L'Affaire Est Ketchup propose une expression rigoureuse des traditions culinaires françaises régionales en privilégiant des ingrédients frais issus du marché local. La cuisine met en avant des préparations audacieuses qui respectent l'intégrité brute des produits et des protéines sélectionnés. Son atmosphère sans prétention souligne un engagement envers la précision technique tout en évitant les fioritures inutiles. Chaque plat reflète une structure de menu évolutive qui s'adapte strictement à la disponibilité saisonnière des ingrédients régionaux de qualité. L'environnement facilite une connexion directe entre l'assiette et le paysage agricole environnant. Les convives découvrent une interprétation robuste de la cuisine d'inspiration française favorisant les saveurs franches et les techniques traditionnelles plutôt qu'une présentation stylisée. Cet établissement maintient une approche disciplinée de l'approvisionnement, garantissant que la production culinaire reste constamment liée aux cycles de récolte naturels de la région.
L'Affaire est Ketchup est largement reconnu comme une perle culinaire unique à Québec, offrant une expérience gastronomique intime et mémorable où les convives se sentent comme invités à la table d'un ami. Le restaurant est célèbre pour sa cuisine exceptionnelle et réfléchie, avec des plats phares comme les ris de veau, le canard et diverses suggestions saisonnières qui suscitent des éloges constants pour leur profondeur technique et leurs saveurs remarquables. L'ambiance est souvent décrite comme chaleureuse, animée et sans prétention, enrichie par une équipe amicale et passionnée qui guide les clients à travers un menu renouvelé quotidiennement, présenté en français et en anglais. Bien que la petite salle chaleureuse et le concept convivial nécessitent de réserver à l'avance et un peu de patience, la majorité des visiteurs considèrent que la qualité de la nourriture, les excellents accords vins et l'énergie authentique et vibrante valent largement le détour, marquant ainsi un moment fort de leur séjour.
A special place, the perfect experience. Don't leave without ordering the sweetbread…& get the dessert.
Some of the best dishes in Quebec, in a carefree relaxed environment. A shared experience at the start as the menu is explained. Each dish has remarkable flavour, & technical depth.
Like hanging out at your friends apartment, if your friend was a Michelin chef.
Recently stayed with a group for a 40th birthday weekend. Made a reservation here for a group of 5. We arrived & were told we did not have a reservation. Then after explaining we called & spoke to someone a few days previously, they found our reservation but said it had been cancelled (not by us). Accidents happen, but they were not very apologetic & were quite dismissive. We ended up at a Michelin star place nearby that was very accommodating & the service was lovely.
Such a unique experience! The restaurant is small, only about 10 tables, & the menu is presented verbally in French & English to everyone at the same time. We had the tomato & octopus appetizers & then the duck breast & beef, & it was all incredible. Because everything is such close quarters our clothes smelled strongly of butter & fish when we left, but we kind of loved that, too.
We went there with high expectations based on all the reviews. We were seated at 8:30pm, the second seating for the evening with all other guests of this seating welcome into the restaurant around the same time. We were immediately instructed to make drink orders. However every table was handed out a drink menu but us, & we had to request for the drink menu. After we ordered some wine, it was a long wait till around 9:25pm when the actual food menu was announced to every guest.
& after we ordered the food, the first bite, which was bread & butter, was finally served at about 10pm, a total of 90 min after we were seated. We were already starving.
Then the appetizers finally started rolling out. The sweetbread was fantastic. Octopus & asparagus, however, were somewhat lackluster.
Then the main courses came. We had halibut, duck beast & wild boar loin. Flavors were all good, but nothing that really impressed me. Halibut & duck breast were cooked very well, but the wild boar was somewhat on the dry side. Oh I really liked the turnip that went with the halibut.
After we finished the main courses it was already 11pm. We had to leave as it was getting too late, & we had to skip the desserts, which had not been announced yet at that point.
So 2 hours & a half for a two course dinner. I think the slow pacing is too much. & the food, albeit good, doesn't justify the time for me. Honestly I can cook a two course dinner of a similar quality within 2 hours & a half at home. I went there with the expectation of having something special from a home style restaurant, & in the end what I got was some good home style cooking, but nothing special, plus a lot of wait at the table
Btw it was quite hot inside the restaurant on a warm summer night
Bourdain chasing on our Quebec trip. Was mildly disappointed by Joe Beef in Montreal, so going into Ketchup I had high hopes that it would deliver & save our trip. & oh my did the team at Ketchup deliver. Walking in it's a very unpretentious spot, very quickly it's obvious the focus is 100% on the food. The menu was explained to the whole restaurant, & you can tell while the waiter was explaining the food they were very proud of it. We had the octopus, sweetbread, boar, halibut, duck, & Queen Elizabeth cake.
I was blown away by the sweetbread. The highlight of the night for me. The other dishes did not disappoint as well. The octopus & boar had very interesting Asian-influenced flavors (lemongrass, star anise etc). The duck personally was slightly under, but that's personal preference.
The Queen Elizabeth cake was a pleasant surprise, first time having it & it's basically just a big piece of sticky nougat (that's a good thing). I would have to disagree with their weapon of choice however, as it was very hard to use a spoon on such a hard dessert.
Anyways, Ketchup is going to be a must visit for me whenever I'm in Quebec. Very reasonable prices as well ($100~ for 3 courses & drink).
Also, bread service was amazing. Soft baguette & really good butter.
We have never experienced a restaurant quite like this & are glad we did a quick review before our reservation.
The menu is ever revolving, so you do not know your menu until you arrive.
The space is small, they only do two servings a day, once everyone for your booked serving has arrived & has a drink then you will hear what your options are!
We enjoyed some recommended glasses of wine, as we were not provided with a menu, we just trusted our server would know what to pair with the dishes we ordered, & they did!
The food on the menu & that we ordered was phenomenal. Well worth the almost hour wait from sit down to eating our first dish … so do not arrive hungry!
