Literary culture vultures lost a favourite hang-out when the bohemian Bukowski's closed on Commercial Drive in Vancouver after more than 25 years. It was chef Andreas Seppelt's first restaurant. It was followed by his "sweetly iconic fish shack" called Go Fish in 2004, then another successful eatery in 2008 called Les Faux Bourgeois.

The modest and playful French bistro has garnered critical acclaim and a loyal clientele, giving rise to Seppelt's first book, Les Faux Bourgeois: Bon Vivants on the East Side (Anvil Press, 2016). Affectionately known as Les Fauxbo, the bistro also owes its origins to designer Scott Cohen and builder Stephen Gagnon.

More than a traditional cookbook of recipes often tweaked with West Coast flourishes, the volume compliments and entices "bon vivants on the east side" with sidebars and stories about ingredients such as cheese, charcuterie and wine.

BOOKS

Les Faux Bourgeois: Bon Vivants on the East Side (Anvil Press, 2016) 26.95 978-1-77214-051-4

[BCBW 2016]