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Quebec City - A joint birthday celebration feasting on an eye-opening 17 courses ‘ Cuisine Boreale ‘ tasting menu at Taniere,
Our intriguing and mysterious Quebec, Boreale themed culinary journey began from the time I received an authorization code on my smartphone to be used on the digital keypad electronic lock to gain entrance into the restaurant. Upon going through the heavy and imposing solid lumber barn door, we have to further navigate down a sloped ramp, in almost pitch black darkness, to a series of dungeon vaulted rooms deep inside a 1689 historical building.
After settling in and making ourselves comfortable in the FIRST ‘Amuse bouche/appetizer’ room. We were greeted by a ‘Welcome cocktail’ of isotonic beverage paired with the following finger food/amuse:
- Beetroot/Wild Bergamot
- Wintergreen/Walleye/Cranberry
Then a more ‘potent’ alcoholic beverage of ‘Old Fashioned’ ( whiskey Rosemont, Eau de vie de prune Sliv, Home made bitter, Blueberry juice, Labrador tea, Winter green ) was offered to pair with the remaining:
- Thuya/Tresor du large ( oyster )
- Spruce/Arctic Char/Charcoal
- Chicarones/Vinegar
- Labrador Tea/Highland Beef/Wild Blueberries
The above prelude array of fascinating tid-bits provided us with the overture to what major composition awaiting us in the wings.
It is obvious that this cuisine approach is Taniere’s, Quebec Boreale take on “ NOMA-esque “ Nordic cuisine. With presentation relying heavily on the use of material found in nature, terroir and woodland like mosses, twigs, leaves, stones….etc. The cooking and resulting creative dishes rely on raw material that are particularly remarkable in the Northern Quebec climate, its land and water. The methods combine the best preparation and culinary traditions of Quebec with impulses from elsewhere ( eg., homemade XO sauce using cured Tuna! ).
After being led by a friendly and knowledgeable staff member, and passing an impressive open-kitchen, we arrived at our SECOND ‘ Entree ‘ room. There, we were served the following gastronomic offerings:
- Quebec Matsutake - Sea Urchin - Louis d’or 36 months Cheese
- Quebec Caviar - Scallop - Gabrielle Potatoes
- Tuna ( 550 pounds caught off Gaspesie ) - XO sauce - Prickly Ash Pepper
- Bean - Summer Squash - Corn
- Rabbit - Carrot - Morel - Chervil - Chicory
- Camelina Duck - Camelina- Shiso - Wild Mushroom
- Plum - Pineapple Weed - Milk Bread
A forest-themed decorated THIRD ‘Dessert’ room, complete with tree trunks, awaits us for the finale presentation of our ‘ ‘forest-themed ‘ Desserts and Mignardise. They included:
- Propolis Ice Cream, Curcuma, Nectarine ( talk about combining the
requirement of taste with current knowledge in health and well being! )
MIGNARDISES:
Crickets - Miso/Black Apple Haskapberry cushion and Charcoal
Bee - Ginger & Pollen
‘Worm’ - Wintergreen, gelatine
Fake Chocolate - Lichen
With these, we concluded our symphony of enjoyable, fascinating and fun food and theatrical experience. IMO, a solid Michelin 1*, may be borderline 2*, if ever Michelin makes its way to Quebec. However, in order to attain a higher stature, some minor mistakes need to be overcome, like the ‘ dry Rabbit roll wrapped with mousseline ‘. A common mistake serving Rabbit that should not be overlooked by a skilled kitchen?!
