Jun 2011

Restaurant La Banquise – Montréal

Restaurant La Banquise - Montréal

I intentionally ate very lightly while traveling from Los Angeles to Montréal so that I would be prepared to gorge on poutine the moment I stepped onto Canadian soil. Packed in my bag were two lahmajoun from Old Sasoon Bakery and a container of slightly stale kale chips. I rationed my provisions throughout the long day on the road, and by the time our plane landed a little past midnight, my stomach was growling and begging for a caloric hit.

Restaurant La Banquise - Montréal

After our friend Nina picked us up from the airport, we zoomed to Restaurant La Banquise. Open all day and all night, La Banquise specializes in classic and outlandish varieties of poutine. When we arrived at the restaurant around half past one, a line of hungry revelers was snaking out the door. It turns out that we weren’t the only ones in town in the mood for a Québécois treat.

Restaurant La Banquise - Montréal

The menu at La Banquise features 25 varieties of poutine that build upon the classic. Between the three of use, we decided to order two small plates to share.

Restaurant La Banquise - Montréal

Sometime nearing 2 AM, our platters of poutine arrived. The “Poutine Kamikaze” ($8.35) included Merguez sausages, hot peppers, and Tabasco on top of French fries, gravy, and cheese curds.

I was completely sober when I dug into this and found it to be absolutely charming. The crisp and grease-less fries were an ideal vehicle for the avalanche of spicy, salty, and rich toppings. And best of all, the cheese curds actually squeaked.

Restaurant La Banquise - Montréal

The “Poutine T-Rex” ($8.55) was a meaty mix of ground beef, pepperoni, bacon, and smoked sausages. The toppings tasted slightly different than what I was anticipating—the pepperoni were more like hotdogs, while the bacon lacked smokiness. Even though some of the meaty items didn’t meet my expectations, the overall product was still quite appealing in that caloric bomb kind of way.

Indulging in poutine in the middle of the night was the perfect start to our Montréal adventures.

Restaurant La Banquise
994, Rachel Est, Montréal
Phone: 514-525-2415

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9 thoughts on “Restaurant La Banquise – Montréal

  1. I’ve been reading this blog for years, and finally, a local restaurant for me! I’m glad you enjoyed your time in Montreal.

  2. Oh man, I don’t think I’m ready for Montreal poutine. Not because of the meat-bombness, but because how can one ever decide between 25 different varieties??!?! But maybe by the time I finally get my passport I’ll have figured it out.

  3. a line out the door at 1:30 am, how crazy! and were you not completely sober for the T-Rex? I’m not sure I’d be able to sleep after such a feast as that…

  4. Foodhoe – Totally sober on both poutine fronts! And we probably stayed up another two hours before finally hitting the hay. Yay!

  5. Montreal is a place I’ve been increasingly interested in visiting. Seeing this post on poutine is a compelling sign that I must go!

  6. squeaking cheese curds and sausage! Oh boy take me with you next time you go to Monteal. I hear the almond croissants are real there too.

  7. Hi there,
    I have been following your blog and miss Adventure’s for years! Great blogs! Thanks for sharing with us interesting stories about food! I have a couple suggestions for you if you’re still here in my home town Montreal: Fourchette Antillaise. Even though our CNRC Institute is behind l’Hippodrome (near Namur metro, where U2 will give their show this weekend, Yeah!), my colleagues and I used to go all the way to Montreal Nord for a special lunch or special occasion (http://www.fourchetteantillaise.com/index.html). I love their “Cabrit en sauce” (goat) and “Lambi”. Don’t forget to try “acra” a fried appetizer. I saw that you guys have the same taste as mine, I hope that you will enjoy the Caribbean food as I do. 2nd suggestion: eat in the dark at O Noir on Ste Catherine street (http://www.onoir.com/). If you still here until this coming weekend don’t forget to check out the St-Hubert Side Walk Sale (shopping, yeah!) and also have a peek at “Week-ends du monde” at Jean Drapeau park ( they will have Peru’s food on Saturday July 9th and Mediterranean’s food on Sunday July 10th).
    Have fun all of you!

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