L’Abattoir

Onto third and last Dine Out this year at L’Abattoir. Thanks for Adorables’ connections were we able to get a table tonight! We sat at the back of the restaurant, which was quite cute but a bit chilly.
They had an option of bread service of $ 3 per person, but as we looked around and felt our tummies growl. we decided to just wait for our dishes to arrive. For her appie GirlNextDoor decided on their Grilled Squid Stuffed with Pork and Herbs. I believe it was paired with a mint and cucumber crème sauce and squid ink. The plating was a bit bare, but neat and tidy. Squid itself tasted good and pork had lots of flavor, I had a giant grain of salt in my bite which was disappointing. Did I mention there were only 3 pieces of squid about the size of half a wine cork?
I ordered the Cauliflower and Boudin Blanc appetizer which was plated with foie gras, parsley, and crispy chicken chips. I feel this dish was quite nicely plated with the selection in the middle. The pickled cauliflower contrasted well with the fatty foie gras but was unexpectedly tart. Foie gras was rich and smooth, but not much flavor to it. I liked the boudin blanc, but it lacked texture besides being mushy. Strong chicken flavor! The chicken chips were great with the foie gras and boudin blanc, added some crisp to the soft items.
Adorables ordered the Roast Pork Belly with Crackling that included turnips and salsa verde. This looked like a messy dish with just veggies slathered over it, but the pork itself was rich, a bit heavy, but so flaky and melted in my mouth. Crackling needs more more crackle to it, but it wasn’t the worst I’ve had.
I tried their Braised Veal Shank Tagliatelle with squash, chimichurri, and crispy shallot. GirlNextDoor got the same dish but hers was plated much nicer. Mines looked like someone attacked it and attempted to place it back on the plate. Pasta was al dente and the veal was tender, moist, and flavorful… to the point where I found the whole dish too salty. The portion was very small as well. I’m pretty sure if I counted, there were approximately 7 – 8 strands of tagliatelle. Chimichurri was wasted as it was only there to decorate the plate and barely detectable. Didn’t quite notice any crispy shallots on my dish– maybe they forgot it.
MaCherie had the Saffron Crusted Pacific Salmon paired with lobster sauce, fennel, and pepper condiment. This was one of the better dishes of the evening, the salmon was lightly seared on the outside, with the inside being semi-​raw and felt like smoked salmon. Crunchy on top, the saffron added flavors to the fish, and the lobster sauce sealed the deal. Delish!
Onto desserts, GirlNextDoor ordered the Lemon Tart with Raspberry sorbet and lime meringue. This was so pretty! I loved the tart flavors, it was creamy and not too sweet. The meringue was crunchy and light, great with the tart raspberry purée.
Adorables and I had the White Chocolate Cheesecake with graham crumble, caramel, and nougatine. This was a beautiful display, they looked like tiny mounds of white on a backdrop of the caramel. The cheesecake was smooth and creamy, couldn’t taste the cheese strongly. Nougatine and crumble added some nice extra texture to the cheesecake. Yummy!
MaCherie ordered their Dark Chocolate Mousse with mandarin and chocolate cake. Basically it looked like… loose poop (excuse my lack of a better description). On the side was a chocolate crumble, sponge toffee, and a «spongified» mandarin orange slice. The mousse was smooth and rich, not very fluffy like the typical mousse.
We enjoyed each others’ company this evening, but some dishes were disappointing, not to mention all of us left unsatisfied from the small portions. GirlNextDoor mentioned that the regular menu had much better portion sizes and quality. Kinda stumped that we paid $ 40 for this =(I liked how they served us all at the same time though (had two servers carrying two dishes each to serve all four of us at the same time).

worst dine out ever, I just don’t understand why this restaurant is that popular, will never come again.

The last time I went to L’Abattoir, I had an amazing birthday dinner. Last night, I went to try out their $ 40 dine out menu as my 5^th restaurant so far. It’s in Gastown, right beside the iconic «Gassy Jack» statue. We had a reservation for 7pm but we arrived 10 minutes early and were told that our table wasn’t ready yet so we walked around outside for a bit. When we came back, it still wasn’t ready so they just let us sit at a table for 4 instead instead of having us wait even longer, which was nice because the tables for 2 were very cramped.
If you’re interested, they have an optional bread service that’s an additional $ 3 per person. They serve bacon brioche, parmesan anchovy twist (my fav), and sesame flatbread. But since we had tried all of these before, NW and I passed on the bread service. We also thought the price was a bit steep for bread service, which is normally complimentary.
I did order their special cocktail for the day though which was an Earl Grey infused vodka with grapefruit (?), lemon, and tonic. It was a good drink but didn’t taste much of the Earl Grey and it was pretty basic like something you could probably mix yourself. It was already $ 13 for a little glass.
For appetizers, NW ordered the Grilled Squid Stuffed with Pork & Herbs and I got the Poached Egg Crusted with Seeds & Spices. The grilled squid was a ridiculously small portion size. I don’t know why it was presented the way it was on such a large plate because it just made it look extremely underwhelming. When we tasted it, it was a bit disappointing as well. I mean, it tasted good but we were just expecting so much more, considering there were only 3 little pieces of squid. We felt that it was not a very complex dish. As for my dish, the poached egg was nicely cooked. maybe just a few seconds over? It could’ve been more runny, I think. Anyways, I wasn’t a huge fan of the crusted seeds — it was very drying and they get stuck in your teeth! There were more grains on the bottom which didn’t have great flavour either. At least it was more filling than the squid I guess but in terms of taste, the squid won this round.
Moving on to the main course… I had the Saffron Crusted Pacific Salmon. Again, small portion on a huge plate but it wasn’t bad. The crispy bits on the salmon were good but my salmon was a tad overcooked, making it a bit dry. The lobster sauce was probably the best part of the dish. It had a bold lobster flavour but there wasn’t enough of it. There were also beans underneath the salmon but I wasn’t a fan of it. I would’ve preferred rice or mashed potatoes. On the other hand, NW went for the fattening route, opting for the Roast Pork Belly with Crackling. I must warn you, it was an extremely heavy and fatty dish. I would say the piece that we got was about 60−70% fat. It was really soft and flavourful though. However, the skin was not as crispy as it should’ve been. NW couldn’t even cut through it with his knife! The veggies on the side weren’t very special and I think they should’ve had some acidity to cut the richness and oiliness of the pork belly.
For dessert, NW got the Lemon Tart with raspberry sorbet and lime pastry. It was beautifully presented and looked very unique. This dessert was good. The lemon was quite sour but it went well with the chocolate piece. The raspberry sorbet was refreshing and the meringue was actually not bad, even though it’s not something I like. However, I wouldn’t recommend this dessert if you don’t like sour things. As for my dessert, I had the Dark Chocolate Mousse. IMO, this was the complete opposite of the lemon tart! This was not as fruity or sweet and it had more bitter notes. I wasn’t particularly impressed with how it was presented. Didn’t look too appetizing to me… seeing as it kind of looked like mud and soil. The flavour of the mousse was not bad but I didn’t like the chocolate cake bits on the side… It was dry, even when I had it with the mousse. The mousse wasn’t really a mousse either. The consistency was more liquidy than that. I didn’t like the mandarin either. It tasted artificial like the ones you get from the Dole cups. To summarize, not my favourite dessert. I thought the lemon tart was better.
I must say, I was very disappointed with L’Abattoir’s dine out menu this time. I was expecting much more from them, especially since the food was amazing the last time I was here. I don’t mind small portions if the food can back it up but both aspects fell short for me, given the $ 40 price point. Again, probably due to the dine out event but at least service was still good. I won’t be coming back for dine out next time but I wouldn’t mind going back on a regular day because I’ve tasted how good their food can be.
Food — ⁷⁄₁₀
Service — ⁹⁄₁₀
Ambience — ⁹⁄₁₀
Value — 6.5÷10

This review is based on my dine out experience.
We went on a Saturday night before 6 and this place was packed! Our hostess seated us at the back of the restaurant which looked like an extension of an alley way (which my partner pointed out). After a few moments of looking at the menu and shifting about, we realized our table wasn’t stable so we took the opportunity to switch to the table next to us. Our server came and we told her about the issue but she ignored it and left us to the menu. She didn’t return to check if we were ready to order till we flagged her down. Other than these two hiccups, service was the usual.
We had their bread service for $ 3 per person. For a bread charge, I’d expect a bit more but I guess the additional cost is due to the having cheesy twists, sesame crisp and the bacon brioche in lieu of bread and butter. The cheesy twists were my favourite. The bacon brioche would have tasted better if it was actually warm. Ours tasted like it has been sitting out for the whole day. I never really crave for the crisps but these were better than the ones I’ve tried elsewhere. My partner thought it needed more salt or a dip to accompany it.
For appies, we decided to get the grilled squid stuffed with pork (³⁄₅) and the cauliflower and boudin blanc (⁴⁄₅). Despite seeing pictures on Instagram and being warned that the dishes would be small compared to other places, we did not expect it to be this small. There were literally two small bite size pieces of grilled squid and boudin blanc. The squid was pretty bland with no taste. I disliked the pickled cucumber that came with it. It tasted odd to me. The squid ink which were artistically drawn at the bottom was delicious but was hard to scoop/​apply to any of the elements. The boudin blanc was soft, creamy and full of deliciousness. Had me craving for more. They were more generous with the pickled cauliflower. A plus for it being tasty as well as a palate cleanser. The crispy chicken chip (Not chipS as stated on the menu) tasted pretty much like the Asian shrimp chip. Maybe it was deep fried in chicken fat?
Looking at the mains that came out, we thought the better choice would be to go for the Braised veal shank tagliatelle (²⁄₅) and the Roast pork belly with crackling (3.5÷5). Both of us had high hopes for the veal, but it was such a let down. The entire dish was under seasoned-​from the veal to the chimichurri to the squash and minimal crispy shallots was sprinkled on top of one piece of veal. The pasta was under as well. Made me wonder if they were in a rush preparing my dish… Sorry to say but I did not enjoy this one bit. The pork belly was moist, tender and ever-​so succulent. The salsa verde paired well with it. It also aid in cutting the fattiness of the dish. The con of this dish was the skin. It was tough and rubbery. I had such difficulties cutting through. Definitely not crackling as it said it would be, otherwise a pretty good dish.
For dessert we had the white chocolate cheesecake (³⁄₅) and the dark chocolate mousse chocolate cake (³⁄₅). Both desserts were served in a deconstructed form. Points for creativity and still maintaining their supposed flavours. I am one that prefers both white and dark chocolate over milk but the I find the flavours of both chocolates were too enhanced. In other words, the white was too sweet and the dark was overly bitter. I’m glad we got these two to share so that the sweetness of the white cancels out the some of the bitterness of the dark and vice versa.
A must get at l’abattoir is their avacado gimlet. Super rich and creamy. So smooth! The amount of alcohol was just right. I could definitely do with a few more of these.
As a dine out experience, it’s not the best. The size of the dishes is pretty bizarre (even for European standards). It barely fills a girl on a diet let alone men who would also be dining there. I am tempted to go back because I see potential and complexity in their dishes, however it won’t be on the top of my go-to’s.

Came here for another Dine Out Vancouver experience.
With every table on the top floor full, sitting in the loft area felt very warm. Thankfully service was served with a smile, waters were filled often and our plates came out in a timely manner.
We started with the bread basket. It was an extra $ 3 a person, but it came with 3 different types of bread — bacon brioche, a cheese twist, and a crispy flatbread with grains on it. So good! Each had very nice flavors and textures to contrast our dishes, though I think I ate almost all the bread before the rest of the dishes came out… :/​
Appetizers: portions were small, but the presentations were beautiful!
I wasn’t too impressed by the squid stuffed with pork dish– it tasted kind of bland for my taste, but the fried potatoes and sauces that accompanied it were nice.
The Foie gras with chicken chips were better. This had nice texture and flavor, and was a good light start to the meal.
Mains:
Pork belly was very good, but the slice we got was maybe 60% fat, so it was a little overwhelming… especially without much carbs to eat it with. The small amount of bread we had left from the bread basket helped cut down on the richness though.
Braised veal tagliatelle was too rich for me and came with a very small portion of noodles. The meat varied in tenderness and flavor. I’d opt for the salmon if I had a second chance.
Desserts: this was the best part of the meal! The deconstructed cheesecake was so unique and delicious. as was the lemon tart. Yum.
Reservations are definitely recommended when coming here, as it is a popular spot. Sometimes there is table availability not listed on the Open table page, so calling in can help as well, though in my experience, it is hit or miss if you can get someone on the phone or not. They are prompt at returning messages though.

I ordered the pork belly and it was amazing. It’s tendered and juicy but the skin was a bit of a let down. I couldn’t cut threw the pork skin as it wasn’t crispy and it was toward a softer skin texture. If you are more interested in the meat, then it will be a good choice.

Came here for my work Christmas dinner and was in the back private room. The room is super cool. It’s actually a separate building in the back alley and a hostess will walk you there. The kitchen is on the main floor and the private room is upstairs.
I thought the service was good and the staff were very friendly. I found the food items we had were just okay. Our starter was tuna with a soft boiled egg, hummus and fried potatoes. This was an interesting mix of items. I had the pumpkin squash pasta which was similar to the butternut squash ravioli at cactus club. For desert we had another combo item that included meringue, butterscotch, chocolate cake pieces and chocolate mousse. The butterscotch component was delicious but the rest wasn’t my style.
It was a good intro into the items that are available. This restaurant is quite pricy and I think there are other options for French food in Vancouver that are more flavourful and cheaper.

A few of my expectations of Vancouver were shattered this day, including dining at L’Abattoir. We had reservations at 8:30pm Saturday night and arrived about five minutes early. None of the greeters bothered to look up from their screens until a different party came in after us and seated them first. Strike 1.
After walking through, what felt like an endless hallway, we were finally seated in their back room. Not the coziest but we were too hungry to care. Our drinks came out in good time and were well presented. Then our waiter disappeared. We waited close to an HOUR before receiving the so-​called-​fantastic bread basket. I definitely noticed a table that sat down well after us get theirs before we did. Strike 2.
We ordered their baked oysters and duck breast. The oysters were amazing and larger than expected. The duck was pretty good but I had difficulty cutting through a few pieces because it was too gamey. At the end of the meal, we chose to skip out on dessert here and check out. I accidentally spilled my water all over the table and it dripped onto the floor. I used my napkin as well as the lady’s next to me. Our waiter picked up our check and the towel but didn’t say a thing. At this point, I was sitting in my own soaked pants and wanted out. Finally, after 15 minutes, he returned one last time and said «I don’t know what happened but the floor is a little wet over here». He checked the bottom of his shoes so as they aren’t ruined. Strike 3.
Much to my dismay, L’Abattoir would’ve been great with just a few fixes. There were other great menu items but I don’t think I want to give them any more of my money.

A friend let me know this is consistently one of the top restaurants in the city… and now I see why. The location is right around Gastown which is a cool and hip area. When you come inside, it does not give the «high end» vibe, but that’s where they let the food do the talking.
I ordered the steak and I can honestly say it was the most mouth watering steak I’ve had. I don’t say that lightly. The chocolate dessert was… average, but couldn’t take anything away from the amazing entrée.
Great date spot.

So, I came here with a friend to have a drink and catch up and ended up ordering dessert too.
The lemon meringue with torched marshmallow, lemon cream, and raspberry was heavenly. It was visually appetizing when it was presented and tasted as good.

L’Abattoir’s newish weekend brunch menu at their Blood Alley (m)eatery and «slaughterhouse» themed breakfast offerings are paired with some pleasingly curated cocktails.
L’Abattoir’s stunning, contemporary meets 19^th century rustic style is a treat in itself. The atrium’s glass walls and ceilings let all the natural sunlight into the restaurant’s rear as you peer out to the historic Gastown neighbourhood harkening to the meatpacking district and butchery past of the area.
For starters, I was not expecting the fresh pastries to be as good as they were, particularly the delightfully sweet currant scone (filled with strawberry jam and clotted cream). Warmed up and fruity, it was bursting with flavour and texture and a fine way to start off brunch. Their cinnamon bun was also a nice treat, if more or less standard in taste.
We sipped on couple of L’Abattoir’s brunch drinks (a tad less strong for midday imbibing): the Elderflower Collins (with gin, lemon, elderflower, and soda) and Berry Cobbler (with sherry, fresh berries, and orange) cocktails. The latter was easy drinking and refreshing with its mild, citrus flavours while the former was fruity and punchy yet still rather smooth. Their French press coffee was also on point.
To chow down, I recommend the carnivorous and substantial full breakfast (with eggs, duck sausage, pork and beans, boudin noir, rösti, and toast) for its splendid variety of meats and the superb rösti (think Swiss hash brown cake). Everything both complemented and somehow contrasted each others’ flavours nicely for a smörgåsbord mix of breakfast meats.
I forgot how quaint yet colourfully ornate the restaurant is with the eye-​catching bar (and its diagonal shelves), elevated primary dining area, and sun-​soaked atrium in the back (where we sat).
Much simpler and basic, the staple poached eggs and smoked pork belly (with cheddar sabayon on a homemade English muffin) was a suitably satisfying take on your eggs Benedict. The pork was well-​cooked and crisp and worked well with the dual egg flavours and the overall, creamy consistency of the dish.
L’Abattoir continues to offer a fairly appealing, French-​inspired, upscale/​fine dining experience in a narrow but welcoming and impeccably decorated environment that’s full of character.
Their full brunch service is a solid extension of all this, especially on a sunny day or a special occasion. Seriously though, get that scone.

Excellent experience
Would come back again if I’m not craving Chinese food in Vancouver

First off, their bread baskets looked amazing– with the various flavours and textures of the different breads (eg from spicy to crunchy) it was an awesome kick off to a meal.
This place had unconventional pairings of ingredients in their entrees, which was what made this place amazing. For example, they combined plums and beets with the pork — cool, right? I liked the sweetness that the plum offered alongside the savoury tasting pork. The way they cook their steak and duck was a bit on the dry side but nevertheless flavourful.
Make sure to save room for dessert. The two desserts we had — Apple meringue and chocolate mousse — were delicious. I loved the pairing of the apple meringue with ginger flavoured ice-​cream. Their chocolate mousse has a very rich chocolate flavour (and is not bitter). Both were a perfect ending to a great meal.

Omg, yum!!!
I went for brunch on a lovely Saturday afternoon. We sat in the back indoor patio/​solarium– I don’t know what its called but it was very nice. We had to walk along an amazing wine display. Too bad it was too early for wine, the restaurant is definitely well stocked!
The waitress was veryy sweet. Her recommendations were on point and I appreciated her honesty. I had a croque madam which was tasty but the currant biscuit was my favorite! I tell no lie when I say I could have eaten 5 of them!!!
The food was good, service was excellent and the bathroom was clean enough for me to consider eating off the floor– just kidding. not really!!!

Whoa. Drinks
I have heard really good things about this place, and was in the area, so I thought I’d give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised. The bar was nicely decorated (I didn’t have time to try the food, I will make sure I do that next time). And bar tenders are very friendly. They were fun to chat with too! I am definitely going back again

Cool, stylish, and chic.
This place feels pretty fancy with its contemporary design features merged with a gastown-​esque interior and use of glass detailing. But at the same time it was very easy to settle in and just be at ease. The main reason for this is the great bartending that happens here. I could sit at the bar all day! Very friendly super welcoming.
We had an order of their very tasty Oaxaca Old Fashioned which was an interesting twist using tequila instead of bourbon. The food looked pretty great as well from what I could see so I’ll definitely be back next time.

Went there for drinks with my friend Sofie and we had the best time and the best drinks I’ve had in Vancouver!!!
Our bartenders were awesome.
The restaurant is beautifully decorated and has a funky vibe to it.
All details are taken care of.
Next time I’ll be going for dinner.

Came here to catch up with a couple from Hong Kong. They chose the place based on what they have heard. The service was on par, very attentive and friendly staff who paid attention to our questions and were polite (a little goes a long way).
Food was delicious! I would go back for the steak and to have the oysters! they were HUUUGE :) ^.^ blew all the other oysters out of the water (no pun intended) due to the taste and the sauce on top.
I will go to sleep a very happy girl tonight :)

This restaurant has been recently voted Canada’s 17^th Best restaurant in the nation, and is owned by the executive chef Lee Cooper and general manager Paul Grunberg. Both come from Market by Jean Georges, a superb fine dining restaurant also in Vancouver, BC.
We made our reservations through Opentable roughly 4 days before our date, which ended up being a good idea because we realized Vancouverites are serious about their dining out. Reservations filled up faster than we’ve ever seen before, even weeks ahead! We noticed people that didn’t make reservations sadly couldn’t get a table to dine, even on a Sunday evening because it was fully booked.
We were seated in a cozy booth upstairs, which was relatively full when we arrived (6:45pm). We were asked if we wanted coat check, but we were quite cold from the chill wind outside and kept our coats. The restaurant’s vibe was very romantic yet clean and cozy. The lower floor holds the restaurant’s bar, kitchen, and private dining rooms. For more information about their private dining, visit their website.
The restaurant had a great selection of wines, beers, and cocktails that we were interested in. L’Abattoir allows you to bring your own wine (BYOW) if it is not available on the house wine menu. One bottle allowed per table, with a corkage fee of $ ³⁰⁄₇₅₀ mL bottle.
L’Abattoir’s menu is quite short — one page long consisting of cold, warm, and main dishes. We decided to try one of each to share since we weren’t that hungry.
The waiters brought over a basket full of pastries for us to enjoy after we ordered. What was different from other restaurants was that they gave us pastries instead of bread. They were all very good, quite savoury, and didn’t need any other toppings, like olive oil. I’m not sure if I prefer regular bread and butter, or savoury pastries, but it was a nice change.
Each and every dish we ordered was heavenly. Everything was perfectly cooked, nothing overpowering, and our waiter explained our dish very well. Our meal was very enjoyable and would definitely go back for seconds and thirds. What is really amazing about this restaurant is not only how the food tastes, but its price point. Nothing is over $ 40 on their dinner menu! For such a luxurious meal from the very best chefs, this is a true bargain. Their moderate price point allows the city to enjoy some of the best fine dining much more easily.
The restaurant only offers dinner, but also serves brunch on the weekends.

Came here with my mom for Dine-​Out. Made a reservation for 8pm and showed up right on time. We had to wait almost half an hour before we were seated — unacceptable! I get that the place was packed because of Dine-​Out, but they should have done a better job of timing the tables.
Once we were finally seated, we ordered our meal right away (since we had so much time to wait and go over the menu when we arrived.) Started off with the albacore tuna and duck raviolo. We also order bread made in house for $ 2/​per person. Appetizers were pretty good and there was a nice assortment of bread.
For our entrees, I had the lamb shoulder and my mom had the ling cod on a bed or risotto. I have to say the presentation for my lamb shoulder was on point. So much detail was put on the plate — something I definitely was not expecting given that it was dine-​out. Mom thought her risotto was a bit too salty, but overall she enjoyed her dish.
For dessert we had the sticky toffee pudding and panacotta. Sticky toffee pudding was almost too sweet however this was balanced by lightness of the panacotta with granola.
A very bad start to the night, but the food made up for it. Would have given it 5 stars if it wasn’t for the awful wait in the beginning. Probably one of the best Dine Out experiences I’ve had. Will definitely be checking this place out to try their regular menu.