With their rigorous climate marked by a distinct seasonal cycle, northern territories are gifted with unique fauna and flora adapted to their extreme reality: game, fresh water fish, wild fruit, forest mushrooms, lichen… inspired by these unique elements, a rising number of chefs are exploring this once neglected exceptional culinary legacy.
In Quebec, Jean-Luc Boulay and Arnaud Marchand, supported by a passionate team, have been standing up to the challenge of inventing quebec inspired northern cuisine since 2012. Connecting the abundant proximity of boreal forests and the exceptional quality of local products, they salvage amidst french techniques to favour a true encounter of flavours. Local, healthy and inventive, the Northern cuisine from Quebec expresses within each bite the very best of our emerging culinary tradition.
Chez Boulay - Bistro boréal offers a memorable dining experience characterized by its creative, high-quality boreal cuisine that highlights fresh and local ingredients. Guests frequently praise the exceptional service, noting that the staff is knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive, often providing helpful recommendations that elevate the meal. While the atmosphere is vibrant, stylish, and welcoming, it can occasionally become busy and lively. Many visitors consider it a must-visit destination in Quebec City, highlighting signature dishes like the onion soup and beef cheek as true standouts. Overall, the restaurant consistently delivers a refined culinary experience that earns strong recommendations for anyone seeking an authentic yet modern taste of local northern cuisine.
Brunch du samedi. Potage du jour, un velouté aux champignons, tellement doux en bouche avec un fumet très réconfortant. Le Pêcheur en plat principal, de la truite dans une sauce aux câpres extrêmement raffiné. & pour dessert une crème brûlée au miel parfaitement équilibrée. Tout était savoureux, & ce n'était qu'un brunch!
La nourriture est excellente, & l'expérience globale a été très agréable. Mon seul bémol concerne le service, que j'ai trouvé trop expéditif pour un restaurant de ce niveau. À peine l'entrée terminée, le plat principal arrive immédiatement, suivi de la carte des desserts. Dès que le dessert est terminé, on nous apporte l'addition.
Lors de la réservation, il est précisé que l'on dispose de 2 heures 15 pour le souper, mais en réalité, tout était bouclé en à peine une heure : trois services & un verre. Pourtant, le restaurant n'était pas plein. Pour un établissement de ce niveau, j'ai trouvé cela un peu décevant.
Je comprends que nous sommes dans le Vieux-Québec & qu'il y a probablement des périodes de pointe où l'efficacité est essentielle. Cependant, lorsque ce n'est pas le cas, il serait appréciable d'offrir une expérience plus détendue aux clients afin qu'ils puissent pleinement profiter du moment. Cela dit, rien à redire sur la qualité des plats, qui était impeccable.
There were 8 of us dining together & we all LOVED our meals - from start to dessert. The staff were very accommodating & friendly & we were seated in a great private location. The prices were reasonable, the choices abundant, & it was truly an excellent experience!
Feb 25, 2025
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Le service était impeccable. Notre serveur a été attentionné & agréable toute la soirée. Il a pris le temps de bien nous conseiller & de s'assurer qu'on passait un bon moment. Très belle carte des vins & que dire des plats! Des entrées aux desserts, tout était délicieux. ❤️
We had the three course meal advertised for the Quebec Table Gourmet event, which was smoked salmon, steak, & a dessert. The first course was lovely, the steak was very chewy like the cheaper cuts you'd get at a grocery store, but was cooked nicely. The dessert was write nice. Our servers were fine, I think we had three separate people check in on us throughout the meal. The atmosphere was okay, but it very much felt like a hotel restaurant. It was fine, suppose I prefer more intimate experiences.
Un gros WOW assiettes pleine Joue de boeuf fondante tellement tendre Poêlé de petoncles succulente Desserts tarte à l'argousier excellente. Très bon service Le prix est égale à l'excellence de notre expérience.
Excellent French (non bistro) food in a smart casual dress restaurant. Very rich meals, very lux sauces. Tax++ prices comparable to a decent restaurant in Melbourne Australia. Arnaud provided terrific customer service in a busy restaurant, & his plate descriptions & recommendations were all good. French onion soup was elevated from the usual fare - I would totally recommend trying as the soup consistency is thicker than the usual, & so a little different. Beef cheeks very'melty' with zero hint of stringiness. Seal meatloaf too strong for my jetlagged self (& probably also my non jetlagged self), but husband thought it was tasty & interesting. Mousse texture not quite what I was anticipating, but still a 7/10 dessert. Cappuccino was more like a double espresso + some froth on top, but I think that may just be the way cappuccinos are made here as I have received similar in other QC venues. It was busy on a Monday night, so I'd say bookings are recommended.
Les plats que propose ce restaurant sont originaux & excellents. Ils sont très travaillés & fins. Je vous recommande de prendre l'assiette de fromages avec le pain maison (que je n'ai pas eu le temps de prendre en photo, tellement les fromages étaient bons). Le plat sur la photo est la pièce du boucher (ici, du boeuf, mais ils proposent aussi de bison normalement). Les prix sont assez élevés mais la qualité se paye! (165$ à deux pour plats, desserts & verre de vin).
This place makes good food, & uses high level ingredients. That said - for us the highlight of the meal was the dessert! I love when restaurants work with what's available locally & adjust to work with it. That was truly highlighted on all of their desserts. The "lemon" pie blew me away with how good & unique it was. Highly recommended!
A much hyped restaurant, this place fell short of the anticipation. Dishes are a hit & miss, I would recommend asking for & going with your server's recommendations only. Of all the dishes we ordered the ones they recommended were good & the others were passable while one was quite terrible. For starters we ordered the foie gras terrine - this was lovely & unique but it came with an unnecessary garnish of a crispy bread that was partially burnt so it took away more from the fabulous terrine than it added. Their permanent main of beef cheek also came with a crisp topping that was burnt, & the meat was just about alright. The daily special of pork belly that we ordered at the server's suggestion was quite good. The third main we ordered was lobster on a bed of cavatelli & corn sauce. This was perhaps the worst dish I have been served at a restaurant & it made no sense. The lobster was unseasoned & a tad overdone. The pasta had no seasoning & the corn sauce was bland. I love lobster so I just picked those out & sent the rest back & politely shared my feedback with our server. She was indeed very gracious about it & suggested they would cover dessert if we so wished. We were anyway going to order dessert, since it was a birthday dinner, & we ordered on serving of the seabuckthorn pie playing it safe by going with the server's suggestion & it was delightful. But at the time of payment nothing on the order had been comped off, as was initially indicated. We do not expect freebies & we were quite comfortable paying for everything we ordered & we tipped well. We were simply taken aback that they offered something without following through. Overall, some menu items did not make sense in their composition & seemed like hurriedly developed recipes, while some items were great. A hit & miss experience & stick with servers' suggestions.
