Poutine Puritan

La Banquise (Montréal)

2010-08-17T14:39:00.008-04:00

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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Update

2010-08-16T12:34:00.001-04:00

While I haven't updated this blog for a long time, I have still been testing poutine in Kingston. Particularly the top ranked poutine for quality consistency. And I have a few updates based on my observations

Small Fries:
This is one of my favorite poutine in Kingston, because of its generous serving size and unique hamburger meat gravy. This chip wagon prepares sandwiches and hotdogs and conveniently located right on the Queen's University campus. For that, many students and staff rush to this small truck for their lunch. However, when orders start to overwhelm the small kitchen in the truck, the quality of the fries significantly goes down. This is due to 1) the lowered oil temperature and 2) inconsistent cooking time -- sometimes, the fries are over fried, sometimes undercooked. So, my colleagues and I now avoid the lunch time rush when we get a poutine from this truck. Because the quality of fries can be inconsistent, I've had to reconsider my rankings.

Bubba's (downtown):
Although their gravy tends to be on the salty side, the fries are always good. I have had this poutine on several occasions and each and every time they have been good.

So, as Bubba's poutine has been consistently good I have to rank them above Small Fries. Bubba's poutine is my #1 favorite pouting in Kingston.

Congrats Bubba's!

**** digg it! ****

Olivea

2009-11-24T15:56:00.000-05:00

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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Merchant Tap House

2009-06-26T15:35:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine and I were walking around downtown, and decided to have some beer. Merchant tap house (or simply known as Merchant) is a large pub restaurant with 25 beer on tap. They often have live music going on, and it gets really crowded on the weekends. The first thing I checked on their menu was poutine, of course.

Location: 6 Princess St.

Price: $7 (ish)

Overall: This poutine was presented very well. With scallions, pale yellow and orange melty cheese, and some bacon pieces, it just looked so irresistibly appetizing. Overall it was well balanced and satisfying. This may not be a classic poutine but it was nicely done. Although this is a pricier poutine, you should probably check this one out.

Fries: Typical size (thickness wise) and fried well, leaving flavorful crunch yet nice and fluffy inside. Seasoned lightly or possibly not seasoned.

Gravy: Dark beef gravy and a good amount was poured evenly over the fries. Pleasantly salty and it really went well with my Guinness.

Cheese: Shredded cheddar or something similar. Pale yellow and orange were mixed, so it could have been shredded "marble" cheese. Of course, I would have preferred real cheese curds. However, it added a good visual effect along with the chopped scallions and bacon pieces (about 1 inch square) sprinkled all over the poutine.

**** digg it! ****

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Iron Duke

2009-06-24T15:44:00.000-04:00

My colleague's wife defended her Ph.D. thesis last week, and we all went out to celebrate the occasion. Iron Duke is a very nice bar with mellow decor and is a lot cleaner when compared to other bars. Their food, I hear, is reasonably good... EXCEPT for their poutine. I have heard about their notorious poutine from time to time and I needed to try it to see how bad it is.

Location: 207 Wellington Street

Price: Poutine was not in the menu. I had to ask them if they had it. The waitress replied, "sure, we can do it for you"... According to the receipt, it was an a la carte.

Fries: 3.00
Gravy: 1.50
Cheddar cheese: 0.63

Adding up 5.13 (before tax)

Overall: This poutine, you can definitely skip. The fries were good but nothing else really stood out to mention. The amount was just OK but I found it it was a bit disappointing. With Bubba's poutine within a few blocks away, there is no earthly reason why you have to try this poutine. SKIP IT.

Fries: Good thick fries with skin on them. This was the only good thing about this poutine. They were fried nicely and the flavor was good enough to stimulate your appetite.

Gravy: Semi-dark, and it was a bit on the runny (thin) side, which is ok. However, the amount was on the skimpy side. It was not quite enough to coat all the fries. This had an intense consommé flavor. I didn't mind it but I think a lot of people might find it a bit too overpowering.

Cheese: As the receipt said, it was cheddar (pale, not the yellow kind). Again, there was not enough of it. When I started eating it, I thought the had forgotten to put cheese on my poutine. VERY disappointing.

**** digg it! ****

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A&W @ YVR

2009-06-02T11:20:00.000-04:00

I was in Portland Oregon for a conference (You should visit. It’s a clean and neat city) and was telling my friend Mr. S all about poutine while I was there. After a week in the States, something I had never expected happened, I had a huge craving for poutine. After being tormented at the Canadian immigration at Vancouver airport, my craving was just about to burst, and I was going through a dangerous withdrawal (With the withdrawal and jetlag, I was acting like a junkie… no wonder the immigration gave me a hard time). Luckily, I found an A&W at the airport food court. I ordered a meal and replaced the fries with a small poutine in order to ease my pain.

Location: Vancouver International Airport, Domestic Terminal, Departure level 3

Price: I don’t know how much I paid to “upgrade” the meal. Addicts don’t care how much they have to pay. We pay whatever to get what we want.

Overall: This is the second “fast food” poutine I had (BK is the other one). I definitely prefer this poutine to BK’s poutine. It was satisfying and everything was well-balanced. This might have been because I was going through a poutine withdrawal so it could have skewed my evaluation positively. By the way, I had to have their root beer (which I always thought tastes like toothpaste).

Fries: Typical fast food fries - very long and thin. However, they were cooked nicely. Crunchy edges and its texture were very appetizing. They were seasoned lightly with good flavor. But again, I prefer thick-cut fries to thin long ones.

Gravy: Light chicken type of gravy. It was very thick. The taste was satisfying with the strong consommé type flavor (if I remember correctly). Reasonably salty which was also satisfying. The combination of the gravy with the fries was just so good. The amount of gravy was a bit on the skimpy side.

Cheese: Semi-squeeky curds. The amount was good but I am sure it was pre-packaged for each serving. The biggest piece was about 1 cm3, so they weren’t terribly big. Nothing stood out to mention.

**** digg it! ****

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Burger King

2009-05-11T14:27:00.000-04:00

The “encouraging” colleagues convinced me to try Burger King as the chain had started a star trek campaign, selling some apparently irresistible glasses. Not knowing their real motive, I thought they were genuinely encouraging me to try BK poutine. I should have known better, but at least I got a blog entry out of it.

Location: 400 Princess St
**the burner of the restaurant was temporarily out of order ,so they could only make deep-fried items. I got a deep-fried tender crisp sandwich, but later another colleague mentioned it could have been one of those “no more whopper” pranks. I didn't make a fuss**

Price: I “upgraded” my value meal, so I have no idea how much a poutine is.

Overall: The fries are just typical burger chain fries but the amount was reasonable. Cheese curds seem like a squeaky kind. The uniqueness of this poutine was the gravy. Overall, I would skip this poutine. Although it is satisfying and the unique gravy is really interesting, if I want good poutine, I would go somewhere else. According to the nutrition chart, this poutine has 740 kCal (with 41 grams of fat)… Holy Sh--moke (cf.,the Tender Crisp Sandwich was 640kCal with 36 grams of fat). Poutine is really lethal.

Fries: Typical burger chain fries. Slim and not satisfying compared to thicker fries. However, being fried in a large frier means the cooking temperature is well controlled and gives a consistent good flavor. Nice crunchy edges, etc. They seemed to be seasoned.

Gravy: Light and very “spicy”. I thought this was the chicken kind but according to the BK nutrition chart, this is vegetable gravy. The spicy punch is probably due to some kind of Worcestershire sauce or something similar to it. Satisfyingly salty. With the seasoned fries, it makes the poutine a bit on the salty side but not sickening.

Cheese: approximately 1.5cm3 good squeaky kind, although they do melt. I felt the squeakiness when I bit into them. This was probably what I liked the most about this poutine. The amount of it is standardized since each serving is prepackaged in a plastic bag.

**** digg it! ****

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The Pita Grill

2009-05-06T13:28:00.000-04:00

After a few months hiatus, I’ve enthusiastically returned to reviewing more poutine. Well, once again, my “encouraging” colleagues convinced me that it was about time. I had a high fever this past weekend, so I guess I could use some “real food” rather than sugar water or orange juice (it seems to surprise people when I tell them that I had orange juice for dinner).

The Pita Grill is a Pita sandwich restaurant with the pizzeria style décor inside. I wanted to try their pita but did I have a choice?

Location: 383 Princess Street

Regular: $5.50
Large: $6.50 ($7.35 after tax: Shown here)

Overall: I have to try this poutine again. The fries were disappointing but it could be due to the fact that four people walking into a pita restaurant during the busy lunch hour ordering poutine (see below). I really believe, under better circumstances, this poutine would have been better. While the large poutine is comparable in size to a street vender’s large size, price wise, it could be a bit cheaper.

Fries: Not salted. We walked back to the lab from the restaurant (about 10 minutes or so) so that must be taken into consideration. The fries were a bit on the soggy side overall but the corners were overcooked yet pale. I think this was because they were fried at a relatively low temperature. (OK, 4 people walking into a pita restaurant and order poutines… if the fries were frozen, it will significantly lower the cooking temperature). It would have had a better flavor if the corners had been cooked crunchy and brown. The cooking oil seems to have done a lot of frying, which added some depth to the flavour of the fries. Points off for this.

Gravy: Dark rich beef gravy with some hint of different kinds of spices. Noticeable punch of something like Worcestershire sauce or intense consommé , which could be on the strong side to some people, but I liked the added dimension to the flavor. I could use just a bit more but it was good.

Cheese: A reasonable amount of very melty cubes, whose texture is similar to that of mozzarella. This was neither excellent nor bad.

**** digg it! ****

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Pita & Pizza Palace

2009-02-04T13:00:00.000-05:00

It's been almost 2 months since I wrote my last review. Because I didn't update this blog for a while, some of my friends worried that I was deported from Canada. Nope, I'm still in Canada. (I was in Japan in December but didn't find any poutine)

Pita & Pizza Palace is a family run pizza parlor in the west end of the City of Kingston. I first heard about this restaurant from my colleague, and today my adviser took me there for a poutine. I think he desperately wanted me to update my blog.

Location: 1786 Bath Road

Small: $3.99 (shown here)
Large: $4.99

When I asked for a large poutine, a girl working there warned me about the size, showing me the containers. Quickly I switched my order to a small one. Even a small one is about the same size as many street vendors (Small Fry, etc)'s size. Large can feed a family.

Overall: This has become one of my favorite poutines in Kingston. It's on the salty side but it's definitely satisfying, rather than sickening. The volume and the general quality, along with friendly service were all a positive experience.

Fries: They were fried well, leaving crunchy flavorful brown edges, yet not overcooked. They were not seasoned but the saltiness of gravy compensated this. They were on the short side, and the longest piece of fry I found was about 2 inches or so. But more edges and ends mean more gravy to coat.

Gravy: VERY dark and rich traditional beef gravy. Pleasantly salty and giving a good satisfying punch. It was also thick so its deliciousness coats all the fries nicely. The amount was a lot too. Big plus!

Cheese: A good amount of shredded mozzarella (I think). Generally I prefer cheese curds but here, the amount of cheese was impressive. It was melting away and coating all over your fries just like gravy. If this poutine was allowed to cool off and the cheese hardened, you could lift the entire poutine with a fork. That's how much cheese you get with this poutine.

**** digg it! ****

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Ben's Pub

2008-12-04T20:43:00.001-05:00

November was a productive month for the Poutine Puritan and I reviewed a lot of places. December, on the other hand, will be a slow month since I will be visiting Japan -- a country not known for poutine. So this review is (most likely) the last review before my departure. Today, the lab had a holiday party at a cute homey pub called Ben's. Of course, before I realized that they had poutine on their menu, my colleagues were telling me that I would have to get a poutine. Yeah, sure...

Location: 105 Clergy Street East

Poutine: $4...something... (I totally forgot to remember the price)

Overall: The volume is on the modest side compared to other places that charge around the same price range ($4-something). The dish was seasoned well and the taste was satisfying. Yet, texture wise, it can be improved (both fries and cheese).

Fries: They had the semi-crunchy edges but I think they could have been fried at a slightly higher temperature, for a bit shorter time. They didn't seem to be seasoned but it was ok.

Gravy: Not a traditional dark beef gravy. One of my colleagues had a poutine too and she told me it's chicken gravy. It had a light flavor compared to dark beef kind. and it was a lot of it. It was a bit on the salty side but since the fries weren't seasoned, it was not overpowering.

Cheese: Very melty cheese, mozzarella or possibly other kind. It was so melty I couldn't tell what kind it was. The amount was on the "modest" side. Just a bit more would be nice, but again, I prefer squeaky fresh curds.

**** digg it! ****

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Limestone Garden Grill

2008-11-28T14:03:00.000-05:00

My colleagues and I decided to go for lunch and we picked the Limestone Garden Grill (Website here). It's a cute restaurant located in between the Queen's campus and downtown Kingston. The place was packed when we were there, generally a good sign for a restaurant.

*Note* the last poutine I had was only 17 hours prior to this. I am seriously putting my best effort into this blog.

Small: $4.90
Large: $6.55 (I had a large)

Location: 175 Bagot Street

Overall: I thought that $6.55 for a large poutine was a bit on the expensive side. BUT, this initial perception was completely blown away with the amount of poutine they serve. It is GINORMOUS. This is, so far, THE biggest poutine I have ever had. I could not finish it. The large would easily satisfy 2-3 people. This is like a party platter. In terms of the quality of poutine, it was ok but nothing special.

Fries: They were fried in a light oil, such as canola or something like that, so the fries had the light flavor, which I actually liked. However, they could have been fried at a slightly higher temperature or for slightly longer to get the nice crunchy edges.

Gravy: Standard dark beef gravy. Nothing stood out to mention. There was a lot of it.

Cheese: A liberal (but not overwhelming) amount of shredded mozzarella, thus very melty. Again, melty cheese has its own goodness, but I rather have real squeaky cheese curds.

**** digg it! **

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Toucan

2008-11-28T10:51:00.000-05:00

I exhausted all the chipwagons in the vicinity of Queen's campus, so inevitably, my "encouraging" colleagues have been asking me to try poutine in the downtown area. Although Kingston is a small city, there are many restaurants and pub/bars for its size -- I guess, I will be busy eating poutine for a while. I tried Toucan (website here), a popular Irish pub in town. I had had their food before and it was pretty descent. So my hopes for poutine was relatively high.

Small: $2.75
Large: $4.75 (I had a large)

Location: 76 Princess Street

Overall: For a sit down restaurant, a $4.75 poutine is a pretty good deal. They give you a good portion and it goes very well with beer. Yet, nothing stands out as too special besides the fries.

Fries: I liked the size of the fries. While I don't know if they were from frozen or not, they were real potatos (not the frozen fries made of fake potato flakes). The fries were slightly on the thick size and so fluffy inside. However, they were not crunchy. I would have liked it better if they were fried a bit more or at a higher temperature. They were seasoned slightly.

Gravy: Traditional dark beef gravy and thick. Very similar to other places. Good flavor and reasonably salty. Yet, nothing stands out.

Cheese: They use shredded Jack cheese. It is an interesting twist as Jack cheese has more flavor compared to squeaky cheese curds whose flavor is very mild. It's good because it adds another layer of flavor. HOWEVER, it wasn't a lot. I would have liked it more of it.

**** digg it! ****

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Grad Club

2008-11-17T13:59:00.000-05:00

I have been pressured to review more poutine by my encouraging (a.k.a. pushy) colleagues. Being a push-over, I was going to sacrifice my health even further but then my health sacrificed itself with a nasty flu. My appetite was lost but now it's found -- and my colleagues have resumed pushing me. As we had a visitor in the lab, we went out to lunch to Grad Club, one of the restaurants/pubs on campus. Of course, being a professional poutine critique (or a whimpy pushover), I needed to try their poutine.

Poutine: $5.25 (...i think)

Location: 162 Barrie Street (Corner of Union and Barrie)

Overall: INSANELY SALTY. This reminded me of poutine from Bubba's in the hub, which salt-burned my throat. Actually this was the 2nd time I've had poutine at Grad Club and they were consistently on the salty side. With a sprinkle of chopped parsley, the poutine was presented well, but the fresh look betrays the incredible amount of salt. With the small fry within 2 minutes' of walk, you can absolutely skip this poutine -- unless you have a pitcher of beer to wash down your throat. This is the first poutine that I COULD NOT finish. Had it been less salty, it would have been decent.

Fries: They were fried very well with crunchy edges all around but were salted way too liberally. Are they trying to cure the fries??

Gravy: A lot of dark beef gravy, and it is very thick. Although the flavor of gravy is good, because of the overpowering saltiness of the entire poutine, the gravy was getting a bit too much to my taste after three bites.

Cheese: A combination of real cheese curds (they weren't particularly squeaky) and shredded melty cheese (chedder and mozzarella??). I really like this combination and the curds were actually big.

**** digg it ****

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Shawarma Shawarma

2008-11-10T20:11:00.000-05:00

This is a small take-out restaurant on my way to Queen's campus. I always wondered what the hell Shawarma was (my colleagues kindly educated me that it is a middle eastern sandwich and it is similar to gyro). Anyway, I noticed on their store front window that it says "large poutine $6" and I needed to try it. But after hearing about schawarma and other forms of middle eastern sandwiches, I couldnt just order a poutine... so I had a chicken schawarma and poutine.

Poutine $6.00
This place has one size yet, advertising that "large poutine $6", which I found is a bit misleading.

Location: 163 Division St

Overall: For $6, the serving size is similar to that of Jimmy's or the Small Fry's small poutine, and these places charge only $3.25. Thus, in terms of mere quantity, this is absolutely overpriced and NOT a good value. HOWEVER, if you want to try poutine with unique gravy, you might want to check this one out... at least once. Their gravy is very original and spicy (not hot). But that's the only thing that interested me. But overall, this poutine, you can definitely skip -- get the shawarma instead.

Fries: Not cooked well. They are just about to be crunchy but not quite reached the optimal point of crunchiness... They were in the fryer for a long time but came out very pale. Presumably the cooking temperature was on the low side. This made the fries cooked thoroughly yet the edges were kind of "spongy" rather than crunchy... Not good... They were seasoned liberally with salt, thus on the salty side.

Gravy: this is the only thing that stood out. Traditional beef gravy yet, the flavor is very "middle-eastern" with a lot of spices (not hot). A burst of those spices in is quite pleasant, actually. This gravy is on the salty side as well thus, the fries and gravy together make the overall poutine salty but not unbearably salty (i.e., Bubba's in the hub).

Cheese: they are big chunks and very melty, about 2-3cm3. They remind me of mozzarella. I saw them measure the amount of cheese. Very good method of standardization. but I think other things (e.g., how the fries are cooked) need to be prepared with more care rather than the amount of cheese.

**** digg it! ****

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Updates

2008-11-05T11:58:00.000-05:00

After the first review, I re-visited a few places to check their product consistency.

The Small Fry: Best Value, Good Quality
my colleagues and I have gone back to this place several times and their poutine is generally very good and considered one of the best so far. Fries are generally well cooked, although when they are busy during the lunch hours, the quality of fries (how they are cooked) may fluctuate... sometimes they are overcooked or undercooked. However, the value is always good: they serve a good portion size of fries with a generous amount of curds and their homemade gravy. So far, this is the only place that uses real squeaky (i.e., fresh) cheese curds.

Jimmy's: OK deal with some inconsistency
Their poutine is essentially the same as that of the Small Fry's, same gravy and same squeaky cheese. Yet, their quality is, somehow, not the same as the Small Fry's. The last time I had their poutine, the fries were really bad (mixture of ready-to-burn and completely undercooked soggy fries), and the gravy was burned a bit.

Bubba's in downtown (not the one in the hub): Good fries and Good gravy
Their fries are consistently good. Well cooked and crunchy enough. A generous amount of gravy and cheese is also a good selling point of this poutine; yet, the cheese is the melty kind, rather than squeaky. That is the only negative so far -- well that and I wished their price was slightly lower.

**** digg it! ****

Bubba's Pizzeria (King St E & Princess)

2008-10-26T21:19:00.000-04:00

After a huge disappointment at Bubba's in the hub, I needed to try the original Bubba's poutine. This is where I have been told to get poutine from, so my expectations were high.

I have to admit that I did have a beer beforehand but I don't think it did anything funny to my evaluation. I am a professional poutine critique at this point. I only had a small poutine and right after I placed an order, I thought I should have gone for a large one but then I watched the guy fix my poutine.... he put some fries in a cup almost halfway then press down with cheese... then a ladle of gravy... then he repeated the whole process. Thus, there was a layer of cheese curds! What a deal... mmmmmm

Location: 349 King St E, Kingston, ON

Small: $5.95 (shown above)
Large: $6.95

They also have chicken and italian poutine, which I will have to try at some point.

Overall: this was a good poutine and I liked it. This is definitely one of the best poutines (in Kingston) but I think there is still room for improvement.

Fries: They were fried very well but not overcooked. This makes the fries to stay nice and crunchy and prevents them from becoming soggy with gravy. They were seasoned pleasantly. Fries alone were very good. My favorite.

Gravy: Dark thick meat gravy and A LOT AND LOT, yet not overwhelming. The flavor is pleasantly strong. Salty enough to have a satisfying punch but not too salty like the other Bubba's. Because the poutine here is served in a cup, gravy slowly drips down in the cup, coating fries with its deliciousness.

Cheese: A hidden layer of cheese (well, I saw him fix it so it wasn't hidden to me), so there was a lot of cheese altogether, which is a good deal. Although it wasn't the squeaky kind and very melty. I really like the hidden layer and the sheer quantity of it, and melty cheese is nice but i would have preferred the squeaky kind. Had it been the real squeaky curds, this would have been the ultimate poutine in Kingston.

**** digg it! ****

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Bubba's Pizzeria (at Princess and Division)

2008-10-15T13:25:00.000-04:00

I didn't update the blog for a while as I was not feeling too well and I didn't want to bias my evaluation (stuffed up sinuses affect taste and smell eh!). But now I am back. After evaluating the chip wagons around campus, I thought this was the time to test other places around downtown Kingston.

Bubba's Pizzeria , or simply Bubba's is famous for its poutine (ironically, I have not heard anything about their pizza. But for a longtime NY resident, any non-NY pizza sucks anyway). I've been told by many people "Oh, you have to try Bubba's poutine." There are two branches, one in lower downtown and the other is in the hub. The one I tried is the one in the hub, near the corner of Princess and Division streets

Small: $5.31 ($4.00 from 11am to 11pm)
Large: $6.64 ($5.26 from 11am to 11pm)

**by the way, I forgot to take pictures... I was too thrilled to get "Bubba's poutine"**

Overall, despite its reputation for a good poutine, I didn't like it much. First of all, for the amount of money you pay, the serving size wasn't too satisfying. Second, I found the fries and gravy to be sub-par. However, I'm sure the experience is much better when stumbling around drunk at 2 am.

Fries: VERY soggy. They weren't fried well. It's mysterious because the fries were fried right after my order was placed, yet they came out so soggy. They didn't have the nice crispy edges. I was completely turned off by it.

Gravy: Traditional dark meat gravy and it's very thick, and A LOT, which I really liked. However this gravy was sickeningly salty. After finishing the entire poutine, I almost felt that the back of my throat was salt-burned.

Cheese: Squishy yet melty at the same time. Not overpowering but good amount on top of the fries. It was well balanced. about 1.5 cm3

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The Small Fry

2008-09-25T16:14:00.001-04:00

I wasn’t going to get poutine today but after having some beer (don’t you love the British influence in Canada? People drink during working hours. Love it), I needed to get something so I almost compulsively got a large poutine.

The Small Fry is a chip wagon parked in front of JDUC building on Queen’s campus. I noticed that one of the menus says “Jimmy’s” and the prices of the poutines are identical to those of Jimmy’s that I already wrote about. Later confirmed by one of my colleagues that The Small Fry and Jimmy’s are indeed related.

Small: $3.25
Large: $4.00 (shown above)

Weekdays from around 9:30 to 3:30

Overall, this is my favorite so far because of the flavorful gravy and good cheese—and a lot of it. The only negative is how the fries were cooked but if I had been there during the busy lunch hours, I am sure the fries would have been better (although I don’t know if I would have gotten less gravy/cheese).

Fries: Some of the fries seemed to have been overcooked. Perhaps it was because I was there at soon-to-be closing time.

Gravy: A LOT! Small chunks of ground beef in traditional dark beef gravy, just like Jimmy’s. I didn’t notice this with the gravy at Jimmy’s (maybe because I didn’t get a lot of gravy there) but I tasted a hint of curry or some curry-esque flavor. Salty too… loved it

Cheese: Squishy and a lot of it. Again, just like Jimmy’s they were about 1 to 1.5cm3.

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Beaver Choice (aka Swedish Truck)

2008-09-22T13:49:00.000-04:00

This is the truck with the beaver picture on its side, usually parked on Union street across from Division Street. It's very popular and always crowded with many students and staff members. You can find their website here.

Poutine here is more like an à la carte style as poutine is not listed on their menu. There are 3 sizes of fries (small $2.00 , medium $2.75 and large $3.50), gravy is $0.50 Cheese curd is $1.25 extra to the fries. But, you can simple place an order saying “large poutine.” I was hungry enough to order a large, and it was $5.25 ($3.50 + $0.50 + $1.25)

Overall it was a satisfying lunch but perhaps slightly overpriced.

Weekdays: 10am to 6pm (although they often close before 6pm)

Fries: Long and reasonably crunchy. They seem not salted. Although the poutine overall is seasoned pleasantly, it would be nice to have some extra kick of salt with the fries.

Gravy: Dark beef gravy. A LOT OF IT. This gravy has a hint of consommé-esque flavor.

Cheese: Very melty (as opposed to squishy) cheese on top of the fries. An unmelted piece I found was about 1 cm3. Although this is completely a personal preference, I think I prefer the squishy kind. The cheese here has the texture more like that of mozzarella’s.

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Jimmy's Truck (Presumably)

2008-09-17T14:45:00.000-04:00

One of the menus says “Jimmy’s”, so I presume that’s the owner’s name. The guy (presumably Jimmy) was very pleasant and he told me that you can call him and place an order beforehand. Unlike other trucks that drive away each night, this “truck” appears to be parked permanently as the bottom of the vehicle is surrounded by lattice.

Overall, it was a satisfactory lunch/snack.

Weekdays: 9:15 am to 3pm (depending on the weather. They may close later when the weather is nice)

Location: On Stuart St, across from George St.

Small: $ 3.25 (shown above)
Large: $ 4.00

Fries: Reasonably crunchy and a bit on the salty side. They were fried well, and not greasy at all.

Gravy: It has some small chunks of ground beef and onions in it with pleasant hint of black pepper. I personally would have preferred a bit more gravy.

Cheese: Squishy curds about 1 – 1.5 cm3. Plenty of it on top of the fries.

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Fries and Prejudice

2008-09-15T14:14:00.000-04:00

After spending 10 plus years in the States, my sorry Japanese ass was moved up to the Great White North (note: my immigration status in the US was legit. I wasn't deported, mind you). The only thing I knew about Canada and its people was that they speak funny, eh (and they make fun of my NY accent). But shortly after I moved up here to Kingston Ontario, I discovered the greatest Canadian creation of all time, Poutine.

Who would think about pouring gravy on top of french fries with cheese? If McDonald's is unhealthy, poutine is life-threatening. If these max security prisons in Kingston don't shorten inmates' lifespan, poutine surely can. There has to be a strong negative correlation between the amount of poutine one consumes and his/her lifespan. But this shit tastes good, man.

It's everywhere. The trucks that Canucks call "chip wagons" are selling poutine at every corner of Queen's University campus (ok that's a bit exaggerated) and now I need to taste them all. With all this choice, an outsider can be easily overwhelmed. This is where I come in. In this blog, I will get poutine from various places and evaluate them. Over time, I hope this will provide the definitive guide to poutine in (and possibly around) Kingston. While I will try to be as objective and scientific as possible, it's still just my own opinion.

To those who have some intractable opinion about poutine from certain places (i.e., strong preferences) it's my own preference, damn it. Get over it you hoser.