Another day in Vancouver, another restaurant opened. This time, it is the long-awaited Ça Marche Crêperie, specializing in crêpes from Brittany, France. If there are crêpes involved, you know I will be there, so it should come as no surprise that opening night, I was knocking down their door to be let in already.
Dinner service on Saturday November 6, 2021 marked the opening of Ça Marche Crêperie. The new eatery is located at the foot of Vancouver House, adjacent to another favourite of mine, Autostrada Osteria. The space is small; therefore limiting the number of diners Ça Marche Crêperie can accommodate at a given time. An eccentric neon sign shines a glow onto an interesting rusted exterior panelling. Guess we can call it industrial rust chic? Inside, emerald green, brass, white and greys make for an elegant upscale setting. The old me would have fawned all over the design, but I now know better than to be blinded by beauty.
The Champignon is a buckwheat crêpe folded over sauteed mushrooms, cider onion jam, kale, goat cheese and soft poached egg. Onions and I do not get along, so the kitchen put the cider onion jam on the side for me. The filling had great flavour with the mushrooms offering wonderful umami while the kale gave a great texture. All of the savoury crepes are gluten-free at Ça Marche Crêperie because they are made with buckwheat flour. Unfortunately, the $18 crêpe did nothing to curb my hunger. Visually the thin crêpe filled the plate from edge to edge; however, it is misleading since the filling is concentrated in the center.
From the Crêpes Sucrees menu, I selected the Pomme. A classic crepe topped with caramel poached apple, salted caramel and buckwheat ice cream. It is hard to go wrong with caramel, apples and ice cream. The apples still had a lovely crunchy texture and the caramel sauce had undertones of burnt sugar which I love. Not sure what buckwheat ice cream is supposed to taste like because I thought it was vanilla. On behalf of the simple bitches like me, let's keep it simple and drop the weird pretentious "buckwheat" ice cream and do creamy vanilla.
Ça Marche Crêperie is doing something a little different with the drinks menu, offering an array of locally sourced ciders. Lots of fun citrusy, fruity, tangy and fermented ciders to choose from on tap and by the bottle. I did not have the opportunity to try any during my visit because I myself am more of a cocktail gurl.
With a selection of savoury and sweet crêpes, the menu is rounded out with a side salad and fries. It reminds me of Nero Belgium Waffle Bar, but with crêpes and a higher price tag. Ça Marche Crêperie is also competing against another beloved Vancouver establishment, Cafe Crêpes which has been satisfying our crêpe cravings for years with their limitless flavour pairings.
So how does Ça Marche Crêperie compare to Vancouver favourites? Underwhelming.
I left feeling unsatisfied. The meal felt incomplete. In a competitive food scene like Vancouver's, there is zero room for uncertainty. For sweet crêpes sure, I will consider venturing back - the Suzette sounds divine with its brûlée custard, grand mariner sauce and orange segments. But with an average price of $20 for a savoury crêpe that did not satiate my hunger pangs, Ça Marche Crêperie for dinner is a hard pass for me.
I do hope Ça Marche Crêperie will re-visit their business hours. The current menu is better suited for brunch and lunch. Sure the cider program is more conducive to dinner, but I prefer to eat my calories, not drink them.
BYES
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