La Belle Patate - Review 2

Restaurant: La Belle Patate - Review 2

Cuisine: Canadian/French/Fast Food
Last visited: February 19, 2010
Area: Vancouver, BC (Downtown/West End)
1215 Davie Street
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5
Service: n/a (Met the owner, so I’m biased – but he’s really nice to everyone)

Ambiance: 4

Overall: 5

Additional comments:

• Owner Pascal Cornier from Montreal, Quebec
• Specializes in poutine
• Very authentic
• Recently opened (couple months now)
• Original location in Victoria, BC
• Offers 30 different kinds of poutine
• Offers vegetarian poutine - Traditional poutine is vegetarian
• Poutine sauce imported from Montreal
• Fresh, made upon order
• Fast food
• Take out/Dine in
• Open daily 11am-late

**Recommendation: Traditional Poutine

This is where I started my quest for Vancouver’s Best Poutine on Davie Street. Since then I have re-visited La Belle Patate on a couple occasions to try their other items. In my opinion their poutine wins the most traditional and authentic poutine.

The cheese curds are definitely what makes these poutines stand out and memorable. They're real cheese curds - that squeak becuase they're so fresh!...and they don't melt, it's the real deal. However now that I've revisited on a couple occasions, my rating goes beyond them having excellent cheese curds.

On this visit to La Belle Patate’s it was to try their other items at my own expense. I’ve tried 4 of the poutines now, but of all of them I still think the traditional poutine is best. They're all still very good, but that’s the one I still recommend. I'll still keep trying others just in case...I want to be sure.

La Belle Patate - Review 1

On the table:

Smoked Meat Poutine 3/6

• Small $7.50 Medium $8.50 Large $9.50
• I got the small size – which is enough for one – they’re quite heavy and filling.
• Besides poutine, La belle Patate focuses on their authentic Montreal smoked meat as well.
• I thought this poutine was good, but the smoked meat was a little too salty for me. The flavour was really simple, not many spices (if any) – just salty.
• The smoked meat is almost like ham rather than a brisket and it has a charred-barbeque taste rather than a smoked taste.
  

• It’s not like deli ham, but like a ham you would have on Christmas. It’s a cross between that and a brisket - but it is beef. They’re pretty lean pieces and they give you quite a bit, but I wasn’t crazy about them.
• The gravy was the smoked meat gravy, but it still reminded me of the vegetarian poutine sauce they use on the traditional poutine. I actually couldn’t tell much of a difference.
• The fries are made of red potatoes and they’re a thicker hand cut fry.
• Again the best part was easily the cheese curds, however overall I still like the traditional poutine better.
• 

Breakfast Poutine 4/6

• Egg, bacon, onion Medium $10 Large $12
• The smallest size you can get is a medium for this one – which is what I ordered. It’s huge!
• I prefer the breakfast poutine at La Brasserie hands down. This one is still very good, but after the one at La Brasserie – I don’t think any breakfast poutine can beat that one. It was so delicious!

• The egg was a scrambled egg and I wanted more of it. It was a bit dry and overcooked (front piece that looks like a wrinkled cheese curd in the photo).
  
• I know a poached egg is too ‘gourmet’ for La Belle Patate, but I wanted the egg to have a runny yolk to mix in with my gravy. I would have even liked a fried egg – which isn’t ‘gourmet’.

• I loved the onions and how they were sautéed nice and soft, and sweet. They weren’t to the point of caramelized, but almost there. I could have used more of this as well.
• The bacon pieces were those standard bacon strips that are quite fatty. I think it's about 2 strips of crumbled bacon - it's cooked on the spot upon order but they're too salty, fatty and not crispy enough. I'm not a fan of bacon in general (yes, I can almost HEAR all the jaws drop...but bacon should always be crispy I think)
  
• Overall I enjoyed this poutine, but I wanted more eggs and onions. It was also quite expensive at $10, considering La Brasserie’s gourmet breakfast poutine is only $12…and just a couple blocks down the street.

Galvaude 3/6

• Chicken and peas Small $7.80 Medium $9.90 Large $12
• They have a BBQ Galvaude version which has a meat based poutine sauce. The original galvaude is served with a vegetarian poutine sauce.
• This one had lots of peas, a decent amount of sliced grilled chicken breast and cheese curds.
• Needless to say – but the cheese curds were best as always.

• The peas are not the frozen Green Giant peas, but they're those dark green canned mushy ones. They're not as sweet or crunchy and I prefer frozen ones. But I think it might be more authentic with the canned ones.
• Authentically I’m pretty sure Galvaude Poutine is supposed to be served with shredded chicken and not grilled sliced chicken. I would have preferred shredded chicken for a poutine, but the grilled was still good.
• It’s a very basic and simple recipe.

Traditional Poutine

BONUS - Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie

The Topic: Quest for Vancouver's BEST Poutine on Davie Street

The Contestants: La Belle Patate, La Brasserie, Fritz European Fry House

4 Poutines later, the results are in!

The poutine at La Brasserie is in a different league, so I almost feel it is unfair to put it in the same category with La Belle Patate and Fritz European Fry House. If I do put it in the competition, their breakfast poutine takes the lead hands down. For a gourmet poutine on Davie Street, La Brasserie seems untouchable (unless another restaurant wants to challenge them…?)

1^st place Most Authentic French-Canadian Poutine - La Belle Patate.

1^st place Best Tasting Poutine - La Brasserie’s Breakfast Poutine

BONUS VIDEO - Breakfast Poutine

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 1 of 4

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 2 of 4

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 3 of 4

BONUS VIDEO - Breakfast Poutine

Please subscribe, rate & comment at my Follow Me Foodie youtube channel. Thanks!

La Brasserie offer 2 different poutines: A truffle poutine that is offered as a hot appetizer for dinner (or as a side), and a breakfast poutine that is offered for their Saturday and Sunday brunch. I was lucky enough to try both!

The breakfast poutine will keep you full until dinner and maybe even a bit sleepy…but it’s totally worth it!

On the table:

La Brasserie Breakfast Poutine 6/6

• Poached egg, bacon, truffle oil, Hollandaise sauce, cheese curds, pork gravy $12
• I’m really mad I didn’t get a picture of this for my blog entry, I totally forgot. You can see it in my “Best Poutine on Davie” video though.
• Poutine for breakfast? Really? Yes, really…and don’t complain. But again, why would you? You won’t for this one at least.
• Oh my gosh...could I have died and went to heaven? Figuratively and literally? Yes, quite possibly. But would I have at least died happy? Yes, because this breakfast poutine is freaking tasty.
• Ok first off, put an egg on anything and I’m there. Poach it like the way their chef did it…I’m so there! It was a perfectly soft poached egg and when you poked the yolk it ran all over the fries and mixed in with the Hollandaise and gravy. I’m drooling all over again.
• This was a very well prepared poutine. Many things stood out, but the first flavour I got was surprisingly not savoury, but actually tangy! The tang was from one of the best parts of this poutine: the Hollandaise sauce. It’s made in house and from scratch. It’s buttery, creamy, thick, rich and intensely flavourful with a strong lemon taste. There’s also Worcestershire sauce to add to the tang and give it a kick, it’s one of the best Hollandaise I’ve had.
• The bacon was fresh pieces of bacon. Not those thin bacon strips, but actual pieces of bacon meat. They were lightly pan fried, and not that crispy ( I kind of wish they were though), but they almost had a dry chewy quality to them. It was salty, but not too salty. This is a Franco-German Bistro so they know their pork…thus the pork gravy is great too. The same pork gravy in the truffle poutine they serve at dinner.
• I could definitely smell the truffle oil even though they used less than they did on the truffle poutine. However the truffle oil became secondary to the Hollandaise and to everything else going on. To be honest, it didn’t even need to truffle oil because it was that well prepared.
• With everything combined it really is something can’t be missed. It's surprisingly only $12 too, totally worth it! It’s super hearty, filling, and rich, but really who cares when there’s so much to enjoy? I highly recommend this…but park further away so at least you’re walking back to your car…

Truffle Poutine 5/6

• Fries, cheese curds, pork gravy, truffle oil $9

Added note: This review is a little different because it was for my video blog. Therefore the food at La Brasserie was complimentary, (although I did offer to pay) but my opinions are still honest and as non-biased as I can be. The opinions and views expressed in "The Quest for Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie Street" review and video are those of Follow Me Foodie/Mijune only. There is no paid advertising and as always I write for the benefit of the customers and not for the restaurants.

Vancouver's BEST Poutine on Davie Street - Conclusion

This is Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 4 of 4.

Follow this link to watch my final thoughts on the poutines I had on Davie Street.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_Ev9NJibIA

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 1 of 4

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 2 of 4

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 3 of 4

Please subscribe, rate & comment at my Follow Me Foodie youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/FollowMeFoodie Thanks!

The following is the written conclusion and summary of The Quest for Vancouver's BEST Poutine on Davie Street with material that may not be included in the videos.

The Topic: Quest for Vancouver's BEST Poutine on Davie Street

The Contestants: La Belle Patate, La Brasserie, Fritz European Fry House

4 Poutines later, the results are in!

In terms of authentic French-Canadian poutine, I’d have to give 1^st place to La Belle Patate. It’s pretty much the real deal in terms of authentic poutine. However this doesn’t necessarily mean it was the best tasting…for that ___________ takes the win! You'll see that blank filled in next week...in a bonus episode ;)

Overall the cheese curds at La Belle Patate stole the show, yet La Brasserie had the best gravy. As for the poutine at Fritz European Fry House, it was always a solid choice until I took on this challenge...I know…what a “challenge” I had right? Well to be fair, you try eating so much poutine and going to work afterward…that was a challenge! (I could have easily taken a nap…and I don’t know if I would ever wake up…)

The following is a quick recap/summary of the 3 poutines:

Poutine 1 - La Belle Patate:

This is not representable of what is actually ordered. I'm so embarrassed...I forgot to take my picture before I started eating it. I didn't follow usually routine because this was for the video blog.

La Belle Patate Traditional Poutine 6/6

• Small $5.50 Medium $7.50 Large $9.50
• Red Potatoes, hand cut, skins on, freshly fried
• The “gravy” or as they call it the “poutine sauce” is actually completely vegetarian. (A wheat based sauce)
• They do offer meat “gravy” or meat “poutine sauce” and it’s under the name of “BBQ”
• Best cheese curds - fresh, firm, squeaky, don't melt
• Authentic Montreal poutine
• Foil to-go containers
  

Poutine 2 - La Brasserie:

Truffle Poutine 5/6

• Fries, cheese curds, pork gravy, truffle oil $9
• Kennebec potatoes, hand cut, skins on
• Gourmet poutine
  
• Best pork gravy with lots of truffle oil, a bit of a kick and freshly cracked black pepper
• The cheese curds were part mozzarella cheese rather than an actual cheese curd.
• It’s savoury, very aromatic with the truffle oil
• Comfort food with a gourmet twist.

Poutine 3 - Fritz European Fry House:

Poutine 4/6

• Small: $4.50 Medium: $5 Large: $6.50 Jumbo: $7.50
• Russet Potatoes, hand cut, skins on, freshly fried
  
• Firm and a bit crispier than the other two.
  
• Layer their poutine - fries, cheese curds, gravy and repeat.
• Good ratio of ingredients.
• European Fry House - focus on dips
  
• Gravy enhanced with black pepper and some dried herbs.
  
• Mozzarella cheese curd - stringiest of all 3 places.
  
• The most ooey gooey, saucy and cheesy poutine.
• Muchies/Hangover food
• Styrofoam to-go container

Added note: This review is a little different because it was for my video blog. Therefore the food at La Belle Patate, La Brasserie, and Fritz European Fry House was complimentary, (although I did offer to pay) but my opinions are still honest and as non-biased as I can be. The opinions and views expressed in "The Quest for Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie Street" review and video are those of Follow Me Foodie/Mijune only. There is no paid advertising and as always I write for the benefit of the customers and not for the restaurants.

Fritz European Fry House

This is Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 3 of 4.

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 1 of 4

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 2 of 4

The last stop: Fritz European Fry House! For the next episode please subscribe to the Follow Me Foodie youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/FollowMeFoodie or visit back for updates!

The following is the written review as well as more details about Fritz European Fry House that are not included in the video.

Restaurant: Fritz European Fry House

Cuisine: Belgian/European

Last visited: January 7, 2010
Area: Vancouver, BC (Downtown/West End)
718 Davie Street
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4.5
Service: n/a (Due to this special review, I’m biased)

Ambiance: Different atmosphere for day and night…it’s 5 at night...2 in the day

Overall: 4.5

Additional comments:

• Specializes in fries only
• Offers array of dips
• Potatoes fried in pure vegetable oil
• Canadian grown potatoes
• Available in cones
• Very casual, order/pay at cashier
• Seats 10 – very small wooden benche s
• More of a take out place
• Most popular munchies place
• Attracts late night crowd/line-ups after 12am ok weekends
• Open for lunch until very late
• Closed Monday
• Winner of numerous Vancouver based awards

**Recommendation: Poutine (I like Mango Curry Chutney and Indonesian Peanut Sauce dip)

The Topic: Quest for Vancouver's BEST Poutine on Davie Street

The Contestants: La Belle Patate, La Brasserie, Fritz European Fry House

4 Poutines later, the results are in!

Fritz European Fry House was my final destination for my quest for the best poutine on Davie Street (Vancouver, BC)! (It was not at a disadvantage because it was last, because I wasn't "poutine'd out" yet!)

Fritz European Fry House is still on of the most popular places for people to get poutine in Vancouver. Along with Mega Bite Pizza, it's common for locals to hit up Fritz for midnight munchies in downtown Vancouver. There’s always a line after 12am and I’m guessing 95% of their business is on the weekend and late night hours. It’s good even when you haven’t had a lot to drink, but it’s really really good when you have had a lot to drink.

It’s called a “European Fry House” but their most popular for their poutine – A French-Canadian specialty. I like them better as a European Fry House, and for me the highlight are the dips more so than the poutine. It really is reminiscent of places in Belgium in the choice of dips to the way it’s served in cones. It’s only if you order a poutine does it come in a styrofoam bowl.

What is Poutine?

Using the most common definition a poutine is fries, cheese and gravy. However the real authentic definition of a poutine is fries, cheese curds (specifically fresh cheddar cheese curds), and poutine sauce or “gravy”. (Some people will object to the word “gravy” – but it’s supposed to be a chicken based sauce).

On the table:

Poutine 4/6

• Small: $4.50 Medium: $5 Large: $6.50 Jumbo: $7.50
• The fries are hand cut, skins on, freshly fried in Canola oil and made with Russet Potatoes. This is the most popular and standard choice of potato for fries. It’s starchy but because they cut them a bit thinner it’s not as starchy. They were firm and slightly crispier than the other 2 poutines. The thinness actually held on to the gravy and cheese well, and it didn’t get too soggy until you got to the bottom. I actually really liked the fries here.
• What I like about Fritz is that they layer their poutine. Fries, cheese curds, gravy and repeat. Therefore you get 2 layers of well dress fries so there’s a really good ratio of ingredients.

  

• I’m not sure what base their gravy is, but I feel like it was thickened with cream because it was a lighter brown than the gravies offered at La Belle Patate and La Brasserie. The flavour is enhanced with black pepper and some dried herbs. I wish they used freshly cracked black pepper instead of the regular black pepper though. There was also some dried herbs in it and I think it was oregano.
• The cheese curds were the stringiest of all 3 places. That just means the cheese was a mozzarella cheese rather than an actual cheese curd. They melted almost right away so this poutine was very ooey gooey. It reminded me of mozzarella cheese stings cut into smaller pieces – it had the same texture and flavour.
• It’s not an authentic poutine because of the type of cheese. But if you like that hearty, rich, saucy and cheesy poutine…then this is it! Personally I enjoy it as a late night snack or hangover food rather than lunch.

Added note: This review is a little different because it was for my video blog. Therefore the food at Fritz European Fry House was complimentary, (although I did offer to pay) but my opinions are still honest and as non-biased as I can be. The opinions and views expressed in "The Quest for Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie Street" review and video are those of Follow Me Foodie/Mijune only. There is no paid advertising and as always I write for the benefit of the customers and not for the restaurants.

The following photos are paid for poutines from Fritz European Fry House.

Photos from January 1, 2010….yes, after New Year’s Eve…;)

Poutine w/Mango Curry Chutney and Indonesian Peanut Sauce 6/6

• These are my favourite dips here.
  

The layering of their poutine...underneath the first layer....more fries, more gravy, and more cheese! I love hoe they do this!

La Brasserie - Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie

This is Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 2 of 4.

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 1 of 4

The next stop: La Brasserie! For the next episode please subscribe to the Follow Me Foodie youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/FollowMeFoodie or visit back for updates!

This video blog/review/post will be the post for Monday Feb. 1 and Tuesday Feb. 2. The following is the written review as well as more details about La Brasserie that are not included in the video.

Restaurant: La Brasserie

Cuisine: German/French
Last visited: January 7, 2010
Area: Vancouver, BC (Downtown/West End)
1091 Davie Street
Price Range: $20-30

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5 (Based on Truffle poutine only)
Service: n/a (Due to this special review, I'm biased)

Ambiance: 4

Overall: n/a

Additional comments:

• Franco-German restaurant
• Specializes in Franco-German bistro food
• Casual fine dining
  
• Seats 35, intimate setting
• Opened by brothers Michael and Stephen Wiese
• Neighbourhood gem
• Everything made from scratch
• Lunch daily 11-2:30pm
  
• Dinner daily 5pm-12am
• Brunch Saturdays & Sundays 10am-3pm
• Busy for dinner
  
• No reservations
• Offers a charity brunch on the 1st Sunday of every Month
  

**Recommendation: n/a (I've tried food here before, but I'm staying poutine focused)

The Topic: Quest for Vancouver's BEST Poutine on Davie Street

The Contestants: La Belle Patate, La Brasserie, Fritz European Fry House

4 Poutines later, the results are in!

La Brasserie was my 2^nd stop for my quest for Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie Street!

The poutine at La Brasserie is in a different league, so I almost feel it is unfair to put it in the same category with La Belle Patate and Fritz European Fry House. For a gourmet poutine on Davie, La Brasserie seems untouchable (unless another restaurant wants to challenge them…?) However when it comes to authentic French-Canadian poutine, I’d have to give 1^st place to La Belle Patate.

Originally I was only supposed to compare the poutines from Fritz European Fry House and La Belle Patate. La Brasserie was unexpected and a last minute entry because I wasn’t aware that they served poutines until I randomly scoped out their menu while walking by.

La Brasserie offers 2 different poutines: A truffle poutine that is offered as a hot appetizer for dinner (or as a side), and a breakfast poutine that is offered for their Sunday brunch. I was lucky enough to try both! For those of you that are reading this, and did not ONLY watch the video...here's a "secret": I'm featuring their breakfast poutine in a bonus video ;)

What is Poutine?

Using the most common definition a poutine is fries, cheese and gravy. However the real authentic definition of a poutine is fries, cheese curds (specifically fresh cheddar cheese curds), and poutine sauce or “gravy”. (Some people will object to the word “gravy” – but it’s supposed to be a chicken based sauce).

On the table:

Truffle Poutine 5/6

• Fries, cheese curds, pork gravy, truffle oil $9
• Why are you paying $9 for a poutine? It’s the Truffle oil! The first thing this poutine triggers is your nose. They’re not skimping on it either. It’s seriously the first thing I could smell and I could taste it throughout too. This isn't an authentic poutine as much as it is a poutine with a gourmet twist.
• The fries are hand cut, skins on, Kennebec potatoes, and were nice and freshly fried. The fry held really well and didn't lose form or texture. This potato is rarely used for fries and I was surprised that it wasn't a Yukon Gold. To be honest, I couldn't really tell, but they became secondary to the gravy and truffle oil.
• The gravy is pork gravy that’s made in house and it was really flavourful. It had a bit of a kick to it and I’m not sure if it was just from the freshly cracked black pepper it was served with or if it was from an additional sauce...perhaps Worcestershire sauce? The gravy was the best out of the 3 places I tried.
• The cheese curds weren’t as fresh as the ones at La Belle Patate and they were using a mozzarella cheese rather than an actual cheese curd.
• If you like the stringy, ooey gooey quality to your poutine (which isn’t authentic, but still really good) then you’ll love this poutine. It’s savoury, very aromatic with the truffle oil, and has a slight kick.
• This is really the definition of gourmet comfort food or comfort food with a gourmet twist. I mean when truffle oil is an ingredient can you really lose? On the rare occasion maybe…actually no, not even on the rare occasion.
• I wasn’t a fan of how it was served though. It was all packed into a really tiny bowl so I found all the ingredients on the top. I would have liked to see a shallower and wider bowl or dish.

• Note: I had other Vancouver food blogger friends visit on a another night and they ordered this truffle poutine and didn't experience the strong truffle taste...so I can't speak for consistency.
  

Added note: This review is a little different because it was for my video blog. Therefore the food at La Brasserie was complimentary, (although I did offer to pay) but my opinions are still honest and as non-biased as I can be. The opinions and views expressed in "The Quest for Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie Street" review and video are those of Follow Me Foodie/Mijune only. There is no paid advertising and as always I write for the benefit of the customers and not for the restaurants.

La Belle Patate - Vancouver's Best (Authentic) Poutine on Davie

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 1 of 4

This is the first vlog for Follow Me Foodie. My quest for the best poutine on Davie Street started off at La Belle Patate. For the next episode please subscribe to the Follow Me Foodie youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/FollowMeFoodie or visit back for updates!

The Quest for the BEST POUTINE on Davie Street Part 2

To launch the 1st Follow Me Foodie video blog this review/post will be the post for Wednesday and Thursday. The following is the written review as well as more details about La Belle Patate that are not included in the video.

Restaurant: La Belle Patate

Cuisine: Canadian/French/Fast Food
Last visited: January 7, 2010
Area: Vancouver, BC (Downtown/West End)
1215 Davie Street
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5.5 (Based on just the original poutine)
Service: n/a (Due to this special review, I'm biased)

Ambiance: 4

Overall: 5

Additional comments:

• Owner Pascal Cornier from Montreal, Quebec
• Specializes in poutine
  
• Very authentic
• Recently opened
• Original location in Victoria, BC
• Offers 30 different kinds of poutine
• Offers vegetarian poutine - Traditional poutine is vegetarian
  
• Fresh, made upon order
• Fast food
• Take out/Dine in
• Open daily 11am-late

**Recommendation: Traditional Poutine (only thing I've tried)

The Topic: Quest for Vancouver's BEST Poutine on Davie Street

The Contestants: La Belle Patate, La Brasserie, Fritz European Fry House

4 Poutines later, the results are in!

My quest for Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie Street started off at La Belle Patate!

In terms of authentic French-Canadian poutine, I’d have to give 1^st place to La Belle Patate. It’s pretty much the real deal in terms of authentic poutine. However this doesn’t necessarily mean it was the best tasting…for that you have to keep watching/following my video series!

I discovered La Belle Patate driving up Davie Street and from the outside it kind of looks like hole in the wall. I thought it was a take-out only kind of place, but I was really surprised with the inside. It’s actually very spacious and there’s actually a nice sitting area that makes it more of a “dine-in” kind of place rather than simply “eat-in”.

My expectations started to rise as I saw a Montreal Canadian flag hanging and I also heard the owner speaking French. I knew I was in for a very authentic poutine. The menu is extensive and they offer 30 kinds of poutine. There’s a lot of different styles of poutine and a lot of meat options, so I was very surprised to learn that their traditional poutine was actually vegetarian!

What is Poutine?

Using the most common definition a poutine is fries, cheese and gravy. However the real authentic definition of a poutine is fries, cheese curds (specifically fresh cheddar cheese curds), and poutine sauce or “gravy”. (Some people will object to the word “gravy” – but it’s supposed to be a chicken based sauce).

On the table:

This is not representable of what is actually ordered. I'm so embarrassed...I forgot to take my picture before I started eating it. I didn't follow my usual routine because this was for the video blog.

Traditional Poutine 5.5/6

• Small $5.50 Medium $7.50 Large $9.50
• The fries were hand cut, skin on, Red Potatoes and very fresh. They were a bit thicker cut with a crispy outside and very soft and fluffy inside.
• The fries were completely covered in gravy and the bottom layer got a bit soggy, but that’s expected.
• To my surprise, I was very surprised…the “gravy” or as they call it the “poutine sauce” is actually completely vegetarian. It wasn't obvious it was vegetarian unless you knew. It’s a wheat based sauce and it carries a shine, so it gives the illusion of being a bit oily or greasy. It is salty and it still has a meaty flavour so I was surprised to hear it was vegetarian. I'm pretty sure it's thickened with quite a bit of cornstarch because it's pretty thick and jelly-like or glutinous in texture.
• They do offer meat “gravy” or meat “poutine sauce” and it’s under the name of “BBQ” – so anything with the words “BBQ” will be meat based. I actually want to try that and do another comparison.
• I didn't get to try the "BBQ Poutine" at La Belle Patate. I wish I did because I actually feel like that version should have been the "Traditional Poutine".
• Cheese curds
• The cheese curds are the best cheese curds I’ve had in Vancouver so far. The cheese curds are definitely the highlight here. They’re very fresh and they squeak when you chew them. A sign of very fresh curds!
• They’re really generous with them and there are big chunks of it and they don’t lose their texture or shape because they don’t melt. Yes they don’t melt, so don’t expect the ooey gooey stinginess you may be used to. An authentic poutine isn’t supposed to have cheese curds that melt because that would mean they are using mozzarella.
• He gets them in from the Fraser Valley and it’s not even a mozzarella or a white cheddar cheese. It’s actually called “cheese curd” and it has the texture of very firm mozzarella so I thought it was a white cheddar cheese, but it’s not. The flavour is similar to mozzarella, but a bit deeper and it's so firm it breaks apart when you chew it.
• I really love how they served them in foil to-go containers. It was perfect! It literally retained heat until my project was done...2 hours later!
• A few things that bothered me…
• I really think they should call the “Traditional Poutine” a vegetarian poutine and then the “BBQ Poutine” the traditional poutine…for me, a real traditional and authentic poutine should be meat based sauce.
  
• The cheese curds are super squeaky and fresh, but from my research and knowledge an authentic poutine should have white cheddar cheese curds.

Added note: This review is a little different because it was for my video blog. Therefore the food at La Belle Patate was complimentary, (although I did offer to pay) but my opinions are still honest and as non-biased as I can be. The opinions and views expressed in "The Quest for Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie Street" review and video are those of Follow Me Foodie/Mijune only. There is no paid advertising and as always I write for the benefit of the customers and not for the restaurants.