Picking a nice restaurant to go to during the end of the year is a bit difficult because so many restaurants are fully booked for the holidays. I actually wanted to try La Brass during the weekend but they were all full so we dropped by for lunch during the weekday instead. Located along West 10th Avenue, close to UBC, it was a bit of a drive for us but I’m glad we made the trip. While they weren’t busy when we arrived, it soon filled up with patrons. We decided to share the Boeuf Braissé Tartine ($15) served with musclun green salad (a mix of assorted small young salad greens that originated in Provence, France) and a mustard-like dressing. Tartine is an open-faced sandwich and the one they serve at La Brass was really good. The bread had a nice crispness to the bite and was topped with tender braised beef, caramelized onions and cheese. Oh man, I could eat this every day! For my main, I picked the Vongole ($25) with squid ink pasta in a garlicky sauce made of chilies and olive oil. This turned out quite well with large plump clams. We also had the Bouillabaise ($25) with prawns, mussels, clams, fish, and saffron potatoes in a rich broth. For dessert, we picked the Trio de Sorbets where the daily flavours were strawberry, tropical, and cocoa pear. It took a while for the dessert to come out and I found the sorbet was a bit coarser than I would normally prefer. Overall, some really good food here… especially the tartine.

Hidden gem in the west broadway neighbourhood! It’s clean, classy and very relaxed environment. The food are fantastic, delicate and delicious. The server can be a little passive. Would not recommend kids younger than 10. Quiet but chat table, great for socializing. Not vegan friendly but yes to pascaterian or vegetarian who is good with dairy. I went for brunch but I think dinner would also be lovely.