BC Business
Left Bank | BCBusinessSpencer Watts, Left Bank's executive chef.
Left Bank | BCBusinessSpencer Watts, Left Bank’s executive chef.
John Blakeley, the veteran restaurateur who owns Kitsilano’s Bistro Pastis, knew that Vancouverites had grown tired of Le Parisien, his traditional French restaurant in the West End. “I made a business decision,” he says of closing the space to launch a new concept. “It was time to turn the page and put an end to an era.” Although the new restaurant, Left Bank, is still French, it’s a more approachable—and affordable—style of dining that Blakeley says appeals to the younger generation that’s “hungry for innovation.” This new style is translated through both the physical space and the menu. Executive chef Spencer Watts introduced Asian and North African influences with the food selections, and Blakeley completely overhauled the interior into a brighter, bistro-style space with casual bar seating. The biggest transformation, however, is the new laneway patio, which took a year and a half of negotiating with the City to build. “I think the City wants to kind of loosen up a little more,” Blakeley says, adding that removing a commercial lane to create a patio has never been done before in Vancouver.