‘La Brasserie’ tag indicates upward mobility, but while there are some winning dishes, their menu rambles a little
Mia Stainsby
Sun
Henry and Jasmine Hsu at their new and busy location, Henry’s Kitchen La Brasserie. She holds Grilled Calamari Steak with papaya and mango salsa; he holds Bouillabaise Marseillaise. Photograph by : Stuart Davis, Vancouver Sun
The first Henry’s Kitchen opened a couple of years ago on Macdonald Street to huzzahs from the locals around Macdonald and 25th, grateful for the unpretentious, inexpensive spot offering very good returns from the kitchen.
Henry’s has since vacated and locals are rejoicing the next incarnation, La Buca, a fabulous little neighbourhood Italian spot.
Henry Hsu moved on to a larger space at the King Edward Shopping Plaza and changed the name from Henry’s Kitchen Pasta and Grill to Henry’s Kitchen La Brasserie, indicating upward mobility. Outside, it lacks elan but inside, it’s a wannabe brasserie and it’s very busy. Norah Jones and Billie Holiday songs drift between the conversations.
Hsu carries on with good-value meals (he’s added French bistro dishes) but prices have drifted upwards to accommodate higher rent and more staff, which means there’s less room for forgiveness from customers. His wife Jasmine was the one and only front-of-house staff before. I counted four at his new spot. Customers here are a greyer demographic than at his first location; in fact, about half the diners were pensioners.
The menu — straddling Italian and French bistro dishes — tends to ramble. There are starters, appetizers, pasta and risotto (a dozen), brasserie specials, “Henry’s recommendations,” and “Henry’s Popular Dishes,” the last featuring 34 items ranging from pan-seared calf’s liver to sauteed frog’s legs and escargots with shiitake mushrooms. As well, there are daily specials. I think he needs to trim and refine some of the dishes.
One absolute keeper is his cheesecake. I’m no cheesecake-a-phile, but his is the best in terms of light and guilt-free. Beaten egg whites and a slow bake have something to do with it. Since I’m hooked, I’ve only tried one other dessert at Henry’s and it’s the chocolate ganache cake, which holds its own, too.
But back to the stuff of dinner. (He’s open for lunch, too, with a somewhat leaner menu and prices.) Appetizers run $4 to $11. Mains are $9 to $18 for pasta and risotto dishes; French bistro style dishes are $16 to $29.
To start, a grilled calamari steak was a hit. It was actually cuttlefish (bigger-bodied, smaller tendrilled, more expensive), very tender and jazzed with papaya and mango salsa and crisp pappadam. A neatly composed crabcake came with avocado mash and tomato salsa.
Of the mains, two get both thumbs up and two don’t. The roasted Tuscan chicken was juicy and tender with hints of garlic and rosemary; it came with three plainly cooked vegetables and some scalloped potatoes — a hearty winter dish. And the seafood cannelloni is something I’d order again. It was gently handled and maintained its form while so many cannellonis are flattened carcasses of their real selves.
The beef bourguignon was more like North American stew with carrots and potatoes and was served punishingly hot; ingredients listed were red wine, pearl onions, mushrooms and bacon (the Burgundian way) but I tasted little of the wine or the depth it should have added. It came with a bowl of rice, which detracted from the brasserie tag.
The Cassoulet Toulouse was rugged. Very rugged. It had little in the way of beans and the duck had an off-putting layer of blubbery fat. It was quite abysmal compared to what I had recently at Jules, a new French bistro in Gastown.
Among the long list of dishes, I’m sure I’ve missed some gems but why must we slog through some mediocre ones to get to them?
Truly, I think he needs to trim fat off the menu as well as the duck, allowing him to spend time on consistent quality. He’s capable of it. He did a great job when he was the chef at Southside Grill in Tsawwassen; he’s worked at Borgo Antico as well as five-star hotels in Taipei.
The wine list carries a wide variety of budget wines by the bottle; by the glass, it tends towards plonk.
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HENRY’S KITCHEN
Overall: 3
Food: 3
Ambience: 3
Service: 3 1/2
Price: $$
904 West King Edward
604-738-9883
www.henryskitchen.com
Open Tuesday to Friday for lunch, 11 p.m. to 2 p.m., and Tuesday to Saturday for dinner, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Restaurant visits are conducted anonymously and interviews are done by phone. Restaurants are rated out of five stars.
© The Vancouver Sun 2007
