Finally......the moment we've all been waiting for

Those that know me well, know that when travelling, I live by the book of Bourdain. Anywhere that Anthony Bourdain visits in No Reservations is automatically on my must see list when travelling (kind of like a Gourmet Lonely Planet I guess). It's not unusual, therefore, that I have progressively moved through his episode in Quebec since arriving here. I've had Poutine at La Banquise at four in the morning after too many beers. I've gorged myself on St Viateur Bagels on several occasions.

But the best, I had to wait for. I don't know why I waited so long........maybe I was waiting for the right company to join me, maybe I was apprehensive of being disappointed by the experience I had built up in my head.........maybe a combination of the two. But fears aside......the time to visit Au Pied de Cochon was finally here...and I was excited.

There is a also a reason I haven't previously blogged about a "Bourdain" recommended experience. It is simply because there is no way I can adequately describe a place, flavour or experience and paint a more detailed picture than he would. With that in mind......let me introduce you to Au Pied de Cochon, Bourdain style:


Now I'm reasonably brave in a gastronomical sense...........but there was no way I was going to attempt to replicate that. My wallet and arteries simply do not have the stomach for it. I did have two things on my checklist from the above segment - I had to try the Foie Gras and I had to try it in Poutine......nothing could be more Quebecoise in my book.

The only reservation I could get was for 9pm on a Tuesday night due to the extreme popularity of this venue. Bourdain is not blowing smoke up his friends ass - Martin Picard is really regarded as one of the best chef's in Canada - and the popularity of his Flagship is well deserved.

After a pre-dinner beer around the corner, I wandered through the doors of Au Pied de Cochon with my dinner companion, Tatiana. Tatiana is a local Quebecoise, and has never visited this Montreal icon before so we were both in the same boat somewhat.

I say somewhat because it's no secret that my French is still at a very rudimentary stage, and whilst the staff do speak English here, the menu is in French and it is located in a predominantly Francofone area of Montreal. We surveyed the menu for a while and finally decided that we'd choose an assortment of options and share so that we could experience as much as possible.

Tatiana's bilingualism came in handy quite quickly as she quizzed the waitress (ironically the same waitress from the above clip) about the contents of a few of the dishes as it wasn't always clear. In particular, we queried the "Head Cheese croquettes" as it sounded interesting. Was "Head" a type of cheese? No.......as it turned out, Head Cheese had more to do with Head and less to do with Cheese. It is prepared using the minced meat of the pigs cheek, rolled and deep fried into a croquette......no cheese present here. Not quite what we were looking for in this instance. We finally settled on the following:

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad - Goat Cheese is something that I haven't eaten a lot of back home. But it's made it's way in as a reasonably regular ingredient since arriving in Montreal (mostly due to my cousin's penchant for it). Traditionally, I'm not a fan of the North American version of beets. They, in my experience, are low in flavour and not particularly pleasant. The Australian counterpart, Beetroot, is far sweeter with a nicer texture. Nonetheless, this was the exception to the rule. The Beet's did not taste like the Beetroot of home - but the flavour was more potent than I had experienced with previous attempts - and it turned out to be a good thing. Combined with the Goat Cheese, the flavours intersected perfectly and the texture was delightful. I certainly wouldn't recommend it for those looking for a "light" salad as, with everything here, it's done to the gastronomical excess - consisting of more Goat Cheese than salad!

Cochonnailles Platter - The very very loose English translation of this French dish is "Pork Products". The cochonnailles platter is basically that - an assortment of pork bi-products like pork sausage, terrine, pate etc with some Bison tongue thrown in for good measure. Most of the items weren't easily identifiable but, in Bourdain style, I had to try it all. I've never eaten tongue before and this was a very pleasant introduction. If you are able to break the psychological barrier of being able to visually identify the animal part you are eating, the flavour is great. I don't think I could ever order it as a main course though! The other interesting highlight was a black jelly substance that had the most obnoxious and overpowering flavour i've ever experienced. I can't describe it accurately as i've never eaten something that I could compare it to. So much so, that we had to ask the waitress what it was........after which I wish I hadn't asked. It turned out to be a jelly made from the  cartilage and jelly from a pig's cheek. Honestly, if i'd enjoyed the taste, it would not have been a problem. But I would actually describe the flavour as offensive - and it was overpowering! I'm sure there are those out there that would disagree with me. 


Foie Gras Poutine - Now this is what I had been waiting for. For those who haven't been initiated to Poutine - it is basically fries, cheese curds with a brown gravy (there are many many variants depending on where you go). So Foie Gras Poutine was exactly that - but with a few large pieces of Foie Gras thrown on the top. Now I have no basis for comparison as this was my first Foie Gras experience.......but the flavour is phenomenal. The texture takes a little getting used to as you are very aware that you are eating liver. Whilst this doesn't bother me - it may bother others. Poutine is one of the most traditional Quebecoise experiences. Even without the Foie Gras, the Poutine was incredible. I know it's ridiculous to think there can be so much variance in quality with such basic ingredients, but believe me there is the way to eat Poutine and the way not too. And this definitely fits with the former. 


Satisfied? Absolutely.......Would I repeat? Can't wait!

As usual, Anthony Bourdain steered me in the right direction. Unfortunately, I did not do him justice at all as I didn't overindulge. But it is very difficult as a normal human being to do so - the above menu choices were shared between two and we both almost had to be rolled out the door at the completion of service. I cannot possibly understand how he achieved what he did in the above video - if nothing else, my Au Pied de Cochon experience only heightened my respect for the man. That being said, I'm sure when i'm visited by my brother (who, like me at times, can treat eating like a competitive sport) that we will do our very best to at least take the silver medal! I might have to stop eating all food from now until then in preparation........


So thank you Anthony, thank you Martin and thank you Foie Gras!!