Au Petit Chavignol

I truly liked the fondue but there is little else to eat here. There are many other decent options in the area.

…Closed. Really ?!
huh.

Sadly, Au Petit Chavignol is now closed. I will miss the delicious cheeseburgers!
Be sure to visit Les Amis du FROMAGE next door. Fantastic cheese shop, with a selection you won’t believe.

We came here for lunch after shopping at Les Amis Du Fromage next door… such a delicious meal and we couldn’t stop savouring every last bite. Cheese coma!
My BF’s brother loves to cook and his signature dish is fresh pizza from scratch. We stopped by the new location of Les Amis Du Fromage and couldn’t resist poking our heads into Au Petit Chavignol. Once we saw the menu, we knew we had to have lunch.
BF’s Bro ordered Mr. Crunch — a sandwich with crispy toasted ham and melted Gruyère cheese; his GF ordered the goat cheese ravioli; I ordered the 3 cheese Grilled Cheese with tomato soup. I’m a vegetarian, so I didn’t try Mr. Crunch, but they said it was delicious. And the ravioli was creamy, but fairly boring. I would have enjoyed some rosemary or garlic in with the goat cheese. The Grilled Cheese ended up being our favourite. The 3 cheeses were smoked applewood cheddar, havarti, and brie. The smokey flavour of the cheddar made it perfect and the creamy combination of havarti and brie was melt-​in-​your-​mouth to die for. The tomato soup was a perfect pairing, it was gentle and creamy with a hint of rosemary and a dash of olive oil on top.
WHEN (not if) we go back, I want to try the 4 cheese macaroni (3 yr old white cheddar, orange cheddar, Gruyère, Gorgonzola) or the Poutine (Whiskey-​peppercorn gravy!).

Lovely lunch of tomato soup and grilled cheese. Would loved to have done the cheese sampler. Nice vibe. The cheese shop next door was also fun to wander through! Their online profiles haven’t changed yet, but they’re closed for lunch Mondays and Tuesdays.

I had a great time here — and intimate space, great service, knowledgable staff and delicious food.
We got a selection of 3 cheeses, the classic mac and cheese, the pecorino and arugula salad and the antipasto platter. The mac and cheese was a little heavy (even for a mac and cheese), and although the salad was good it was a little boring.
I would definitely still go back for the cheese plate with condiments and the antipasto platter and a good wine pairing.

My previous review was all about dinner. We need to talk about brunch. I’m quite the fan of brunch here and there has been a few weekends where we’ve ventured to have some brunch on both Saturday and Sunday. It is hard to resist. They have a great brunch menu.
I usually tend to stick with what I like and for me at Au Petit Chavignoal that is an earl grey tea along with either the Eggs Benny — Traditional or Eggs — The Standard.
if you’re ever looking for a new brunch spot give them a try. Don’t forget you can always order the little warm cookies at the end of your meal also. A nice little snack for sharing.

This restaurant was a surprise find! I was driving to East Van and stumbled upon this gem on East Hastings. I’m definitely glad I tried it out!
The burger I had was cooked perfectly and the condiments available, though expensive, were varied and all-​so-​delicious. We had a great time soaking in the envrionment!

I’ve been meaning to go here for ages and it did not disappoint. They have a great selection of cheese of course, but they also had an array of other foods that looked delicious. I went with a tiered selection of cheeses and cured meats and washed it down with a surprisingly nice BC Sauvignon Blanc.
This area is going to be the next trendy place to live in Vancouver once the condos begin to get built in the immediate vicinity. Once that happens you will wish you had been here before it was so hard to get a table.

I really wanted to like this place…
Turned out to be overpriced, tough very tasty. The atmosphere just isn’t there.
I planned ahead and made a reservation for a Saturday night thinking it was going to be busy… turned out we were the only couple there at 9PM on a Saturday. The location is really not great. In the end, it’s just not worth it. We left disappointed.

Having been born and bred in England over 26 years, you’d probably assume that by now I’d have a perfect grasp of the English language. You’d be wrong. Being from oop North, I speak a garbled English that is almost impossible to understand for virgin ears. By now, I am more than accustomed to the old smile and nod routine. I’ll say something to somebody, or even ask them a question, and they’ll pretend they’ve understood me while smiling and nodding. It’s true to say that my English is terrible. But it’s even truer to say that my French is worse.
Thus we come to a conundrum: how the heckington am I expected to order a meal in a restaurant where everything on the menu is in English or French? Okay, it’s easy to say the word «cheddar» but nobody goes to a specialty cheese restaurant to order cheddar, do they?! No, you go for those rare, special cheeses, the «brebis doux» or «riopelle de l’isle».
I don’t even know what those words mean, let alone how they’re pronouched. But thankfully the menu at Au Petit Chavignol is helpful in pointing out the taste and textures of each of its cheeses, so you know more or less what you’re getting. If you’re a cheese snob, this is the place to be.
Sadly, there’s no phonetic menu for those of us that are hard of French, so the only embarrassing means of ordering your cheese is to either point at the menu saying «that one» or by attempting to speak a little French, whereupon you’ll no doubt accidentally tell the waitress that you think she’s a dirty whore that smells of brie.
Thankfully I was going for brunch, and I opted for the rather easy to pronounce Croque Monsieur (crock mons-​yerrr). Imagine my horror then, when my meal arrived and they’d only brought me a Croque Madame. It’s an easy mistake to make. Monsieur, Madame, Monsieur, Madame. As meals they’re essentially the same thing, only Madame has a fried egg on top. But, I didn’t want a fried egg! I wanted a Mister, not a Missus.
I immediately explained to the waitress that there’d been a mixup and the order was incorrect. «Monsieur, not Madame!» I said, realising that my pronounciation was so terrible that the mistake was probably my own. The waitress politely apologised and immediately set off to get me a Monsieur. (Although I suspect she probably just took it back to the kitchen and scraped the fried egg off the top — the easiest sex change operation in the world.)
Nevertheless, my Monsieur arrived promptly and was delicious, although it was so cheesy that I felt like it had filled up my cheese quota for the month. So cheesy in fact that it would have probably killed me if I was lactose intolerant.
As a bonus, due to the error in the order they gave me my meal for free. Perfect customer service. Tres bien! Merci beaucoup! (I didn’t say this of course, I just said «Uh, cheers».)

«Au Petit Chavignol» was quite a disappointment… Everything was overpriced, though tasty. For example: my friend ordered a burger, paid extra because he wanted truffle cheese (which is logical), but had to pay extra CA$ 1 each for one leaf of salad and one piece of tomato… they’ll explain it comes from a very special garden next door, but I personnaly think you should not pay extra to get such basic and usual ingredients in your burger…
As for the cheese & charcuteries selection, they come as infinitesimal portions which definitely do not worth the price they are sold at…
I know food is expensive in Vancouver, but unless you don’t know how to spend your money, you should really consider buying your own cheeses (at the Public Market for example) and having your own cheese and cured meats party at home with friends instead of taking a trip to this remote restaurant in Hastings.

If you can get over the feety smell of cheese, then it’s totally a date night place.
We tried (and failed) to do an Ultimate Food Tour for my friend’s 33^rd birthday. Did you know they take reservations? In the year since we came here for her 32^nd, they decided that they should. Since we didn’t have a reservation, we made one and went someplace else for an appy. No, not any place around there… it being in almost crack-​a-​lacky town…
When we came back, we were early for our reservation, so they offered to seat some of us at the bar as we waited for the one table they wanted to put us in. We then eventally got moved to the other side of the bar so that the five of us could face the bar and not each other. So familiar since they did this to us last time… So we asked if we could be moved since it seemed like that’s where we were gonna be permanently. The guy said sure, then disappeared… a long time later, we asked our server if we could move to the table in the corner. She said that it would cut off service from the other tables. Umm, why? Eventually, we convinced her to add a chair to the four top and she let us sit there. The table we were supposed to have for our reservation did not leave for another hour. I don’t think this place is good for groups. If our being seated at any place other than the bar was contingent upon another table leaving, then I am hooped if they order more and decide not to leave.
Finally, I get to order. I came here for one thing only… the Croque Madame. After I order, she tells me it does not come with fries even though the menu says that the sandwiches come with fries. I am too lazy to look for something else. No fries it is… I am not that bothered though since I am going to poach some of my friend’s poutine. The sandwich is good, it’s perfect. It really is… a grilled cheese with ham and a fried egg on top. I love breaking the yolk and having the bright yellow-​y orange spill out and coat the slices of sandwich I am shoving in my mouth.
I tried my friend’s short rib poutine, but I don’t like it. Maybe it was the meat… I dunno, but something was off. They have coke in a can, but since it was Lent, I abstained.
You get used to the smell. I love cheese, but it’s a strong, over-​powering scent… You don’t even notice anymore, until you get in your car… but then that could be the lactose intolerance thing…

High ceilings. Interesting décor.
Great poutine.
Will try some more dishes — potential for 4^th star

Cheese, cheese, cheese, WINE. Cheese, cheese, cheese, MEAT. Cheese, cheese, cheese, MORE WINE.
This about sums my experience at Au Petit Chavignol. Lots o’ cheese, a little cured meat, and a *very* decent amount of wine. But the good stuff doesn’t end there. Oh no, friends. We’re talking about the cured ham that’s glistening like a beacon for my charcuterie-​obsessed ways, cheese of the gods that vary in selection week to week with no preference to cow, goat or sheep but with a heavy lean toward my favourite French varieties. And finally, a wine list that will keep up with my sometimes tight budget and always picky palette. Yes, it is *that* good.
Sure, they’ve got other nice things on the menu that more than likely deserve my attention, but the tripartite of my soul will only be truly nourished by the appetitive, the rational, and the spirited — meat, cheese, and wine.
Up next: medium rare burger. No bun. Kosher salted fries. Which part of me does that nourish, I wonder?

After checking out Les Amis de Fromage, my partner and I walked over here. It was around 5pm but we weren’t particularly hungry so we got ourselves a platter with 3 cheeses, 3 meats, and 3 condiments. He got a glass of red (blend), and I got myself a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. For cheese we got a Brie, Blue, and another semi-​firm cheese that had the consistency of gruyère and parmesan. We had 2 types of prosciutto and a salami, we had fig/​walnut preserve, caramelized onion jam and Quince paste (reminds of tangy apples). Everything on the platter was delicious. Even the baguette slices were good. The place definitely knows how to serve quality.
The restaurant is small, but very chic. This can easily be turned into a trendy Manhattan bar if it so chooses to. The seats were comfortable and atmosphere was intimate. The lights were dim and quite romantic.
We had a lot of fun trying out different combination with our wine and food to see what works and what doesn’t. And it was quite a learning experience to see how the staff carved up the prosciutto and salami with their special meat machine.
The bill was roughly $ 65. Yes it did cost us an arm and a leg but I think the experience was well worth it.

Still a strong solid 4 stars!
My friend and I decided to eat the fondue this time and it just hit the spot! Honestly, you can’t go wrong with wine and cheese. And especially high quality cheese, pates and meats.
Another one of my friends love this restaurant as well and she would take a pill before eating since she was lactose intolerant. She said it’s 100% worth it.

How can you not love a place that is in a building with a big neon «Cheese» sign? As soon as i saw the cheese sign my arteries seized in excitement.
Too bad it was closed that day for a private function, foiled!
Ok take two: After 24 hours of agonizing waiting we try again and success, we are in! The inviting lounge/​bar makes for a great little place nurture the little cheese-​crush growing inside of you.
I have to come clean, I didn’t really read the menu. After reading Mac & Cheese, Grilled Cheese and Poutine I was sold, why even bother reading the rest of the menu? Did I make the right choice? Sure did because it was awesome, Mac & Cheese was one of the better ones in the city, poutine was delicious and a grilled cheese sandwich filled with some of my favourites cheeses was to die for.
The prices were pretty good, they have a special on Sun-​Thurs, $ 12 for beer + mac & cheese, looks like we have plans again this week!
For people not sure of the location, it’s great — free street parking!

Do you know what raclette is? Neither did I before coming here. Food guru aka my brother from Chicago was in town so we meandered through the quite interesting Strathcona area to this stylish place on you guessed it, East Hastings.
We started with some unique meats and cheeses (I doubt I’d ever remember), antipasto, and some great red BC wine (also forgot). Then for the main show, raclette. I call it ‘hot pot for French people’. Similar to fondue, you get stick a slice of cheese in this tray, and it gets melted by the flame below. Once bubbled you pour it over potatoes, meats or bread. Simple, yet oh so satisfying. Healthy? Heck no, but can all indulge once in a while can’t we?
I must mention something I had here that I have never had at a restaurant. Freshly baked (I mean fresh as in BAKED TO ORDER) mini chocolate cookies. Perfectly baked with a moist centre, these were spectacular. Again, simple yet brilliant.

This place sets itself apart from similar restaurants like Salt Tasting Room & The Refinery by having an excellent assortment of cheese. If you’re a cheese fan (and c’mon, who doesn’t adore cheese?!), then this place is a must.
Situated in the DTES, it seems like a bit of a sketchy neighbourhood, but once you’re actually there, it’s not bad at all! Plenty of street parking (unmetered) out front which was nice too. The restaurant is a little cozier than I thought, about 8 tables and a long bar. I went on a Thursday night and it was bustling.
I had hoped to try the fondue, but my friend and I decided that we would get more variety of cheeses by ordering a cheese plate. The cheese are divided up in categories: cow, goat, sheep, mixed milk.
We had some difficulty deciding but were lured into particular cheeses based on the little descriptions, ie. goat gouda with nettles and garlic (YUM) and Cacio di Bosco (carmelized flavours, hints of truffle=double YUM). We also had a plate of prosciutto, a side of fries, and a small special of the day… however, the cheese is the real standout.