Valentine’s Day, my birthday, the anniversary of our first date and engagement, the list of every miniscule milestone goes on and on. I feel sorry for my husband, who accepts my cheesiness with feigned enthusiasm. This time, I wanted to celebrate our wedding anniversary. I heard Cassis Bistro was showcasing their special Christmas menu, so I booked us a table.
The “petites bouchées de Nöel” include Foie Gras Torchon aux Figues ($10); Oyster ($3); Perigord Black Truffle Egg Brouillade ($25); and Caviar ($58). We opted for the foie gras, which was one of L’s favourite bites of the night. The foie gras was cool in temperature and melted on my tongue like chilled butter.
I wanted to try the deep sea scallop and lobster salad ($18), as I saw on Facebook that Cassis brings in live lobsters. The freshness of the scallop and lobster really impressed me. Mixed with fennel, grapefruit, razor thin cucumber tagliatelle and a citrus vinaigrette, I thought this dish showcased Cassis refine style of cooking. The subtly of the flavours allowed the sashimiesque seafood to shine through.
For our mains, we opted for the specials – mussels with frites ($24) and a mixed meat Shepard’s Pie ($28). The Shepard’s Pie was a good mix of meats and creamy whipped potatoes. I particularly liked the crusty cheese layer on the top.
The mussels were stellar. Each shell was open, and all the mussels were as fat and juicy as a big oyster. If I knew the mussels were going to be that good, L and I would just have ordered a few bowls and just stuffed ourselves silly. I dumped all the frites into my bowl to let it soak up the flavour of the fragrant broth. The frites were cooked well enough to sustain a bath in the leftover broth and still emerge crispy.
I am happy to know that I don’t have to go to Vancouver to find fresh and perfectly prepared seafood. I’m trying to remember the first time L and I dined at Cassis so that we can add that date to our list of reasons to celebrate.
