Frank, my boss, came over to Vancouver a few weeks ago. The last time he flew in 5 months ago, we were wondering if he was coming to serve termination notices. That was because he did not state what his mission was. This time he came with a pre-announced agenda — he was here to conduct final interviews for more Project Managers. So no fears of losing our jobs anytime soon because all the projects is going to keep us busy for sometime. Good!
The last time Frank came, I brought him to Burgers Etc on Hastings. He absolutely loved that. He is not into fancy adventuresome Asian food which is a shame. I would have brought him to some memorable places. So I played safe and went to …
… Les Faux Bourgeois. It’s so hard to spell that Bourgeois word, not to mention pronouncing it!
I think it is pronounced as lay-foo bow-zu-ar … something like that.
And I think it is French for The Fake Middle Class.
For a French restaurant, Les Faux Bourgeois is located in an unlikeliest of places. For directions, I would say that it is at the intersection of Kingsway and Fraser but technically it is on 15th and Fraser. The place has a rustic feel with original structural details. This creates a certain charm which makes Les Faux different from other French Bistros.
Les Faux Bourgeois is perpetually booked solid. I used to make reservation on a Monday for a Friday and they would tell me they do not have tables anymore. I was lucky that day. It was a Thursday when I called at noon and they told me that’s the last table they have for the day. If you think of walking in, I don’t think its a good idea.
There was three of us. Gage joined us. He is not too much of an adventrous eater from what I see. He always has this big bowl of salad which he mix in the office.
We called a few drinks hoping to just relax after a few hectic days. And then we had to be told by our waiter that we have to leave by 7PM. He said that was the condition that they told us when they took my reservation. I did not recall being told that. We made no fuss over this but I thought I should let you know. I think they want to turn the tables fast.
I had the Corona. It is a Mexican beer, nothing French about it. What is this thing about the wedge of lemon on Coronas anyway? Is it a branding kind of thing for Corona? I don’t see this done for any other pale lagers. Is there a story behind this?
The bread came. It was absolutely marvelous. It is especially so when you see this …
… Nice huh?
We also had some fries before ordering real food. Americans love fries. Les Faux Bourbeois does very decent fries. Although they are really crispy, they are small cuts.
You know, this meal was so many weeks ago and the fact that we were talking work most of the time, I can’t remember this dish anymore. It looks like some kind of flatbread with goat cheese?
One thing I noticed, the dish names on the menu at Les Faux Bourgeois is in French. So for someone who doesn’t read French like Frank and I, it took us a while to read the menu. They have daily specials on the chalkboard by the bar … that is even worse because it is most written in French names. At least on the menu there are descriptions.
If I am not mistaken, Gage got this. Escargot … snails. I am kind of surprised that he even tried this. As I said, I never thought that he was much into exotic food like this. The sauce does look good, doesn’t it?
He also had Couscous. He asked me what couscous is. For all I know it is some grainy stuff which looks like broken, undercooked rice. There was a big mound of couscous with a few tiny pieces of beef (I think).
I had mussels. It was quite OK. Not great.
The bestest mussels I ever had was in Chambar (see my experience here).
Frank was a disappointment … he went for the steak. Americans!
I think the tab came to over $100. Frank picked it up so am not quite sure. Their prices is good with all mains being in the $15 – $19 range.
I certainly enjoyed this meal at Les Faux Bourgeois. Frank and Gage did too. They both thought it was an excellent choice. I think for an “internal” no-frills business dinner where you are not entertaining customers, Les Faux Bourgeios is an excellent place to bring visitors.
You just need to make sure you make reservations in advance.
Glad you went to LFB. Excellent choice for yourself or to entertain/impress others.
We’ve been there twice (only) but need to go more often. They are like an authentic Paris brasserie. Most staff are French or at least French-speaking, the guys behind the counter are “superbe”.
I’d recommend the steak frites or the pot-au-feu.
Best irony of their location ……… the space used to be a Vietnamese “pho” restaurant. So maybe it was in some ways “les pho bourgeois” for some ? 😀
Some thoughts on pronunciation and meaning of “Les Faux Bourgeois”. I ‘ll bet the staff could not tell you what is meant by it for sure!
Lay foe BOO jhwah The jh is formed in between “j” and “sh”
“Faux” means false or fake. “Les” is “the” and it indicates plural, so here there is more than one fake thing.
“Bourgeois” is the middle class of society. Karl Marx, the communist, felt that the proletariat, or working class, should get equal privileges with what he called the Bourgeoisie. (BOO jhwah zee), so in that sense Bourgeois us an upper class, above the proles in privilege which is undeserved. In this sense, people living in big fancy houses which they cannot fix if they break down are bourgeois.
However, to say something is “Bourgeois” is often a comment that it is common and not distinguished, even though it is trying to be. This would be the upper, most privileged class commenting on the more common middle class and their lame attempts to appear stylish or civilized. Fake designer purses are bourgeois.
I don’t really get where the restaurant is going with “Les Faux Bourgeois” — perhaps “People who think they’re so great, but really they’re common.”
From the other end of the spectrum, it could mean “People who are acting like commoners, but they’re actually high class”. I suppose this second one suits the restaurant better, given that it is not a very high style location.
Those are both the English translations and uses of Bourgeois, which is a word that has been in use in English for hundreds of years. I’m not a native French speaker so couldn’t say what the layers of meaning are for it in the original.
Thanks etranger. I shudder to think when you get your own blog started. You can write a whole blog entry on just the words “Les Faux Bourgeios”. Appreciate your contribution to this!
I always just assumed it’s meaning was a “king for a day” kind of thing. Or at least, “be treated like the upper crust for an evening without spending the big bucks”.
Maybe I just like to keep things simple 🙂
Thanks etranger. I really enjoyed your analysis of the term “bourgeois”. As for your pronunciation guide, it’s a fine attempt but you forgot the all important “r” between BOO and jhwah… Rrrrs are everything in French.
My MIL, from Le Havre, drops that R. I know different regions of France have very different pronunciations, though. In any case the r sound would be very small and not rolled or anything!
Hi Ben,
Been a reader for a bit – am also from Kuala Lumpur currently living in Toronto. Also am a food scientist. Corona is served with a wedge of lime or lemon to mask the oxidized flavour of the beer. This is because the beer is bottled in its distinctive clear glass bottle, allowing for light oxidation – the chemistry of beer changes significantly when exposed to light, which is why you commonly see beer packaged in brown or green bottles.
There is no ethnic origin to this practice, no matter what they say. You may notice that other beers packaged in clear glass will have similar practices associated for the same reason.
Thanks for the great cooking and eating posts.
Thanks Ee-von. Thanks for your insight. I learned something new today. Terima kasih!
I was told(and I am no food scientist) that the wedge of lime is to keep flies(of which there are many in Mexico!) away from the beer.
Love French food. Did the 3 of u get to dessert? That is always the best part! If that place ever offers macarons(NOT macaroons), go for it. You won’t regret it.
What also makes French food yum is real French butter which sadly I haven’t been able to find in Ontario.
No Chris, we did not get desserts. Come to think of it, we guys NEVER get desserts when dining with people works in the same company. It is the girls who ALMOST ALWAYS get dessert and they get all excited over them too. LOL!
Uh oh. My motto is: “When in doubt, eat dessert first !”
I live in TX and it’s just standard to have a lime in a Corona. It makes it taste better, too!
And fact – Corona is actually the “poor man’s beer” in Mexico yet it’s expensive over here!
Lol. As an American, I can tell you it’s not “Americans”, it’s unadventurous eaters. I think a lot if it has to do with what you’re exposed to as a child. That helps determine what types of food you’re comfortable with as an adult.
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