Curious thing, one of my young daughters really enjoys mussels. When we go to Granville Island she insists we stop at The Lobster Man on the way out to pick up a bag of mussels to bring home and cook.
One hot sunny day this summer just gone, I thought rather than bringing the mussels home, why not take her out to a restaurant for a meal of mussels? So I went to Twitter, asked “where do I go in Metro Vancouver for a lunch of mussels?”
We chose to follow up on my friend Dixon’s recommendation, Salade de Fruits – a little French bistro on 7th Ave, just west of Granville.

We started our lunch with a bowl of French Onion Soup.
They only make the vegetarian edition of their French Onion Soup once a week. I should have paid closer attention – vegetarian French Onion soup. It really lacked depth and heartiness and it certainly was not the prettiest plating job. I would give the soup a miss next time.

Then it was time for the main course – mussels and frites. We opted for the full meal deal of mussels – $23 for the full pot as opposed to $18 for a part pot of mussels. To be honest, that $23 is a big pot of mussels!!
Not only was it a large pot of mussels, it was a pot of pure taste goodness. Lots of large plump mussels and small tender mussels. Perfectly pleasing.

The side plate of frites was a great addition to the meal. Very thin cut fries, crisp on the outside and perfectly soft inside.
Overall, the meal at Salade de Fruits was a very pleasing experience. The server treated my daughter with respect and was friendly without being too cutesy. Although I did not like the French Onion Soup, the mussels were a homerun for both of us.
I have no hesitation in recommending Salade de Fruits and I will definitely be returning in the coming weeks. Salade de Fruits is located in the French Cultural Centre at 1551 West 7th Ave.