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Monday 26 May 2014

Bonjour Café Bicyclette

While on the south side and looking for a simple, peaceful lunch we decided to try Café Bicyclette. This quaint little café nestled next to the Campus St. Jean in Edmonton is a great place to find fresh food at a reasonable price. While the menu is entirely in French, the staff are helpful, friendly, and willing to assist with translation. Though, for anyone with basic French language skills (we’re talking elementary school) it should be easy enough. 

 


They offer a casual breakfast and lunch seven days a week and a sit down dinner Thursday to Saturday with reservations only available for dinner. Simple fare such as soups, salads and croissant sandwiches fill the small day menu, with heartier entrees like Coq Au Vin and Mushroom Tart rounding out the dinner menu.

The space is small but brightly lit by a wall of windows, with old world brick, wooden chairs and pattered throw pillows on the long bench seat adding gracious touches.

Jackie ordered the Poutine (small $6, large $10) which was delicious. The fries, skin on, were the perfect combination of crunchy on the outside and steamy softness on the inside. They were perfectly salted and it was quite honestly the best fry she's found thus far in Edmonton. Sadly, the gravy wasn’t warm enough and because of the lack of heat, this poutine lacked the gooey meltiness that she was expecting. Though it had good flavor, she felt like it was missing something. 

As for dessert, she was a touch hesitant when she ordered the raspberry Nanaimo Bar. The concern was that the filling would taste artificial and could render the dessert inedible, but it proved to be unfounded. There was just the right ratio of chocolate, raspberry filling, and coconut crumb. Also, the raspberry flavour was delicious, and tasted of actual raspberries. However, the bottom of the bar wasn’t moist enough which made it messy to eat, and took away from the two exceptional layers. Unfortunately this dessert didn’t leave her wanting more, instead it left her wishing for water to rinse the grit from her teeth. (Note: Steph thought it was amazing! :)
Rating 3.5/5

Steph ordered the Soup of the Day, Cream of Broccoli (cup $4, bowl $6) and the Spinach Salad ($8) which consisted of spinach, dried cranberries, walnuts and feta cheese with a light vinaigrette dressing. The salad arrived sans feta, but the server quickly rectified the mistake with a sincere apology. Both dishes were light and delicious, with good clean flavors and quality ingredients. The soup was nice and hot, with the perfect creamy consistancy and balanced flavors. The salad was fresh and each ingredient complimented each other perfectly.
For dessert she ordered tea and a huge Brownie with walnuts. The brownie was not quite moist enough and ended up being rather crumbly on the outside, but it was packed with flavor, had plenty of walnuts and was big enough to share. It seemed home made, with good quality chocolate and plenty of care.
Rating 4.5/5

 Centrally located with plenty of parking, on the picturesque Campus St. Jean, Café Bicyclette is the perfect little place for a relaxing, tasty meal or snack. We recommend visiting on Sundays, when La Cite has a bustling farmers market, or during the afternoon for an unhurried experience. Good value, large portion sizes, high quality ingredients and friendly staff make for a wonderful cafe!
Overall Rating: 8/10

Café Bicyclette on Urbanspoon

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