As one of our country’s biggest provinces, Quebec’s vast territory is rich with great people who’ve made the best of the land they’ve inherited. Families of farmers, fishermen, hunters and artisans from the far reaches of this beautiful place we call home provide us with some of the best food the world can offer and our chefs take that food and transform it into something spectacular.
Caribou Gourmand on Saint-Laurent in Montreal’s busy Mile-End neighbourhood has been open for about a year now and their take on cuisine du terroir is both wonderfully unique and entirely engaging.
Late one evening last week Vincent, Véro and I went to Caribou Gourmand to try it out first hand. It was a relatively dry summer night meaning that it has only rained once during the day (a real gift from Mother Nature this year) so the restaurant’s large front windows were open. The restaurant was filled with the warm summer air that cooled us with each light breeze that drifted up along the Main. To cool off even further, we began the night with a little bubbly as we perused the menu, figuring out what we wanted to try. It wasn’t an easy task but with a little help from the chef we narrowed it down to three appetizers, three entrees and three desserts that we would share.
Spearheaded by a couple of young expats from Normandy, France, Caribou (a name given to the French who return from Canada) Gourmand is every bit a product of the influence that Canada has had on both Guillaume and Inès while their Norman heritage remain rooted in the details of the food they prepare. Much like the couple, their food is unpretentious and that was evident from the first bite. At Caribou Gourmand, the menu changes with the season putting the fresh food that’s available at the moment front and centre.
A love for our culture and the food we produce is the heart of this restaurant’s raison d’être. Even the decor is influenced our country’s vast forests. At it’s heart as well is something that we are all familiar with; family. This young family who have chosen to make Canada and Quebec their home are contributing to our culture by looking at it from their unique perspective and adding their own flavour which is a perfectly Canadian thing to do.