Restaurant Review: La Belle Patate

LA BELLE PATATE

1215 Davie Street ~ westcoastpoutine.com/labellepatatevan Twitter: @BellePatateYVR ~ Instagram: @labellepatateyvr Co-Diner: Tim Golem

The West End's La Belle Patate is a casse-croûte that specializes in Québécois snack food. It has been open since 2009, following the opening of their original location in Victoria. They also used to have a restaurant in Canmore but now only the two British Columbia locations remain. I used to visit the Canmore location all the time back when I lived in Edmonton, so I was very curious to see if the food at the Vancouver one was the same. On top of that, I also wanted to compare it to the actual food in Montreal. There were several layers of research at play here! We visited on a Saturday evening and the whole place was bumpin'. Almost every table was occupied, there was a lineup at the cash, and amazing 80s tunes were filling the air. The room was busy and full of life. The walls are covered with Canadiens memorabilia and the bright chalkboard menu is inviting. We snagged a table and formulated our food plan. Their main specialty is poutine, of course. The menu boasts both traditional and specialty poutines, 26 of them. Each one is available in three sizes and they even offer an all-you-can-eat poutine situation if you're a real monster. You'll also find classics like steamies and smoked meat on the menu and of course a hot chicken plate. You place your order at the cash and a friendly staff member calls you up once your food is ready. One thing that we always liked about the Canmore location was that they always had Spruce Beer available. This was one of the first things that I checked at the Vancouver restaurant and sure enough...

This soda can be difficult to find!! Even in Quebec! The Cott brand is totally the one that you want, too. This stuff is the best. It tastes like drinking a tree! (And yes, that's a good thing.) On the other hand, they do not carry black cherry soda, which seems like a mistake. However, the rest of their drinks were Pepsi products, which is correct. Ever a fan of pillowy soft hot dogs, we ordered two Steamie Dogs ($2.50 each).

We ordered these "tout garni" and they were served to us spot-on. These are the correct toppings on an all-dressed Montreal steamie; mustard, chopped onion and coleslaw. Sometimes relish, which LBP does do. Points to them for doing this right! On the other hand, I found their bun a bit disappointing. It was not steamed enough and I found it dry, almost as if it had come out of a bag and wasn't steamed at all. The bun is supposed to be warm and soft and this one really wasn't. They also have something on the menu called a Steamie Grand Slam where for $25 they'll give you 12 steamies. I like where their heads are at with this. I could crush 12 steamies... We also had to order a poutine, of course. They've got Galvaude on the menu (chicken & peas) which is a total classic and they have an Italian Poutine (with meat sauce) which I used to like to order in Canmore once in a while. And of course a Mish-Mash (pepperoni, bacon, onion, mushrooms & green pepper) which is also a total Montreal term that gets used. I'm also intrigued by their Donair Poutine (tomatoes, onions, sweet sauce & donair meat). They also offer daily poutine features, a different special poutine for each day of the week. We decided to choose the Smoked Meat Poutine ($12.50 for a large size), sticking to a classic.

There's nothing like a steaming pile of poutine in front of you! LBP hand-cuts their fries and fries them to a nice golden perfection. I liked their fries a lot, a great combination of crispy and soggy from the gravy. It can be difficult to achieve the perfect balance. The fries were good but I think that they're slightly better at Frenchies. Their sauce brune is very flavourful and vegetarian, which is often the case in Quebec. LBP really shines with their cheese curds; giant abundant chunks! This cheese is fresh, squeaky, melty, and exactly the way that you want it. Perfect cheese! I also loved that the smoked meat was exactly the way that it used to be served in Canmore; in thick, juicy cubes. As soon as I saw the cubes I felt a wave of nostalgia! I'm not sure where they source their smoked meat from but it tastes very good and very legit. The spices are there and the bark on the meat is delicious. Last but not least, you've gotta order one of their Vachon treats! Vachon started in Quebec in 1923 and I love that LBP sells their cakes! We grabbed a Jos Louis ($1.25).

Tastes just the way you remember it when your mom used to put it in your lunch! La Belle Patate is a great place to grab Quebec favourites in Vancouver. They're doing it pretty well and pretty closely to what you would find in Montreal. I was also happy to see that it was exactly the same as the food that we used to enjoy at their Canmore location. There's a fast food chain in Quebec called La Belle Province which sells the same type of food, so I can appreciate the play on the name. A solid option to deal with your poutine cravings on the west coast!