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BACKGROUND
In 1993, partners Lorne Tyczenski and Stephen Greenham founded Sweet Obsession Cakes & Pastries on 16th Avenue in Kitsilano, a popular neighbourhood on Vancouver’s westside.
The multi-faceted pair each left other careers to follow Tyczenski’s dream to become a full-time pastry chef and open his own pastry shop and cafe. While Tyczenski was the artist extraordinaire in the pastry shop, Greenham helped run the business and quickly became an integral part of the creative team designing the fresh floral and sugared fruit arrangements for Sweet Obsession’s spectacular flans, tortes and wedding cakes.
Five years later with a loyal following established for Sweet Obsession, the pair opened Trafalgars Bistro a few doors down on the same tree-lined Kitsilano block in 1997. Originally, the retail portion of Sweet Obsession was combined with the restaurant. In 2004, Sweet Obsession expanded and doubled in size. The retail counter and cafe moved back to its original, expanded location.
With more space, Trafalgars Bistro was renovated and stylish new bar seating added at the entrance.
STYLE
Elegant, but unpretentious, Trafalgars Bistro epitomizes the cozy informality of a French bistro. The exterior is marked by trademark green awnings and a landscaped patio of cultivated trees and overflowing planters.
Inside, oak hardwood floors, leather banquettes, antique chandeliers and simple table settings create a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere designed for lingering long into the day or evening.
SEATING
There are 40 seats in the 1,500 square foot restaurant, six at the bar and 30 on the patio, which is open and warmed year-round by sunny southern exposure.
BISTRO FARE
Canadian-born Head Chef Chris Moran joined Trafalgars Bistro the year it opened in 1997. His love of fresh and exotic ingredients is on display in the bistro’s adventurous menu that ranges in its influences from French, Italian and Greek to Japanese and Thai, cuisines that Chef Moran has enjoyed in his travels throughout life. In all cases, this is sophisticated yet hearty food meant to be leisurely enjoyed.
DAYTIME MENU
Highlights of the Daytime Menu include brunch items such as the popular poached eggs on potato latke; pancetta and snap pea frittata; and crab salad stuffed avocado with passionfruit vinaigrette.
All sandwiches at lunch − from the barbecued halibut ciabata with citrus marmalade to the grilled chicken and brie panini with mango chutney and curried mayonnaise − are served with a choice of soup, salad, fries or Indian pakoras.
Entree prices range from $14 to $17, soups, salads and add-ons from $6 to $10.
DINNER MENU
On the Dinner Menu, favourite entrees among Trafalgars’ regular clientele include the pan roasted lamb sirloin with pine nut gnocchi and a lemon-sage demi glace; semolina crusted veal liver with smoked tomato and eggplant ragout; and wild mushroom risotto with black truffle oil and shaved Grana Padano parmesan. Entrees range from $18 to $26.
From Sunday through Wednesday year-round, Trafalgars Bistro offers a three-course dinner menu for $35 per person (plus tax and gratuity), with complementary wine flights available for an additional charge.
DESSERT PAIRINGS
Desserts are popular all day and are a late night draw to the bistro. All desserts are prepared by the talented pastry chefs at Sweet Obsession and artfully plated by the chefs in the Trafalgars Bistro kitchen.
The tempting selection of desserts is each paired with a recommended dessert wine or liqueur. Suggested pairings include chocolate St. Honore cake and Muscat de Beaumes de Venise; lemon Dacquoise cake and Dow’s Late Bottled Vintage Port; triple berry mousse and Kir Royale; and warm toffee cake with Maker’s Mark Bourbon.
Desserts by the slice are $8.50 or $12.50 with the suggested pairing.
WINE LIST
The Trafalgars Bistro wine list begins with martinis; (the espresso martini is called “dessert in a glass) and aperitifs from Pousse Rapiere (Champagne and Pineau des Charantes) to Pernod or Ricard, as well as a selection of lagers, ales and cider.
The sparkling wine and Champagne selection is concise with three selections, but offers a nice price range with Segura Viudas Cava Brut at $6.50 a glass or $30 per bottle up to Pol Roger Cuvee de Reserve Brut $58 half/$100 bottle.
A well-designed selection of white and red wines, with a predominance of BC selections, offers wines by the glass, half litre, half bottle, and bottle. Prices range from $5.50 per glass/$15.50 half litre/$22 a bottle for The Rhone Valley Phoque Blanc Chardonnay to Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc at $9.50 per glass. In between are selections from Blasted Church, Mission Hill, Sandhill, Yalumba, J. Lohr, Lorch and Les Romains Sancerre.
The red choices by the glass, half litre, half bottle and bottle begin with the Rhone Valley Phoque Rouge Grenache starting at $5 per glass and range through selections from Nipozzano, Norton, Lotengo, Mission Hill, Sandhill, and La Tour Chateau Grand Moulin.
These wineries and many more are also presented on the full list of wines by the bottle, which offers a carefully chosen and well-priced range starting from Calona Pinot Blanc, BC ($20) to the Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, NZ ($70). On the red side, choices include Lotengo Malbec, Argentina ($26), LZ Riojas, Spain ($38), Lincort Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara ($46) and Burrowing Owl Merlot, BC ($52).
The wine list was most recently updated in April 2007.
HOURS & PARKING
Trafalgars Bistro is open weekdays from 11 am ‘til late. Street parking around 16th Avenue West and Trafalgar Street is plentiful and free. Menus are available as follows:
- Daytime menu, including brunch, is available from 11 am to 4 pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 4pm weekends
- The Dinner menu is available from 5 pm to 10 pm Monday to Thursday and between 5 pm and 11 pm on Fridays and Saturday
Menus change with the seasons approximately three times a year.
SPONSORSHIPS
A member of Tourism Vancouver, Trafalgars is also a proud supporter of Dining Out For Life, Friends for Life, and A Loving Spoonful.
We are also a proud member of
Vancouver Aquarium's Ocean Wise program for sustainable seafood.
RESERVATIONS
Reservations are accepted for dinner only. Call 604 739-0555, ext 1. or visit OpenTable .com
MEDIA CONTACTS
Kathy Eccles, Public Relations Associate
On Cue Communications, 250 722-2031, kathy@on-cue.ca
Stephen Greenham, Owner
Trafalgars Bistro, 604 739-0555, info@trafalgars.com | 
