This is my 5th post but I can’t even count how many times I’ve been to Q Haute. For both lunch and supper I like the whole foodie experience that this restaurant provides. Classic and professional service makes you feel welcome and the attention to detail is superb. Nestled in an historic building near the river, the fireplace provides a comfy vibe in the winter and the view from the windows is great in the summer.
My friend Angela and I decided that a fancy dinner to kick off the new year would be appropriate, so we booked a table on Friday, January 4. We showed up separately, and when I arrived I was greeted by one of the owners at the top of the stairs. Marcello took my jacket, seated me and made sure I was comfortable until my friend arrived. I sat right beside the fireplace on this cold evening and it felt so nice.
We left the wine selection up to the sommelier and were served a white that would pair well with most of our dishes. An Italian Vermentino Chardonnay, it gave a great first punch to my taste buds then I thought it was awesome. Marcello said the wine would pair well with a pan fried white fish (new home cooking goal!). It was a very fresh wine – light, crisp, not too sweet and not too dry. Angela is not a white wine person and she really enjoyed it and said she would spend the money to buy a bottle herself! I’ve actually added this to my list of favourite wines here. My Vivino app gives this wine a 4.2/5 rating, with an average price of $25.34 and it’s currently featured as one of the top 25 Central Italy white whites in Canada on Vivino.
We started with a plate of amuse bouche (Don’t eat the wood! Apparently, people have tried…). 3 little bites that actually fell in order of our preference, from left to right: 1) An olive oil crostini with goat cheese and three little drops of maple roasted sweet potato. Totally delectable – reminiscent of sour cream and onion potato chips (but of course WAY more refined!). When I ate this little bite I truly wanted more (like, pile of them!). 2) A cherry tomato, blanched with the skin removed and injected with a lemon syrup. This little guy was interesting – juicy and squishy, it was very light with a touch of sweetness. 3) A cinnamon and beet sphere coated with pulverized pumpkin seeds. This little guy had an interesting texture; I was expecting a firm beet but got a mushy mouthful. The strong beet flavour was complimented with a nutty flavour from the pumpkin seeds. Overall, each little bite on this plate was a texture and flavour experience. As a foodie, I appreciate all the effort that goes into each little morsel – so much thought and so much work! And, I love the experience and that each one brings to my mouth.
Next we were served bread and butter. The cultured butter is made in house from creme fraiche and coated with a coco cookie crumb. There were two breads in the basket – a classic french baguette (yum) and a gluten free, free-style cranberry bread. Baked with a Cup-for-Cup GF flour it was friggin’ tasty! It was dense and flavourful with an awesome crispy crust. Tart with the hints of cranberry, both of us wanted more but declined the offer… we could definitely fill up on that bread!
The next dish was beautiful and complex… however I still struggle with the idea of a terrine. I think it just brings me back to the 1980’s and tomato aspic and all those weird gelatine salads by mom and grandma used to make! The 24 carrot gold terrine actually had flecks of edible gold in it and large enough chunks of somewhat crunchy carrots to give it contrasting texture against the gelatine. The parsnip chips on top were tasty. The beige puree was made of caramelized shallots – it was zingy and had an awesome punch of flavour. The beet cubes were swerved with a sultana raisin and port puree on top – since I’ve never really loved raisins I could go without this, but it added a nice touch to the dish. The tomato chutney hidden under the sprouts was delicious eaten with the baguette (yay, there was one piece left!) and the red pepper foam added beautiful texture to the plate. This is another one of those dishes where so many things had to happen in the kitchen to make this all come together. It takes a lot of patience and creativity to be this kind of Chef!
The pappardelle pasta is made in house (and so it should be!) and was served with fried capers, lemon and fennel cream and marinated anchovy. The plate was graced with a chive gel, a white wine and saffron gel and a herb ash. This dish was delicious and I loved the salty, crispy hits of capers with the fresh pasta. So good! I keep saying I need to bring out my KitchenAid pasta attachment and make some homemade pasta… the challenge is that if I make it, I eat it 🙂
In lieu of a traditional sorbet to cleanse the pallet we were served a sour apple popsicle with matcha spuma sprinkled with a red apple powder. I’ve had this before at Q Haute and it really is quite nice. I’d be perfectly happy eating this sour apple popsicle (in a much bigger size) on a hot summer day.
Although I stopped purposefully eating beef in June 2017, I’ve not turned it away on special occasions. I’ve eaten beef less than a dozen times in the last 1.5 years, and when I get to enjoy something as good as the sous vide Alberta beef tenderloin we were served, I am reminded of how delicious beef can be. The beef was melt-in-your-mouth tender, served with a preserved cherry and madeira jus, spiced sweet potato puree, baby bok choy, golden beets and dots of cauliflower puree. Damn. Everything was seasoned perfectly. The pasta and this main were definitely my two faves of the night.
For dessert we were served a beautiful plate of fresh fruit and a deceivingly delicious ball of rice, coconut and meringue. The ball totally looked like ice cream, but the top half was imperatrice rice (I’m not even sure what that is!) and coconut bavarois (another one I’ll have to Google!) and the bottom half was a pineapple meringue. With great flavours and textures this ball of joy is definitely deceiving. See the main image at the top of this post for a photo of the beautiful plate.
One of the things you have to remember about Q Haute is that the food just doesn’t stop coming! You’ll think you’re done eating after dessert and then they bring you more! In closing, we were served a Paris-Brest choux with a creamy hazelnut filling – a truly a delectable treat that goes great with their delicious latte’s! The vanilla white cake is dense and moist and way more tasty than you’d think. The chocolate truffle was rich and delicious… I could actually only eat half of it because I had reached my maximum by that point!
Again, Q Haute sets the bar high with their service and their food. It’s a foodie’s dream to see such creativity by Chef/Owner Paul Stoffel. As the saying goes – you gotta eat here!
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