Average poutine is still better than plain fries

For good poutine, there needs to be three things: squeak, tang and grease.

Montreal Poutine at 161 Rue Saint-Paul East in Old Montreal does a decent job compiling all three.

The hole-in-the-wall, emblazoned with the company’s fleur de lis logo on the window, cooks up the Quebec classic in a variety of ways, from original to poutine with Italian sausage.

Like a majority of the other poutine joints in the city, Montreal Poutine’s menu offers smoked meat, the classic salty brisket made famous in Montreal.

My poutine of choice when north of the border, smoked meat poutine always includes the original ingredients (golden fries, fresh curds and a beef-gravy-like sauce) with the savory, salty beef piled on top. Montreal Poutine does this version decently.

The fries are deep amber brown and have a hint of McDonald’s flavor to them. The Golden Arch taste mixes in with the homemade taste of french fries made in the same oil used over and over again at a mom and pop burger stop.

The curds are fresh, but far from an exotic blend. Other restaurants offer poutine with goat cheese, Greek cheeses and other even more outlandish varieties. Here they go with the classic curd, the slightly tangy taste playing a staccato note on the tongue following the smooth symphony of the sauce.

The sauce rivals beef-gravy. If it’s an original blend, I’m missing the originality.

The smoked meat is average as well. On it’s own it would make for a decent sandwich but there doesn’t seem to be anything original going on with the rub or in the smoker. The brisket is above a corned beef level but below the beef Swartz’s Deli has hanging in the window.

All together, the plate makes for an average smoked meat poutine, which is still much better than your average plate of fries.

Where Montreal Poutine falls short is on portion size. The golden-fried mound is served in a dish used at Italian restaurants for a pair of cannelloni or manicotti. By contrast, poutine institution La Banquise on Rue Rachel East serves up its poutine on a plate roughly a foot wide by 10 inches long. Over at Peel Pub, my favorite Montreal bar, on Rue Peel downtown, the plate is even bigger.

The saving grace for Montreal Poutine is that the portion size allows the diner to sample one of the craft beers the restaurant serves. Among the brews on the menu is Le Fin du Monde, a Quebec beer brewed for the end of the Mayan calendar. According to Beer Advocate, the brew is a good one to drink as your last — the website gave it a world-class ranking.

All-in-all Montreal Poutine serves up a decent, yet small, plate of Quebec’s comfort food. If you’re in Old Montreal and looking for poutine, stop in.

If you have the option, try elsewhere.

Rating 3 out of 5.