Two lunches

Two very different lunches, in different places, but which had important similarities.

Came across both places quite by chance, being in the right place at the right time. Both places were quite small, maybe 50 covers each, catering mainly to what looked like local people taking their lunch, mainly in pairs. Both places were mainly staffed by small, chipper young waitresses who spoke French but who could manage English for the likes of us. How much black coffee did they need to be like that? Both places turned out to be very good and after the event both places appeared to be well regarded by the likes of Trip Advisor. Neither place appeared to have a web site.

Both places managed water, more or less at room temperature, without bubbles and without lumps, that is to say ice. I continue to maintain that attacking a warm stomach with ice-cold fizzy water is both unnatural and unhealthy. Or beer for that matter.

La Belle Verte Vegan Restaurant, 166 Rue Eddy, Gatineau

We were trying to get to a festival of Ottawan food at the casino at Lac Leamy and having successfully got a bus across the river, we trying to walk the second leg, but got tired at Rue Eddy, which at least had the virtue of being like the Gatineau I remembered from my last trip to Ottawa, rather than being overrun by office blocks and developers. Thought about an apparently empty place, apparently run by someone Middle Eastern at the corner of Allumettières and Eddy but persisted down hill and found ourselves outside this one.

We had veggies burgers with a green salad. The veggie burgers were made partly of some kind of lentils, but had structure, not being the same all the way through. The green salads were excellent, including several small & curly items we had not come across before.

Abandoned the food festival at this point and having got as far as some huge government building at the bottom of the hill, took a taxi home. Does the government put such buildings in Gatineau for much the same reason as ours might put them in Gateshead? Employment for the disaffected?

Muru Crêpe, 362 Rue Notre-Dame Est, Montréal

We were having a swing around Old Town, Montreal and having been tempted by the place illustrated, came across this second place. Maybe we will make it to the first place tomorrow. It certainly looked very grand, very old Montreal although I was a little doubtful about the menu, very meatish, with just one offering from each of a variety of animals, rather like a fine dining pub (soi disant) back home.

First course, stuffed pancake with green salad and fries, nicely served on a large square plate. The white shiny stuff that has taken the foodie world by storm.

Second course, naked pancake, just folded with some (icing) sugar and with some thin slices of lemon on top. Very like the sort of pancake BH might have done us at home, the only difference being that this one was probably cooked in vegetable oil rather than pork oil. I had to be firm to stop them covering the thing in butter and cream.

Continued to the engaging Château Ramezay.

Reference 1: http://www.casinosduquebec.com/lacleamy/en/.

Reference 2: http://www.psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/fossil-leaves.html.

Reference 3: http://www.pierreducalvet.ca/english/.

Reference 4: http://www.chateauramezay.qc.ca/en/.