This text is part of the special Plaisirs booklet
Passing through the doors of the restaurant on rue Saint-Joseph, in Quebec City, one has the impression of entering a friend’s house. Those who know how to receive so well. We are only ten guests. No one knows each other. But we are about to live a memorable gastronomic experience together.
The two young chef-owners, Pierre-Olivier Pelletier (La Table du chef, Laurie Raphaël and candidate for the 2015 edition of the show The Chiefs !) and Cassandre Osterroth (Laurie Raphaël), welcome us warmly and immediately offer us an aperitif, made from alcohol and local ingredients. This is the concept here.
“The main goal in opening the restaurant was to recall the roots of Quebec, to cook only local products, but also to welcome people as if they were coming to eat with us,” explains Pierre-Olivier Pelletier.
Local gastronomy, whatever the cost
The formula is simple: a fixed ten-course menu, including an aperitif, food and wine pairing during the meal and unlimited digestives. In the dining room there is a single large table. In turn, Pierre-Olivier and Cassandre present the dishes and wines with care. They are the only ones in the kitchen and in the dining room to welcome us.
The experience begins with the dish entitled “Oysters, cabbage, chili”. It is a cream of cabbage with gorria pepper oil – the Quebec equivalent of Espelette pepper -, on which are placed poached Rustico oysters from Prince Edward Island, cabbage fried green fried and blanched and an emulsion of the cooking juices of the oysters. This dish was served with Beez Free sparkling apple mead from the Desrochers beekeeping farm, the one behind Miels d’Anicet.
Some of the ingredients on the menu come from outside Quebec, but they only account for about 10% of the menu. “If the caviar from British Columbia or the butter from Prince Edward Island are more interesting in taste, we will not compromise on the quality of the products,” explains Pierre-Olivier Pelletier. The challenge of cooking only Canadian products year-round is already a feat in itself. “The hardest part is diversifying to find incredible local products,” he adds. It is sometimes impossible to find certain fish and seafood, as they are all sold in Asia. “
At the third service arrives the dish of squash, sea buckthorn and shallot. Honeynut squash from Les Jardins du Petit-Pré farm is served roasted, then garnished with a salted praline with fried shallots and fried garlic and a duo of sauces: a cream infused with balsam myricum leaves and a full-bodied vegetable juice infused with sweet grass. On top, a tile made from sea buckthorn seed flour is delicately placed and a sea buckthorn ketchup adorns the whole. The taste floats between the particularly sweet notes of this cucurbitacea and the tangy tips of sea buckthorn. The orange wine Vidal from Domaine des Salamandres accompanies this dish.
Beyond seasonal products, the two chefs like to draw inspiration from traditional recipes to make it their own version. This is the idea behind the pork, shrimp and herbs dish. Initially, it was the famous pig’s feet stew that inspired them, but their creativity takes us completely elsewhere. The pork knuckle from the Beaurivage farm cooked in court-bouillon shreds as usual. It is hidden under a large square of fresh dough printed with fine herbs, like a tapestry. The pork is then topped with a shrimp bisque from Sept-Îles. This is not quite Grandma’s recipe! And it is the Pinot Zweigelt des Pervenches that accompanies this dish.
Beyond the desired taste and supply challenges, the cost of meals is another major challenge when only local products are served. “Between the price per kilo of maple sugar and that of white sugar, there is a huge margin,” argues Pierre-Olivier Pelletier. But we want to go to the end of our concept and fully assume it. “
Do things his way
The evening ends with a souvenir of sweet potatoes. Their interpretation is a tart with Gabrielle potatoes candied in maple syrup, birch syrup, Cap Tourmente hazelnut custard, maple vinegar gel and oxalis leaf. Everything is served with a yogurt whipped cream from Fromagerie Missiska, smoked with sweet grass. In the grand finale, the Armandie farm cider from the Choinière cider house ends this festive evening on a pop note!
Before the meal, Pierre-Olivier Pelletier told us that he got lost a bit through the opportunities offered to him after his appearance on the show. The Chiefs !. But everything suggests that he is indeed in his place here, alongside his accomplice Cassandre Osterroth.
Price
The fixed menu is $ 140 and the food and wine pairing is $ 80 per person. Alternatives are available for people with food allergies or intolerances, provided you notify the restaurant at the time of booking.
Our journalist was the guest of Kébec Club Privé.