La Banquise (Montréal)

Ever since I started this blog, some people have voiced their concern... "What does a Japanese guy know about poutine if he hasn't had a real Montreal poutine?" I consider the argument to be illogical. (i.e., to be a good Sushi critique, does s/he have to be from Japan? I don't hold anything against non-Japanese sushi critiques). Good food is good food and my reviews are simply part of a quest to find a poutine I like. However, it is good to establish some level of authenticity of "real" poutine. So here it is, damn it. I reviewed a REAL montreal poutine IN MONTREAL

La Banquise

This is one of the most popular and famous restaurants for poutine. Before visiting Montreal, I checked a few travel guidebooks and almost all of them mentioned this restaurant. Also, many of my (encouraging, a.k.a. pushy) colleagues have had poutine there and told me it is really good.

Location:
994 Rue Rachel Est
Montréal, QC H2J2J3
(514) 525-2415
http://www.restolabanquise.com

They have a huge list of poutine... from Poutine Classique to Poutine Kamikaze!!
As a puritan, I had to try their Poutine Classique

Regular: $5.80
Large: $9.45 (shown here)

It was around the lunch time on saturday, so the restaurant was packed. There were many "noticeable tourists" because they were all eating poutines and taking pictures of it (I hope they aren't professional poutine journalists). Despite the crowd, the ambiance of the restaurant was very relaxing with jazzy music playing in the background and a faux orange tree ornament in the middle of the dining area. The servers were very friendly and didn't mind me speaking in English (and they had a cute French accent).

After I ordered a large poutine, I noticed the amount of food they serve for the regular size. It is ginormous! So I was getting a bit nervous how large the large poutine was going to be.

Overall: The large poutine was large. but surprisingly it did not make me feel sick or gross after finishing the plate. Why? It is the fries. And YES, this is by far, the best poutine I have ever had.

Fries: For poutine to be poutine, you have to have the fries. Of course, gravy and cheese curds are important ingredients, however, you have to have a good "foundation." These fries were phenomenal. The thickness was about 1 cm and the length was probably 3-4 inches max. They were cut with the skin. So far, nothing special, I know. However, the way they were prepared was special. They were fried crispy with deep brown edges all around, which give a very rich smoky flavor. This is achieved by a combination of cooking temperature and cooking time. But often, you come across the fries with brown edges but not cooked well inside (too high temperature, too short cooking time), or pale and tasteless (low temperature) or even worse, pale and spongy fries (low temperature, too long cooking time). The fries at this restaurant were cooked PERFECTLY. They were so flavorful yet very light and not greasy at all. I had not tasted fries this good in my entire life. This was truly magical.

Gravy: Not too thick or thin, and a lot of it. This has a consomme-esque flavor. This gravy was not overpowering but instead added a richness to the smoky fries. It was not particularly salty unlike many poutines I tasted in Kingston.

Cheese curds: there were various sizes. Some were very big and quite a mouthful, others were small. They did not squeak but I could taste the freshness. What was so good with this cheese was, even though the flavor was mild, it had a sour and tangy taste, which cut through the richness of the fries and gravy.

The combination of these three ingredients was so pleasant. OK, I have to admit, poutines in Kingston are not in the same league, except for Bubba's. But even Bubba's poutine would lose its reputation quickly if La Banquise was to come to Kingston. If you are going to Montreal, you HAVE TO try this poutine. Oh by the way, beer was really tasty with this poutine as well.



**** digg it! ****


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