ciao! reviews
CAFE CE SOIR
Neighbourhood. . . . . Downtown
Address. . . . . . . 937 Portage Ave
Phone. . . . . . . . . 204-414-7647
Entrées. . . . . . . . . . . . . $14-$33
Those who think that a tiny room on
Portage Avenue could have nothing in
common with the south of France are
in dire need of a trip to Café Ce Soir.
From the moment diners stomp
the snow off their boots and pass the
threshold, the warmly-lit, red-walled
room has a transportive effect. It could
be the bistro blackboards, the welcomingly large wine glasses, the photos
and postcards of Normandy under
glass at each table, or a combination of
all three. Regardless, this is the cheapest ticket to France you’ll find.
30
ciao! / feb/mar / two thousand sixteen
The size makes an open kitchen
more necessity than statement, a
stroke of luck for diners who get to
watch chef Cam Tran work his magic.
Wafts of garlic butter sauce take over
the room as the chef pumps out plates
with assistance from a small staff.
Tran’s French training results in
sky high standards for cuisine. This
is the place for classics, like comforting coq au vin bathed in wine sauce.
Haute cuisine prowess with meat is
showcased in preparations like beef
tenderloin, wrapped in bacon and
perfectly paired with a dusky coin of
pâté and a sweet tart demi glace.
Bistro favourites are ideal for long
lunches or weeknight dinners, like the
croque monsieur, which oozes cheese
and creamy beschamel. Crispy, pencil
thin frîtes are standout as well, great
for dipping in housemade aïoli. A
take on goat cheese salad incorporates whole toasty hazelnuts and a
richness-cutting vinaigrette zinging
with blood orange and chive.
Amid the French fare, the restaurant keeps a sense of place. Chef Tran
is a pioneer of the Slow Food movement in Winnipeg, which stresses the
importance of regional cuisine and
preservation of indigenous plants
and wildlife. Many local ingredients
fill the kitchen – in warmer months,
visitors may find Café Ce Soir closed
so that its chef can take to the woods
to forage mushrooms. Fresh baguettes
from local L’epi de Ble bakery or a
decadent tartiflette, swimming in
cream and topped with funky Trappist
cheese, show where the ideology hits
the plate. Other menu items, like
bison spring rolls or a salad dressed
with hoisin peanut butter sauce nod
to Tran’s Vietnamese heritage.
The space has the air of one man’s
passion for cuisine, with the pastry
case as playground. Delicate tarts,