Olivea

I have not updated this blog for a long time. But my “encouraging” colleagues reminded me that I should keep reviewing poutine in Kingston so that I can maintain this important “community service.” I wasn’t sure where to go next but a few people commented about this fancy restaurant Olivea, so I decided to give it a try.

Olivea is a restaurant with comtemporary décor that gives you nice mellow and jazzy feel. The service was pretty friendly and the overall experience was pleasant.

Their poutine is described as “Frites with rich veal cheek ragout and local cheese curds,” and they have two sizes.

Large: $15
Small: $10 (shown here)

Overall: This was a very different poutine than the traditional Montreal style. It had a lot of great flavors and textures. The presentation was very nice with some fresh parsley. Even though I had a small poutine, the serving size was larger than I thought. However, the overall “richness” can quickly become overwhelming. I liked it but I’d rather have the veal gravy with mashed potatoes, as a savory main dish.

Fries: Very thin fries. While similar in size to those at MacDonald’s, the quality of the fries is much better. The fries were fried very well. They were all deep brown with a delicious flavor. However, because they were thin and well cooked, they were on the oily side.

Gravy: “rich veal cheek ragout” was indeed really rich and VERY meaty. The veal was cut into small pieces and stewed resulting in meat that is very tender and almost melts in your mouth. This was not a typical “gravy” by any measurement. While the texture is very thin, it has an awesome flavor of red wine and veal fat. The amount was just enough to cover the fries. However, some may prefer a thicker gravy that better coats the fries than this more juicy sauce. Unfortunately, because both the gravy and the fries are so rich, it can be overpowering.

Cheese: very melty. It seems that the cheese was all in the middle layer. It did not have chewiness or squeaky feels to it but at least it was fresh local cheese. The amount was good enough. Once again, this dish was already rich, thus, if it had had more cheese, it would have been just too much to enjoy.


**** digg it! ****


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