In what seems to be the middle of nowhere, Kingsway & Fraser (663 E15 Ave) lies a small slice of heaven called Les Faux Bourgeois.
No matter what time of the day, this place is packed. If you don’t make reservations, you’re not going to get seated (unless you come near closing time). When my sister made reservations, we had to book three weeks in advance and the earliest time they had was 8:30pm.
The atmosphere of the bistro is homely, loud and unpretentious. The walkways are narrow to accommodate more seating and no matter where you turn, there are no empty seats.
We were seated at three tables pushed together to accommodate the five of us and strangely it was pretty spacious when we sat down. The menu is surprisingly affordable for French cuisine with most main dishes at $17.
Pate de Campagne
As with many places, bread is provided before the meal. We ordered the PÂTÉ DE CAMPAGNE to accompany our bread. The pate was light on the palate, sweet but with a distinctive meaty taste. For $10, we were given a generous portion of pate with mini-cornichons and dill mustard on the side.
I ordered Filet De Boeuf Grille which is “Tenderloin with potato gratin and glazed vegetable” served with three choices of sauces: Red WIne Shallot Jus, Herb Butter or Green Peppercorn Cream. I chose the Red Wine Shallot Jus. When my plate arrived, I was impressed by the presentation. I apologize that my pictures are horrible, but they were taken on an iPhone! The Filet was easy to cut into and bursting with flavour. There was the smokey flavour from the grill – but only a hint. The meat was tender and buttery, like it melted in my mouth. The Red Wine Shallot Jus was the icing on the cake, paired with the meat made the meal that much more stellar.
The potato gratin was thinly sliced layers of potato, baked once more with sharp cheese melted on the top. I had this once before at Aqua Riva (but with yams instead) and I thought that this was a bit tougher, as I had to cut through it with a knife. The cheese on top was sharp and carried the potato gratin.
The vegetables were seasonal (carrots & zucchini), prepared to a perfect texture and were moist rather than dry or over cooked.
Other dishes ordered at our table were Le Steak Frites, Coq Au Vin and the Navarin D’Agneau. I didn’t get to try any of them, but everyone all around was very impressed with their food.
Le Steak Frites
Navarin D’Agneau
Coq Au Vin
For dessert, we ordered the Creme Brulee, Milk Chocolate Mousse and the Nut crusted Chocolate Silk Cake.
The Creme Brulee was of decent size and full of flavour. The top part wasn’t too “chewy” or “sticky” when broken.
The Milk Chocolate Mousse was heaven! It was whipped up, very light, creamy and not too heavy on sweetness.
The nut-crusted Chocolate Silk cake should be named SIN because it felt like a sin eating it! Dark chocolate with a nut crusted bottom, it was a heavier dessert but well received by the table.
Food: 
The highest rating I have ever given a restaurant to date, Les Faux Bourgeois made me and my taste buds very happy. It’s very difficult to find a great meal with such fine flavours and it felt like a lot of thought went into this dish.
Service: 
Our waiter was friendly, came to check up on us fairly often and kept our glasses full. he wasn’t pretentious – he made us feel right at home. Bravo!
Value:
Again, the highest rating I have ever given to date – it is completely unbelievable that such fine French cuisine can be enjoyed under $20.
Ambiance : 
As much as I love the quaint and intimate nature of many places, I think it’s a little too noisy and crowded for my liking here. I think Les Faux Bourgeois should consider renovating or moving into a bigger space, they definitely have a big customer base and would be able to fit more people in! I did like the look and feel of the place, it was very comfortable, dark but not too dark and felt kind of like old-European style.
OVERALL:
Their website, along with their menu is located here.
