirloom tomato tart and the Tandoori style sablefish. Thanks L'Abattoir!

Great Experience, very nice staff. Food was really delicious. 100% recommends. The ambiance was good also.