Chez Boulay - Bistro boréal

Rororosa

4.0

We were visiting Quebec City, & it happened to be my child's birthday that day, so I wanted to choose a restaurant that felt distinctly Quebecois. Chez Boulay turned out to be a good choice for our family. We were traveling with several children, & the atmosphere was relaxed, lively, & welcoming rather than overly formal, which suited us very well.

Overall, the service was very good, & most of the food was enjoyable. The biggest disappointment was the fries - they were almost burnt, & none of the kids wanted to eat them.

For my main course, I had the beef cheek. It was quite good, with a very pronounced beef flavor. The eggplant purée was a little too salty for my personal taste. My husband had the blood pudding, which was also good, & the layered potato that came with it was especially well done. My father ordered the bison steak, & that was probably one of the best main courses at the table. It was cooked very nicely & arrived at exactly the right doneness.

For appetizers, we ordered the scallops, fish, French onion soup, & foie gras. The onion soup was the one dish we did not really enjoy, as we found it too salty & felt that the saltiness overwhelmed the other flavors.

My personal favorite - & the standout dish of the meal for me - was the scallop appetizer. The scallops were incredibly fresh & flavorful. My husband thought the sauce may have been made by blending & straining fish into a very smooth purée. I honestly couldn't tell exactly what it was made from, but I absolutely loved the dish.

The foie gras was also very good. The berry sauce helped balance the richness of the foie gras, & I personally preferred this pairing to foie gras served with pear.

The dessert was chosen by the kids, so I'm not completely sure what it was called, but it had a pudding-like texture with a strong strawberry flavor. I really enjoyed it.

Overall, we had a very good experience. The atmosphere was family-friendly, the service was solid, & there were several dishes that really stood out.

Nazgol

3.0

Service & hospitality were meh during our recent visit. We arrived for our 9:15 PM reservation, which was the exact time slot the restaurant permitted us to book. After receiving our initial basket of bread, we politely asked for more, only to be told they had run out because the kitchen was already closed.

It is completely unacceptable to accept a 9:15 PM reservation knowing full well when your kitchen closes & then refuse guests basic service like bread while they are in the middle of their meal. Claiming to be entirely out of bread is difficult to believe, especially given the dismissive attitude of the staff.

The food itself did not make up for the poor experience. The seabass we did receive was overcooked, & while the beef cheek was okay, it was far from amazing. For a full order of two appetizers, two entrées, appetizers & two glasses of wine, this level of treatment is inexcusable. Management needs to reassess how they treat late slot reservations.

Nolbot64

5.0

Atmosphere is amazing, the beef cheek is so tender & just falls apart. The server was great & gave good drink recommendations.

Ken

5.0

Great service from Jean Michel & his team. Never felt rushed but also never ignored. He explained the menu to us with emphasis on the classics of the restaurant. My daughter ordered one of those: braided beef cheeks. She loved it. My wife & son ordered the flank steak; she ordered the beef & he ordered the bison. Both came medium rare, were perfectly cooked & enjoyed. I ordered the lamb duo. Also perfectly cooked & delicious. For dessert, we split a crème brûlée & a tart made from a Quebec berry. Both were great. Will put this on my list to recommend to anyone coming to Quebec City.

Theatre

5.0

My go to restaurant in Quebec city. The food is unfailingly good to great, the service attentive & thorough, & the atmosphere relaxed. On our recent visit, the onion soup (which I hesitated over because it's heavy for me as an entree) was sublime. The rest of the meal, bison, braised beef cheek, the halibut & pasta were each delicious & subtle. Dessert was creme brulee which can often be pretty boring, but this was not. I have never had a mediocre experience here. Highly recommended.

Greg

3.0

The food was very disappointing. Ordered the beef cheek which was supposed to be the house speciality & it was bland. It tasted like it was boiled. Service was slow & lacked attention. All & all not enjoyable - would not recommend.

Marlene

4.0

BEST french onion soup I've ever had anywhere! It was so delicious, decadent, creamy, tasty, all of the things. The cheese baguette was a perfect side with this dish. I ordered the beef cheek as an entree & it was good, but that french onion soup definately stole the show. The service was friendly but started off very slow. I waited awhile before anyone even came to take my drink order & people who were sat after me, had the opportunity to place their order first. I would return for the french onion soup if I am ever in QC again!

Brian

5.0

Absolutely wonderful experience. Duck fous gras & Québec cheese plate were wonderful starters. Flat iron steak & braised beef cheeks were out of this world: tender, perfectly prepared. The PRICKLY ASH MOUSSE WITH ÎLE D'ORLÉANS BLACKCURRANT HEART
&
OUR HIVES' HONEY ICED PARFAIT, CEREAL MILK CRÈME ANGLAISE we're an excellent way to end the meal. Our server was great & explained everything to us. Highly recommend.

David

5.0

Excellent meal. The onion soup may have been the best I've ever had. Beef cheeks were also excellent. Very reasonably priced for the quality of the meal.

Jeffery

5.0

Awesome restaurant. Very friendly staff with excellent food quality. Personal favorite would be the beef cheek. The onion soup is special with the foam on top. I would highly recommend this to everyone.