Restaurant Review: Le Crocodile — A Delectable Trip to Fine Cuisine Wonderland
Photo courtesy of the author.
This 2023, Maria in Vancouver will start writing about her favourite restaurants in Vancouver. She will also write about the many places you can visit and the many exciting activities you can do in Vancouver. Maria in Vancouver will also write about the real-life stories of inspirational Filipina women who survived against all odds. To start 2023 on a delicious note, Maria in Vancouver will share with you her flavoursome culinary experience in one of, if not, the best French cuisine you could ever taste in Vancouver!
Le Crocodile in Burrard Street is the quintessential Vancouverite foodie’s perennial French cuisine destination in Vancouver. It is definitely one of the top fixtures in the Vancouver fine dining scene. The owner, Chef Michel Jacob, is considered as one of Vancouver’s strongest pillars of fine French cuisine. Incidentally, Chef Michel named his restaurant after the finest restaurant he had ever dined at in his hometown of Strasbourg, the three-star Michelin restaurant Au Crocodile.
I remember with great gastronomic fondness when I used to dine at Le Crocodile during my late teens and early ‘20s when it used to be on Thurlow Street off Robson. Our mom, who is the original foodie of Vancouver, would often take us for lunch at Le Crocodile in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Forty years later, I find myself still drawn to Le Crocodile and this time, I usually dine there with my husband and my only son, William. Over the years, we celebrated birthdays, anniversaries and even just our simple weekend date nights at Le Crocodile.
This unassuming fine dining place is like a second home to me albeit it serves the most orgasmic cuisine one could ever experience in this lifetime! I swear, every time I go there, my husband gets jealous! He doesn’t approve each time I go “oooohhhh” and “ahhhhh” after every course! Yes, I make love to my food, but only to the finest cuisine!
Dining at Le Crocodile is like being Alice in Wonderland — the minute you enter the restaurant, it’s like Alice falling down the rabbit hole and taking you on a most delectable journey to the Fine Cuisine Wonderland.
Le Chef Cuisinier. Master Chef Michel Jacob is an institution in Vancouver’s culinary cuisine. He is France’s most famous import to Vancouver! He is one of the main reasons Le Crocodile has enjoyed longevity in such a fickle-minded world — the restaurant industry. He built Le Crocodile from scratch in 1983 with the sole purpose of creating long-lasting relationships with its diners and elevating French cuisine to a high standard. And boy, he did it through forty years of consistency in food, beverage and service; he’s always focused, disciplined, and strives for perfection on a daily basis. Chef Michel has immeasurable respect for his peers and above all, for himself.
He has trained the best chefs in Vancouver: Executive Chef Ned Bell, Executive Chef Rob Feenie, and Executive Chef David Hawksworth to name a few. In fact, these highly acclaimed chefs have described that training and learning from Chef Michel Jacob is akin to learning at Harvard University. In addition to his numerous culinary awards and being a member of the B.C. Restaurant Hall of Fame, Chef Michel Jacob was named an officer in the Ordre du Mérite agricole by the French government in 2020 for showcasing the finest Alsatian French cuisine using only the finest ingredients from his home country.
Photo courtesy of the author.
The ambiance. This is what makes Le Crocodile special. It’s devoid of anything ostentatious and extravagant. There are no expensive chandeliers dangling from the ceiling or modern over-the-top decorations. Far from it. It’s so understated and yet, it has that chic homeliness appeal and romantic vibe. It’s where unpretentious people go. You won’t find any social climbers at Le Crocodile. Instead, you’ll most likely bump into your parents’ friends or business associates and that’s what makes it different and unique. The decor is reminiscent of a chic Parisienne bistro — the kind that you will find at Le Marais on the 3rd and 4th Arrondissements. Its’ ambiance is partly what attracts high-profile celebrities such as Hollywood stars, royalty, the beautiful crowd, politicians, and Canada’s movers and shakers to dine here because they’re left alone and not gawked at by other diners.
Photo courtesy of the author.
The food. The cuisine is traditional and classic French Alsatian food as the multi-award-winning Master Chef Michel hails from Strasbourg, Alsace in France. While we’ve been to Le Crocodile numerous times, I’m going to base this review on our recent visit to celebrate my husband’s birthday last December 29, 2022.
Amuse-bouche. Le Crocodile won’t be Le Crocodile without the customary amuse-bouche. For that special occasion, we had the privilege of having the goat cheese and chive tarts. This amuse-bouche deserves its own spotlight. It’s not your ordinary tart for that matter. This goat cheese and chive tart truly melts in your mouth. It might be a small bite, but it sure packs big and interesting flavours — so definitely ringing endorsements here! This is how Chef Michel starts to cast his spell on you. The combined flavours of the cheese and chives force you to give that first orgasmic “ohhhhh” for the night. To make it a perfect start, my husband paired it with a dry Martini — James Bond’s Vesper Martini — shaken, not stirred. Yours truly paired it with Crémant D’Alsace Rosé from France. Très merveilleux! You know it’s a truly fine dining experience if they serve you an amuse-bouche to start your dining experience right!
Photo courtesy of the author. Goat cheese and chive tart.
The Appetizers. On my husband’s birthday dinner treat, my husband chose his all-time favourite, the Beef Tenderloin Steak Tartare, specially made to order and served with classic garnishes. Le Crocodile serves the best and the freshest steak tartare! Chef Michel doesn’t cut corners with his steak tartare — he serves only the best beef tenderloin as it is the only best cut of beef for tartare. It is the most tender cut of beef and contains just the right amount of fat for flavour. Chef Michel creates the silkiest texture tartare in the whole of North America. He prepares it as a traditional European-style Steak Tartare recipe made with good-quality beef tenderloin, shallots, capers, and raw egg yolk that helps to hold the chopped beef and other ingredients altogether. The end result? Well, I’ve never seen my husband close his eyes so many times as if he’s in heavenly ecstasy! It was my turn to get jealous!
Photo courtesy of the author. Beef tenderloin steak tartare.
For yours truly, I went for the more exotic warm appetizer, the Garlic Sautéed Frog Legs with chive butter and tomato fondant. Yum is an understatement! It is actually an extremely common delicacy in French cuisine. I compared it to chicken wings, as their texture and structure were quite similar. But what truly blew my mind was the way Chef Michel flavoured this delicious delicacy with the combination of chive butter melting in your mouth and the tomato fondant giving you that tangy yet balanced taste. The magical flavour itself makes you forget that you’re feasting on frogs’ legs — if you find that kind of delicacy icky. However, for me, it is what I imagine would feel like if I suddenly died and went to heaven! It was so delicate, so tasty and so buttery. I kept ordering bread to finish off the sauce! We paired our appetizers and main courses with Crémant de Bourgogne Bailly La Pierre Brut. Absolutely divine. Match made in heaven.
Photo courtesy of the author. Frog legs with chive butter and tomato fondant.
Photo courtesy of the author. Frog legs with chive butter and tomato fondant.
The Second Course. Second courses or secondi are usually confined to Italian fine dining. But since we’re at Le Crocodile, we wanted to try as much delicious food as we could. The best thing at Le Crocodile is that they’re always accommodating to your requests. On my husband’s birthday dinner, we requested a pasta dish to share as a second course. That night, we were offered a thin artisanal pasta cooked simply as aglio e olio with two big prawns to share. It was utterly delightful! It was a perfect dish to have as a break from the appetizers and the forthcoming main courses. The pasta was cooked Al dente with just the right amount of olive oil and the freshest and most succulent prawns. It was so delicious and so yummy, my husband wanted more!
Photo courtesy of the author. Thin artisanal pasta with succulent prawns.
The Entrée. For his main course, my husband chose the Grilled BC Salmon served with Brunoise fingerling potato, fresh thyme, and virgin sauce. His verdict: it was the perfect balance of buttery-rich salmon and that smoky grill flavour. It definitely had that distinctive and much more pronounced and strong fish flavour, just the way he wanted it! My husband also greatly appreciated the Moroccan-style couscous that went with it. Coming from the Middle East, he said it brought fond childhood cuisine memories from back home.
Photo courtesy of the author. Grilled BC Salmon.
For moi, I opted for the traditional pan-seared dry-aged 16oz Ribeye, butter based with béarnaise sauce. I am a certified meat lover. I love a great steak. Medium rare please — the only way a proper steak should be cooked. My steak arrived as a warm, red centre steak that oozes with juicy, beef-forward flavour. It was definitely soft and juicy on the inside and firm on the outside. My perfect medium rare dry aged 16oz steak came with two kinds of French Pomme frites (the skinny shoestring and the classic), spinach salad and béarnaise sauce on the side. It would definitely be my last dish if I were asked to have one. My husband teased me and said at that particular moment, he reminded me of Meg Ryan’s lead character, Sally “in that scene” from the hit movie, “When Harry Met Sally”!
Photo courtesy of the author. Dry aged 16 oz pan-seared ribeye.
Photo courtesy of the author. The complimentary Julienne Shoestring Pomme frites. Perfectly skinny and crispy!
Photo courtesy of the author. Classic Pomme frites.
Photo courtesy of the author. Delicious spinach salad.
Photo courtesy of the author. Béarnaise sauce.
Cleansing the palate. Aside from the customary amuse-bouche, expect to have the cooling sorbet palate cleanser after the main course in a fine dining French restaurant. Then, you’ll know that you’re definitely in a world-class fine dining French restaurant. On that special night, my husband and I were treated to Chef Michel’s mouth-watering pear sorbet. Needless to say, it was light and refreshing, an ideal follow-up to an out-of-this-world main course.
Photo courtesy of the author. Pear sorbet.
Le Dessert. My husband chose the most exquisite, rich, creamy custard filling inside the light, airy, crispy, perfectly baked choux pastry shells, and then drizzled with a luscious chocolate sauce on top — Le Crocodile’s famous chocolate profiteroles. For me, I stuck with Le Crocodile’s traditional soufflé which came out perfectly puffed and brown with the fluffiest and softest centre! One could only imagine that this is probably what it would taste like if one were to eat sweet and delicious air! What can one say, my husband and I chose the best of both worlds!
Photo courtesy of the author. Chocolate profiteroles.
Photo courtesy of the author. Soufflé.
Le Service Extraordinaire. Forty years later, with some of the original staff still here, my husband is still buddies with Le Crocodile’s original staff such as the ever-charming Pierre! He truly epitomises service with a heart. Pierre is always consistent with his top-notch service. He knows his food and wine like the back of his hand. He makes sure that you have the best dining experience you could ever have in your life and even escorts you out of the restaurant after your meal. Now, that’s a real special touch that could only come from someone who really loves what he does and takes pride in what he does. Pierre is extremely loyal to the Le Crocodile brand and will surely go over and beyond to provide you with such exemplary service.
In fact, the whole team will go over and beyond to serve you from their hearts — the manager, Sandy, and the receptionist, Sofia, are absolutely fantastic! They are friendly and accommodating. The other long-time Le Crocodile team member, Bryan, will also give you exceptional service if you happen to sit in his area. My husband and I have known this A-team for years!
Photo courtesy of the author. With Pierre — truly world class service with so much warmth and charm!
Lastly, the (in)famous Le Crocodile milk and dark chocolates. I only have one word for this unique end-of-meal treat: SINFUL! At Le Crocodile, they really know how to pamper you from start to finish. And this is why we keep coming back for more! To dearest Chef Michel Jacob and the Le Crocodile famille, merci mille fois from our hearts! C’est vraiment très bon. Truly c’est délicieux!
Photo courtesy of the author. Crocodile chocolates.
Photo courtesy of the author. Crocodile chocolates.
