Culinary Roadtrip - City of Quebec!

Working and studying in the world of food is the best thing that can happen to any foodie. We are surrounded by knowledgeable and passionate peers that are always more than glad to transmit their contagion! During my school year, I was fortunate enough to meet a fellow classmate that had loads of experience in some of the most known restaurants in Quebec and some more in Europe. He was an amazing connection to infamous chefs and was himself an encyclopedia in the world of restaurants.

Thus, i decided to pay him a visit with a good friend of mine last summer. At the same time, the Festival D'Été de Québec was taking place where artists such as Black Eyed Peas, Rammstein and Billy Talent entertain thousands and thousands of fans. In our three hours drive to Quebec, we familiarized ourselves with their hits to be able to sing along with everyone once we were there :)

The concert of the BEP was absolutely crazy!!!! Over 100 000 persons invaded the Plains of Abraham! We were screaming our lungs out and dancing the night away along with all these energetic spectators. Needless to say, we slept like babies that night. We were pleasantly awoken with the smell of fresh pastries and robust coffee aroma that our host kindly prepared for us :) And on it started! our foodie journey in the wonderful streets of Quebec city!

We stopped at a fine chocolate shop, Champagne Chocolatier, where we bought some exotic truffles to excite our taste buds! We tried Porto, Chili, Goat and Basil, Caramel au Fleur de Sel and finally Whiskey. Goat and Basil was definitely the most surprising in terms of flavor. The unexpected grassy taste of Goat cheese combined with the fresh and minty notes of Basil complemented marvelously the dark chocolate.

While strolling the streets towards the Festival, we stopped at the old Port where a local market was situated. Heaven on earth! I just love these kind of places. If it was for me, i will spend my whole days just to visit and slowly look at every single products in these markets! We found a spice shop where flavors from every culture met! On one end of the shop were a whole wall of spices! Every spice you can imagine from every corner of the world! It was sooooo exciting!

There was also the smoked house Atkins at the market! They are known for their smoked salmon and other fish and seafoods. We were seduced by the smoked trout, the salmon carpaccio, the gravlax and seal rillettes. Seal is a very controversial meat and I admit that I did felt bad eating it. But at the same time, as a foodie, I had to try it. And the mouthfeel was so pleasant! Wow! It was smooth and had the right bite to it. Its dark red color is surprising and the taste is similar to that of red meat but much more flavorful. The seasoning was perfectly balanced. I was extremely satisfied with my first experience!

The rest of the day was without much artifice in terms of food. Not the same can be said for the day after!!!! My oh my was my tummy happy :) We started the day with a brunch at the Clocher Penché, a block away from where we were staying. The atmosphere was relaxed, perfect for a Sunday morning. Included with each dish was a bowl of Café au Lait and a verrine made of mango and watermelon yogurt with citrus croutons. Fresh and delish! My friend ordered Le Seigneur des Anneaux which consisted of lamb parmentier (french dish made of mashed potatoes and meat) with old cheddar, a runny egg, mushrooms braised in the lamb's juice over a grilled bagel with a herbed butter spread. Triple wow for that dish! Every single item were bursting of flavor, it was unbelievable! The mashed potatoes had the right amount of creaminess and paired amazingly with the juicy lamb. I am literally salivating just thinking about it.... haaaaaaaaa! I ordered the Odeur de Sainteté: aragula, crystallized tomatoes, vegetarian pâté, eggs, tomme des grosse îles (amazing non-pasteurized soft cheese) on a crispy olive bread served with savourous fried potatoes. Even though the dish was good and fresh, i found it quite bland compared to the dish of my friend. It did not particularly impressed me but it is a very good choice for someone looking for a healthy or vegetarian choice.

Our beloved friend then had the courtesy to reserve us a spot for dinner at the most requested table in Quebec city: Le St-Amour. Celebrities from around the world such as Alicia Keys stopped at this destination for a bite. We were quite honored to have the opportunity to taste the work of Chef Jean Luc Boulay. We let the expertise of our friend who worked there and let them design our menu :)

We first started with the trilogy of mise en bouche. That included a blini topped with caviar, a raw oyster with citrus espuma, and wild sockeye salmon with caviar. We then proceeded with a declination of foie gras: seven different ways to cook and present the meat. It was truly impressive, they did a brilliant job to showcase the quality and versatility of the foie gras. Unfortunately, my memory is playing games, i only remember a few descriptions namely pyramid of foie gras, foie gras macaroon with fig puree, foie gras with blueberry dust, foie gras tiramisu and i believe there was the traditional foie gras au torchon and i forgot the others... i'm sorry... I then ordered the giant shrimps and they were seriously GIANT!!! I had to take three bites to finish each. They were vacuum cooked in espelette pepper which gave enough of a kick and were paired with fresh and crispy salad in chilled fennel soup. Miam!!!

As entrée, I chose the veal sweetbreads and wild shrimps. Mmmmmm... Very hearty meal, perfect for wintery and cold nights. The side dishes were very original! Interesting twist to a classic: roasted butternut squash gnocchis! Also served with Swiss chard stems and leaves dome, morrel mushrooms swimming in Samos Muscat creamed juices. Although extremely satisfying and full of complex flavors, i found the dish too salty and the sweetbreads were a little on the chewy side. On the other hand, my friend's dish completely blew my mind!!! The downright stunning Gaspé lobster was the best piece of meat from the sea that I have ever eaten! The combination of spices and herbs they've used, OMG! It brought out the sweetness of the lobster while underlining the freshness of the sea. I am not sure but I think I also detected hints of saffron in the sauce too. I am astounded by the awesomeness of this plate! WOW! And the finale: L'Inspiration - seven ways to present the world's best péché - CHOCOLATE!!! Again, I will try my best to describe what I can remember: so we had a chocolate creme brulée, a chocolate sherbet, a chocolate macaroon, a chocolate mousse, a truffle made with fizzy sugar, etc. This assortment of sweets clearly demonstrates the talents of pastry chef Eric Lessard. The techniques required to accomplish some of these desserts are of high expertise! Dangerous addiction to any chocolate lover out there :)

All in all, the meal highly met our expectations. I must say that we were very fortunate to be accompanied by someone who knew all the staff of the restaurant and knew well the best recommendations. Given the price of the menu, it may not be affordable to all to have a six courses meal but one should at least try their declination platter. It is well worth the money when such a great variety can be tasted in a single dish :)

My trip to Quebec was fulfilled of good eats and great company! Couldn't have asked for more! Stay tuned for further yummy reads!

Le Clocher Penché

http://www.clocherpenche.ca/

203, rue Saint-Joseph Est
Québec (Qc) G1K 3B1
Réservations
418.640.0597
info@clocherpenche.ca

Restaurant Le St-Amour

http://www.saint-amour.com/index.html

Restaurant Le Saint-Amour 48, rue Sainte-Ursule, Vieux-Québec Québec (Québec) G1R 4E2 Tél.: 418 694-0667 Fax.: 418 694-0967 delice@saint-amour.com

Mission Apollo Accomplie! Services 3 et 4

Suite...

Troisième service: gibier. Un repas n'est pas un repas sans viande rouge ;) Nous sommes tous deux carnivores alors le choix du gibier était quasi évident. L'autre choix sur lequel on penchait était le spécial du mois: Casablanca. Chaque mois, ils choisissent un pays différent pour laisser à la découverte culturelle. Malgré que le choix du Maroc comportait des choix extrêmement intéressant comme le traditionnel couscous ainsi que quelques fruits de mers, nous étions déçus qu'ils n'incluent pas l'agneau. Nous sommes donc allés avec un choix safe.

Alors donc: Mijoté de cerf avec compote d'agrumes, hachis parmentier de gibiers assortis, steak de bison avec sauce tomatée, tranches d'autruche mi-saignant. Le cerf était extrêmement goûteux. Tendre, effilochable facilement à la fourchette, le goût sauvage de la bête ressortait avec l'accompagnement acidulé. Le cerf est un animal relativement maigre ce qui résulte souvent en une viande résistante. J'ai donc été relativement impressionnée par ce plat. Le hachis était phénoménal! La pomme de terre était d'une consistance tellement mais tellement onctueuse! Wow! Le mélange de différentes saveurs et textures de chaque animal est intéressant. Cependant, la sauce très rehaussée nous empêche d'identifier proprement les espèces dans ce petit plat. Le steak de bison m'a beaucoup déçue par exemple. Mes expériences antérieures du bison ont trop haussé mes attentes j'imagine. J'ai toujours eu droit à une pièce qui fond dans la bouche avec un goût boisée et fumée subtil. Le goût y était et la sauce tomatée venait bien l'agrémenter. Par contre la texture laissait à désirer. La tomate séchée servant de garniture jouait davantage dans l'esthétique que dans la saveur. Finalement, la viande d'autruche était d'une tendreté exceptionnelle. Par contre, il y avait un goût de fer un peu trop proéminent.

Malgré la grosseur de notre repas, nous tenons absolument à essayer les desserts. J'opte pour l'inspiration du moment alors que mon ami choisit les crèmes brûlés. La présentation était absolument époustouflante! Pour mon plat, on pouvait compter entre autres, le macaron double chocolat, un litchi frit, une crème de pistache avec un granola maison et un 'bounty' façon apollo (comme la bar de chocolat!). Personellement, les macarons ne m'ont jamais vraiment allumés. Oui, c'est beau comme tout, il y a des belles couleurs, une panoplie de possibilités au niveau des saveurs et bla bla bli! Mais c'est tellement trop sucré! Et le sucre cache tout le goût des autres arômes. Mais bon, c'est mon opinion personnel. Dans ce cas-ci, le macaron était bon, mais sans plus. Le litchi... oh la la! Quel catastrophe!!! Le litchi est tellement un beau fruit avec un bon petit goût frais, fruité et doux... pourquoi mais pourquoi le frire? Je n'ai vraiment pas aimé. La friture emportait sur la subtilité du litchi et n'était pas du tout approprié pour ce fruit délicat. La mousse de pistache, quant à elle, a performé avec brio parmi la sélection de desserts. Bien velouté, le parfum particulier de la pistache marié avec le croquant du muesli créait le duo parfait. Finalement, le 'bounty' s'apparentait vraiment à la vraie chose! Très sucré par exemple! Mais ça tient la promesse!

Quant aux crèmes brûlées, elles ont bien livré la qualité je dois dire! Encore une fois, ils les ont décliné en quatre saveurs: café, thé chaï, fèves dont j'ai oublié le nom, et vanille de madagascar. Bien crémeuses, la couche de sucre était parfaitement caramélisée et le goût subtil des saveurs ajoutées venait rajouter une touche pour une belle finition. C'est dommage que je ne me souviens plus de celui avec les fèves, c'était mon préféré. Shame on me! Un de mes fidèles lecteurs suggère que la fève soit la fève Tonka, souvent utilisée dans les desserts et dénotant un goût de vanille! Merci Stéphane!

Bref, j'ai absolument adoré mon expérience. Le service était absolument impeccable. Le serveur était courtois et très patient. Les détails des repas ne figurant pas sur le menu, je me suis retrouvée à lui demander à maintes reprises la composition de chaque plat. Et à chaque fois, il me les répétait avec un gros sourire sincère! Love it! On ne s'est pas senti pressé malgré qu'on a passé quelques heures à table. J'y retournerais définitivement pour essayer le thème du mois ainsi que leurs autres sélections. Cependant, je m'assurerai de me limiter à deux services. Trois, c'était un peu trop. Et beaucoup trop de saveurs à assimiler en ces quelques heures. Côté prix, puisque c'était un 'apportez-votre-vin', la facture était beaucoup moins salée que prévue.

Somme toute, j'approuve :)

Apollo

6389, boul. St-Laurent

514.274.0153

http://www.apolloglobe.com/

Burger quest. Stop no 4: Buns!

Sometimes, the smallest and most unexpected place is the best. Here is the perfect example: well hidden between two shops on Ste-Catherine and sharing the place with a ice cream shop and a sandwich place is Buns! The guy behind the counter looks like someone you don't want to mess with, tattoos all over the body, facial hair reaching his chest, with some flip flops! I know that it is wrong to assume anything from him but it just makes our trip more fun by doing so! For those who watched 'How I Met Your Mother', the place reminds me exactly of where Marshall went to. And I was expecting an orgasm when bitting into my burger! Did I have one? He he, read along!

The menu is simple, you have hamburgers, fries and soft drinks. All taxes included and the extra cheese is free!!! We ordered the hamburger all dressed (tomatoes, lettuce, onions, pickle, ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise). He served it wrapped in checkered paper which was put in a brown paper bag.

Well installed on the stairs in the 'Quartier des Spectacle' during the Jazz Festival of Montreal, we excitedly revealed the mouthwatering hamburger from its little paper. Mmmmmm, by cooking the pattie on the charcoal, it gave the perfect amount of smokiness and provided a certain crispiness to the edges of the meat. And must I say, the ingredients were perfectly balanced. For once! The pickle was the best part! Miam miam miam! Did we found the perfect burger? I am not sure I want to say that yet since it is only our 4th destination but I will give a 9 on 10. I would have liked more pickles :) Hi hi hi hi! Stay tuned for the next burger stop!!!

Buns Hamburgers

1855 Rue Sainte Catherine Ouest, Montréal, QC(514) 303-8889

Burger quest. Stop no 3: Frites Alors!

I know, I know... Isn't Frites Alors a place to eat fries? Why would you go there to find the perfect burger? Oh well, indeed, their fries are yummy with their wide selections of sauces but I've also read a few foodie blogs which claimed that this restaurant also served some delish hamburgers!

Off we go! We have decided to establish some ground rules from now on when evaluating an hamburger. First, we order an ordinary hamburger with simple garnish, nothing special. And if there is an interesting and intriguing choice available on the menu, we may pamper ourselves a little ;)

So the regular hamburger has mustard, red onions as well a few lettuce leaves. The mustard is kind of overwhelming and overpowers the whole thing! Now... the pattie... oh god... where to begin. It's dry and seriously taste like frozen. It was not cooked well enough and was still pink. Very deceiving. At least, the choice of bread did help a little. They choose to use ciabatta which added some texture.

As for our 'special' choice, we chose pear and blue

cheese. Extremely interesting combination. Also served on a ciabatta bread, the pears were super juicy and balanced perfectly the creaminess and saltiness of the blue cheese. We also agreed that the texture and taste of these canned pears were a better match with the cheese than fresh ones. Downside, the waitress did not know which blue cheese has been used... hmmm. Overall, a recipe to reproduce at home with a real pattie!

Stay tuned for our next stop: Buns!

Frites Alors!

www.fritealors.com

refer to the site for address and contact info