Located on the 1200 block of Bute Street (at the rainbow crosswalk) in Vancouver’s Davie Village, Exile Bistro is a great new addition to the West End dining scene. The small 25 seat bistro and cocktail bar prides itself on using ethically grown, locally sourced or foraged ingredients that are as organic as possible. While there are many vegan or gluten-free options on the menu, Exile doesn’t forget the meat eaters with BC Bison, Trout and Boar as options.
I recently visited for brunch with my friend Michael (@vegandall) choosing to sit outside on a nice spring day, the fresh air balancing the fresh ingredients. I choose the gluten-free breakfast biscuit benny; a pair of nicely poached eggs with wild kale and mushrooms, sitting atop a flakey rusk-style, gluten-free biscuit with a yoghurt based hollandaise sauce. A nice balance between the flakey biscuit and the egg yolks and hollandaise. Michael opted for the Farinata, an eggless omelette alternative made with chickpea flour, topped with mushrooms, shallots, and juniper aioli (cheese can be added if you don’t want to keep it vegan). The Farinata was more of a flatbread or frittata style than a classic folded omelette but all the flavours worked to create a satisfying breakfast. A side of multi-coloured potatoes sauteed in olive-oil added a simple addition to round out the brunch.
A return visit is in order to try dinner and cocktails, with a patio still to be built along on the quiet block of Bute Street, a summer evening of al fresco dining will be perfect.
Exhile Bistro is located at 1220 Bute Street, Vancouver. Hours: Monday to Sunday 5pm – late, Saturday & Sunday Brunch 9am-2:30pm Phone: 604.563.8633 Facebook.com/exhilevancouver