Review of 'Resto La Banquise'

La Banquise is a 24-hour restaurant best known for serving the best poutine in Montreal…or so we were told. Is it true? Well, it was very, very good and the perpetual line to get in is probably a good indicator too…

The small restaurant consists of two crammed indoor eating areas and, in good weather, a patio out back. We visited on a Sunday morning just before 11 am in an attempt to beat the crowds which was largely successful with our arriving and being shown straight to a table though pretty much all other tables were already fulled.

The interior is awash with colour, each table a different hue, and the walls covered with either lists of menu items and specials or pictures of the local area. There are several booths in the front window which have more space than the tables which otherwise are tightly packed in together (we had to have the person sitting behind my companion move away several inches to at least allow her to breathe).

The fairly lengthy menu is available in both English and French. Though poutine is really what you come here for they do have other options such as burgers and breakfasts. We were here for the poutine of which there are 32 varieties listed (though there are specials – see the walls) featuring various ingredients added to the typical poutine dish of fries, gravy and cheese curds (yes, I know, sounds odd but it works quite well together, trust me…though, yes, I can understand it may not be to everyone's liking…it certainly is not all that good for you). The poutines come in either regular or “grande” (large) sizes. I decided on the “La Classique” ($7.95/$12.95) while my companion ordered the “La Taquise” ($11.35/$17.55) which includes guacamole, sour cream and tomatoes.

Our soft drinks and a jug of complementary ice water arrived shortly after ordering followed only a few minutes later by our food. My “La Classique” was absolutely heavenly with perfectly cooked potatoes (slightly sweet, firm texture, crisp but not too crispy), gravy (meaty and seasoned but not over-salted) and cheese curds (oddly, never melting but with just enough flavour not to overpower anything else on the plate). The portion size was good and it was served piping hot.

My companion's “La Taquise” was much larger than mine but she indicated tasted very good indeed though I found the confusion of flavours and the odd coolness of the guacamole a bit jarring to my taste.

At $26.67 for two plates of poutine and two soft drinks, it was a bit on the expensive side but the portion sizes were good and the poutine absolutely delicious. Best in Montreal? I am not sure as this is one of only a couple poutine dishes we had when we visited but in our book it was absolutely delicious!

Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”

Review Date: 2019-04-21


Cuisine: French

Address: 994, rue Rachel Est Montréal, Quebec Canada, H2J 2J3

Location: Montreal (Canada) - Le Plateau-Mont-Royal

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Telephone: +514 664 4424

URL: https://labanquise.com/en/