Le Provencal European Bistro

Found this on a whim through OpenTable as my other plans fell through. Came here with my Mom and boyfriend for Mother's day brunch and loved it. It had such a cozy feel to it and the food portions were quite generous. I'd definitely come here again as I'm all about supporting local businesses and trying different cuisines. I hope to come back and try some seafood dishes.

Came here today for lunch with a coworker. Excellent service and even better food. I had the mushroom and chicken rigatoni. Prices were very reasonable, fresh ingredients, large portion, deliciously seasoned. I will be returning. Great food.

Very limited wine list and menu Strip mall restaurant Very mediocre. How did it get a high rating???? We had to leave and go to another restaurant.

Wonderful menu, such interesting and flavourful dishes. I have tried multiple items on the menu and each was so beautifully presented and tasted absolutely delicious. French Onion soup is traditional and not salty, flavourful broth, and lots of cheese. Order the bruschetta with cheese, the tomatoes are chopped to just the right size and marinated along with onions, a little garlic parsley and a good size portion for you to dish on the bread as you see fit. Soup of the day has always been good too, all home made and never salty. Had the Dinner Crepes Parisiennes with ham, goat cheese, spinach and egg, served with home fries which are like a roast potato that has been sliced multiple times thinly and crisps up nice. Also served with fresh salad and fruit (peaches, strawberries, grapes) that are in a light sweet sauce and go so well with the cheese and flavours in the crepe. I 've also had the vegetarian crepe, fantastic and this was stuffed full of spinach, goat cheese, onion, avocado, and tomato with the same sides as above. My favourite dish on the menu is the Chicken Breaded Cutlet with peppercorn sauce. This is the most tender piece of chicken cutlet I have ever had, cut it with a fork. The breading is crisp and light. This dish is served with the same roast potato home fries, veggies (carrots, beans wrapped in bacon...amazing) and a salad. I don 't normally think of steak at a French restaurant other then the typical minute steak and frites, but this place has a great cut of sirloin beef they do either with bacon and goat cheese, or with a garlic portobello mushroom sauce. Save room for dessert, more crepes with choice of ice cream and filling (chocolate, peanut butter), toppings like bananas, strawberries, fruit, chocolate, Nutella, maple syrup. So happy we finally have a good restaurant in Pickering.

We just happened to be in the neighbourhood looking for a place to eat lunch when we spotted Taara's all day breakfast sign. The service wasn't the fastest since the owner, Siva, was working alone. He served our drinks then went to finish preparing the meals for other waiting customers. This didn't matter, since the meal I had was well worth the wait. It was truly home cooked, with attention being paid to properly preparing all items rather than rushing. For some reason, it is often hard to get over medium eggs cooked correctly. Siva managed it. The French toast wasn't overly wet and was flavourful. The potatoes were excellent being lightly seasoned and perfectly browned. But the real winner was the bacon. Crisp without being chewy and bursting with flavour, exactly like the breakfasts of my childhood. This was followed by cantaloupe slices which made a great finish, cleansing the palate at the end of the meal. Oh, and the price was quite reasonable too. Siva was quite attentive when the lunch crowd thinned. I look forward to the next time I am in Pickering and can visit Taara's Diner to try out other menu items. As for wheelchair access, I can't recall if the parking area had a ramp up the small step to the exterior sidewalk, but the restaurant itself is one one level including the bathrooms.