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UYE: Wine & Cheese @ Au Petit Chavignol
Category: Local Flavour Local Flavour [Edit]
843 E Hastings StVancouver, BC V6A 1R8
Neighbourhood: Downtown Eastside
(604) 255-4218
- Good for Kids:
- No
7 reviews for UYE: Wine & Cheese @ Au Petit Chavignol
7 reviews in English
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Review from Crystal H.
Vancouver, BC
1/9/2010 1 photo
As I sip on my chocolate rooibos tea (thanks Roanna!) this morning I reflect on all the re-gifting goodies that went around the table:
-poisonous narcissist plants resurrected from the dead
-wild cherry visor CD case
-raspberry scented perfume, lip balm and a pink iPod nano care set
-a calendar (for 2010 nonetheless)
-turkish delights
-candles that smell like mown grass
-dog breath mint case holding a cat broach
-funky wine glass markers
-a snifter, a pimp cup or hurricane candle holder - Alex can be the decider of that gift's fate
Did I miss something? If so, it's likely because of all the brilliant stealing that went down at our very own White Elephant. Thanks for keeping the fighting clean :p
The space was beautiful. The lighting and music fit the mood while we settled into our selections. I felt assured that they must know their cheese. It took many minutes for my nose to adjust to the overpowering aroma of a "stinky" fromage. And aside from the previously mentioned cold-as-ice service in the beginning, this was an excellent place for our first UYE of the year.
The food presentation reminded me of high tea. A three tiered glass tray held the Grand Tasting Platter, and while I'm not usually a fan of pates, I have to admit, I enjoyed a few bites. The raclette, my first, was tasty and impressive (once we finally got it). And Reena M's educated knowledge of wines made the Riesling choice a breeze. I'd say that both of the bottles we polished off were tasty indeed.
If I were just basing this review on food and service alone, APC would get a 3 from me. I would have liked our server to know the cheeses she was presenting, and perhaps, as someone mentioned, affix a little tag of some sort to the cheeses and meats so we could remember them. Even though the service warmed up near the end, my chances of returning here over Salt or the Refinery are slim.
But, pull in the UYE aspect, and it's 5 stars all the way. Reena deserves some huge kudos for pulling this shin-dig together. Hooray!
Hope we can count all of us in for another White Elephant UYE to kick off 2011.Listed in: Cheese Please!
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Review from Vincci L.
1/8/2010 2 photos
SUPER elated about my resulting gift from the White Elephant-Vacu-vin 'Glass Markers"-the Party People edition. Different colored mini suction cups with little characters to identify wine glasses when there's a large party. How appropriate is that?
Now, back to the place. I arrive late so I missed out on all that reservation story. I did get a taste of our 'snarky' server when we then proceeded to order a raclette, and she seemed very hesitant to serve it to us.
"You have a large party so it will be hard to share a raclette. Are you sure you want it?"
"Yes, we want it."
Ten minutes later she comes back, and asks the same question. I thought we had said we wanted one ten minutes ago. Oh well.
I was first introduced to raclette when my friend hosted a raclette party and have loved it ever since. The raclette that this place had had 2 pans. You essentially place the raclette cheese in there (almost like a swiss/gouda cheese, specially sized for the raclette pan)..heat for 30 seconds, let the cheese melt, and then pour onto the potatoes, bread, pickles...anything you want!! It was really yummy. I had it with a Gunderloch 'Fritz' riesling, peachy, citrusy,light, it went perfect with the racelette!!
Great company made the gathering lots of fun...and the gift exchange added an extra kick!! -
Review from Christine R.
New Westminster, BC
1/8/2010
I was very excited to try out this place, as we had liked Salt so much, and I had heard APC was even better. So yes, I too, was taken aback by the server's low-key bitchiness. (Who reams out the customer on what time the reservation was for? Chill, lady, it's Wednesday.) Anyway, I don't know if she overheard us kinda talking about her or if she gave herself an attitude adjustment, but she did warm up as the evening progressed.
Well, then, that little unpleasantness aside, the food, company and wine were all wonderful. The three-tier meat n cheese platter was great, though I wish I knew a little better what I was eating - little labels would be helpful. Note for future UYEs: Reena M. is a master orderer! Not only did she coordinate the wine pickin' and suggest the delicious raclette (a new experience for this fondue veteran), she was also just assertive enough with our unruly server. Go Reena!
The White Elephant gift exchange was also a lot of fun - I love my mown-grass scented candle and I thank whoever ended up with that Turkish Delight! Thanks again Yelpers.Listed in: Yelping: the Live Show
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Review from Reena M.
1/7/2010
At the beginning of the evening I was all ready to give this 3 stars because our service was a bit "snarky" as Katie F. put it. I am sure that I confirmed with Andy (the owner?) that the reservation was for 7pm and I originally told him around 5 people and he said, we'll make it for 8. And I said okay. Well I'm not sure where the message went to the server but it was quite frustrating to be subject to passive aggressive comments from her. Additionally, she misheard me when I ordered the French Raclette and brought us Rillette... Towards the end she lightened up though. We ended up being 9 people.
The food was really tasty and fun. We ended up getting the large grand platter of meat, cheese, and accompaniments for $50 which suited us fine. Along with 2 types of German Rieslings--I can't remember the name but both were from the Rheingau region. The raclette was the most fun because it's like an easy bake oven sort of thing where you melt the cheese and scrape it on to your potatoes, cornichons, and onions. It's a great idea for a group of this size or smaller because it definitely allows for mingling. It'd be a great date idea too!
And the White Elephant re-gifting activity was a lot of fun and a great way to end the evening. I came out with a mission to nurse a sweet (as in "rad" or "gnarly", not the flavour) narcissus plant back to health/full bloom. And if Scarlet (the narcissus) dies, I got a pretty cool box out of it!Listed in: Yelpage
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Review from Katie F.
1/7/2010
I enjoyed the GTG itself and the white elephant regifiting was fun, but I definitely didn't care for the place. Decor is nice and food is OK. I'm a service snob and I had another lovely dinner at La Terrazza the night prior so this was such a contrast.
As Reena M put it, I found our server quite snarky. Seriously, who tries to insist that you made a reservation for 6:30 when you made one for 7:00? Maybe she was having a bad day, but there were other things that could be more polished like confirming the order (rillette versus raclette), clearly going through the cheeses so everyone around the table can hear since I had no idea what I was eating, and offering some specific wine suggestions when asked rather than just saying "a Riesling".
The food was tasty and it's a unique cheese/wine/meat experience, but I wouldn't come back when there are other similar options in town (i.e. Salt in Gastown and Gudrun in Richmond).
Just a few other points - they take credit cards but they don't take Amex. The neighborhood is a bit dicey so don't be surprised if you have someone knocking on your window or waving your car down before you go in! -
Review from Roanna Z.
1/7/2010
What a great idea for a gathering! More like a cultural event. We arrived to see our familiar Yelpers hovered around a tri-level platter, tasting Cheese and specialty meats.
I really felt we were in Europe for a minute because I guess that's the atmosphere they convey in there.
Our goofy group were the life of the place tonight though, lightening up the (kind of dry) room with our "white elephant" exchange. We had fun ! -
Review from Alex G.
Vancouver, BC
1/7/2010
Had a great time meeting everyone and was very happy with my first White Elephant experience. My new votive holder/chalice/snifter has really spiced up my boudoir. As for Au Petit Chavignol, I think that much like our raclette, they just needed a little time to warm up. I found everything to be quite tasty and had a great time learning about Reisling (thanks Reena!) which I don't ordinarily drink. (I think we all enjoyed the Gunderloch). It's a nice cheesy spot in my work 'hood and I'm sure I'll be back.
