The 5 restaurants you shouldn’t miss when visiting Quebec City and Montreal may or may not be ones you’ve heard of. I am a foodie and aren’t we all to some degree? My goal is to always eat the best food. One thing that is certain, in the time we spent in both cities there was not enough opportunity to try all the fab restaurants, cafes and bistros that exist north of the border. I heard a lot about the food in Montreal and Quebec City before I ever packed my bags to head North into Canada.
Apparently there are some foods not to be missed and had we spent more days and nights in both cities believe me we would’ve tried all the things! Sadly in Montreal we only had 2 nights to savor a meal but we had a few nights in QC. I am only sharing the ones that stood out to me – only 5 restaurants . FYI ~ I will be reviewing one in Quebec City that was one of the most disappointing meals ever.
One hip and sleek gourmet bistro that I was excited to visit in Quebec City is Tournebroche. We actually stumbled upon this farm to table bistro by accident while on our way to another restaurant. Something caught my eye about Tournebroche. I don’t know if it was the number of folks going in the front door or the outdoor sidewalk seating. When I walked inside and saw the honeycomb displays with tasting sticks I knew we’d eat here. I spoke to the hostess and made a reservation for the following evening, then I tasted the honey.
As you enter the restaurant there are two stations each with a frame holding honeycomb, straight from one of the rooftop hives. It’s ingeniously tilted slightly to allow a slow trickle of honey to drip into a small bowl. There are disposable sticks for tasting which for some may be the only time they are treated to savoring honey straight from the comb. Believe me if you’ve never tried honey this way it truly is a treat! You might imagine when I discovered that Tournebroche keeps hives on the rooftop how I wished I could go up and see them. Be that as it may it’s against policy to allow guests onto the rooftop, sadly I understand. Dinner would have to do!
Fresh, local ingredients and exceptional food come from the kitchen headed by Chef Stephane Roth. Originally from Jura, France, after finishing his studies, he worked for many “grandes tables” in France, Great Britain, Germany, Martinique, Switzerland and the United States before landing at Tournebroche.
Honestly I’ve not experienced a deconstructed dish until now, guess I’ve been out of the loop! I ordered the “deconstructed French onion soup” as an appetizer because well, I had to see what all the fuss is about. You may be laughing at me if you’ve been on the deconstructed boat for a while. I’m on that boat now too – so stop giggling! A hot bowl of French onion broth arrived with the caramelized onion, cheese and bread served alongside. Interesting and very tasty. I admit even though I enjoyed the deconstructed version, I may still enjoy my French onion soup all together in the bowl. New experiences after all, are one of the things I most treasure from my travels.
For our entree my husband and I both chose locally sourced guinea fowl, served atop a portion of creamy risotto. Accompanied by a medley of perfectly roasted, sweet beets, carrots, radishes, mushrooms! The servings were appropriately sized to allow room for dessert – my favorite part of any meal! I chose the Rooftop Honey Creme Brûlée – again perfection in every bite. It comes with a sweet little shortbread cookie topped with 3 tiny dollops of honey, maple cream!
The previous night we were lucky to snag an outdoor seat at bistro Chez Boulay. At this warm and charming bistro Chef Arnaud Marchand is innovative in his menu selections featuring local cuisine with an emphasis on nordic findings. Featuring items from bison to salmon – from wild boar to northern pike. Wild celery root, wild ginger, oxeye daisy capers and balsam fir tree are just a few of the nordic influences found on Chez Boulay’s menu.
The meal we noshed on at Chez Boulay was my man, Dan’s favorite. I began my meal that evening with a lovely salad of fresh picked greens, with marinated celery, onion and a house made vinaigrette. Again, we both ordered the same entree of seared salmon, served atop roasted and fried fingerling potatoes with watercress, spinach, and pea puree. The entire meal was very delicious but the highlight was the dessert we shared before strolling through old town Quebec City. Unfortunately I did not get a photo of the large profiterole with caramel and boreal spice ice cream, drizzled with maple and toasted grain cream. Holy smoke, words cannot describe how amazing it was. Next time I’m ordering my own!
Both of the afore-mentioned restaurants are located in old town Quebec City which allows for a picturesque and romantic, if you’re with your significant other, stroll along the waterfront before retiring for the night. They are also within walking distance of Chateau Frontenac where you could indulge in an after dinner libation.
We were pleased to have eaten at both of these restaurants! Each deserve 4 stars and $$$ signs. Following our visits to both of the old town establishments the third night we changed our pace and stayed in the neighborhood where our apartment was located. We took a short walk from our apartment to a busy brew house/brasserie we’d noticed several times while taking the bus or an Uber into the downtown area. Brasserie Griendel is a lively restaurant/bar located on a quiet corner where the patrons are mostly local. Score!
Brasserie Griendel offered a large selection of craft beer. You can see on the sign behind the bar listing all the choices – so many choices. We settled on a couple of brews to sip while we surveyed the menu. One of the features of this industrial style brasserie is that the windows open up accordion style to bring the outdoors in. On this evening we were charmed and were seated next to the open windows. Considering QC was experiencing a ridiculous heat wave the occasional breeze from the open doors was welcome!
Poutine – everyone says you have to eat Poutine when in Canada. I decided to try it here and was not disappointed in the perfectly cooked crispy frites, smothered in flavorful, homestyle gravy and topped with an abundance of cheese curds. I love those things! Only eating Poutine may not be terribly healthy so I ordered a Quinoa salad before. Served chilled, chock full of minced veggies like carrots, cucumbers and red onions and topped with thinly sliced apples, it hit the spot. Fresh and healthy – the ideal beginning to a bowl full of potatoes and gravy!
We thoroughly enjoyed the neighborhood atmosphere at Brasserie Griendel and continued the pleasure with an after dinner walk through the hood.
The next morning we took a bus to a delightful pastry shop in the Saint Roche neighborhood – La Boîte Au Pain. It was easy to find and the pastry selections for breakfast were incredible. Offering an array of brioche, pastry, croissants and muffins for breakfast and quiche, pizza and sandwiches for the lunchtime crowd. There was a constant line of customers selecting sandwiches to tuck into lunch bags, headed to work. Arriving just before the crowd I ordered an espresso and the Pear and Dark Chocolate pastry while my husband chose a Raisin Brioche accompanied by a cappuccino.
Believe me I could’ve ordered one of everything. Freshly baked and beautifully presented, with friendly staff and it’s in a great neighborhood. After polishing off our pastries and coffee we headed down the street to check out the vintage shops, kitchen stores and do a bit of window shopping. This pastry shop should not be missed when visiting Quebec City. A neighborhood bakery where we were the only patrons speaking English. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that the pear and chocolate pastry was one of the most delicious breakfast Danish I’ve ever eaten. Tender flaky pastry, half of a warm, juicy pear with 4 little slits cut into the pear and stuffed with dark chocolate. Heaven!!
Now I divert to tell you about a creperie that received great reviews yet was without a doubt our most disappointing meal of the entire trip. Located in a lovely old building and touted to be a “charming neighborhood eatery”. We were excited to try the crepes and visit the neighborhood where Le Billig dwells. When looking at Trip Advisor and Yelp Le Billig continues to get good reviews with several not so good reviews from other displeased diners. I will not share any photos but will tell you the crepes are made of buckwheat – yay for healthy crepes. The service was pathetic. We made a 7 p.m. reservation, arrived a few minutes early, were seated and ordered cocktails. It went quickly downhill from there. Our food did not arrive until around 8:20 p.m. while others who arrived after us were seated and served. We ordered approximately 10 minutes after we arrived – just in case you were wondering if we waited an hour to order!
When we questioned both our own waitress as well as another, neither had any idea what had happened! Truthfully it was fairly obvious our waitress had forgotten to turn in our order. The flippant attitude of both waitresses, with only the offer of one glass of wine as an apology was all it took for me to quickly write a negative review on Yelp. When our food did arrive it was less than impressive. Honestly I cannot imagine how this place gets rated as it does but my fair warning to you is stay away! This was an instance where honesty would’ve been appreciated and perhaps a glass of wine for each of us….
From here we will move on to Montreal where I am excited to share with you Vago Italien. Tucked away on a quiet neighborhood street in the Westmount neighborhood of Montreal, Vago Italien is where we ate our last supper in Canada. Had I known about this classy Italian restaurant we would’ve eaten dinner here both nights. Sleek and full of Italian class with white leather chairs and warm wood accents. The view of Mount Royal was lovely and calming.
Where Le Billig offered pathetic service I am happy to report that Vago Italien made up for it in spades. Friendly, gracious, handsome waiters laid napkins across our laps as we perused the wine list. We chose a chilled chardonnay to ward off the heat wave and ordered starters. My man, Dan ordered his favorite Mussels Marinara and I, feeling the need for greens, chose an arugula salad with juicy cherry tomatoes and toasted pine nuts. While fresh and delicious the salad didn’t warrant a photo but take a look at those mussels. Plump and fresh in a zesty, spicy tomato sauce!
The highlight of this meal for me was the Orecchietti with Lamb Ragu and Carrot Puree. Orecchietti perfectly prepared and topped with tender lamb ragu and sweet carrot puree. Again, I failed to capture it on camera – sometimes don’t you just want to savor the moment and know it’s engrained in your memory? No need for a photo! You’ll just have to trust me on this one. The pasta dish made me ooh and ahh until the last bite was taken. My husband chose Cavatelli with sausage, olive oil, garlic and rapini. House made pasta cooked al dente, just as it should be, topped with sausage flavored with fennel and garlic and fresh, bright green rapini, also known as broccoli rabe, and a dusting of parmesan. But wait until you hear about dessert!
Profiteroles! Are you seeing a trend here? We adore profiteroles and order them often, usually sharing. It was no mistake to share at Vago as the serving was perfect for two. Sweet, flaky, puff pastry filled with creamy vanilla ice cream, covered in dark chocolate sauce. Tell me, what is not to like? My sweet husband always gives me the last delicious bite and I didn’t hesitate to take it at Vago!
There you have it – my two cents on some “not to miss” restaurants when visiting either Quebec City or Montreal. I’m certain there are more trips in our future to try more of the vast array of fantastic foods available. After all it’s a short flight from N.C. to our neighbor to the north. I’m thinking a long weekend with lots of yummy foods! Who’s in?
