Poutine Archives | Foodgressing

Poutine Cravings: Belgian Fries on Commercial Drive

November 3, 2017 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

When it comes to poutine, I must admit that I am a purist. I really just want a classic poutine with fresh freshly made fries, squeeky cheese curds and well-seasoned gravy. In the past, I have taken a more adventurous route by trying more inventive poutines with creative toppings like kalbi beef, crispy chicken and even kimchi. But I never want to reorder those ones as I find their flavours too complicated in my opinion. The heart wants what it wants – and that is, a traditional poutine.

Now living in the Downtown Vancouver, there are quite a few poutineries within reach. I’ve been to La Belle Patate, Mean Poutine, Frites on Granville and Fritz. A popular place for poutine that I had not been to (but has been around since 1999) is Belgian Fries on Commercial Drive. While I was in the neighbourhood this past summer, I decided to try Belgian Fries and order simply a classic poutine.

My small, classic poutine was $6.50 and came steaming hot. The fries are fresh cut apparently and they were nicely crispy and not burnt. The cheese curds weren’t super squeaky and were perhaps a bit bigger than I would like. I like smaller, dainty cheese curds. The gravy was well-seasoned and not overly salty. Portions were reasonable for the price.

As for the interior, there’s not much to write about. Spacious interior with ample seating. I came here for the food so the interior wasn’t a big factor for me. Hence, the lack of photos.

Overall Impression of Belgian Fries

The poutine from Belgian Fries was pretty good and I would give it a solid 4/5. It isn’t good enough to make me leave Downtown for it but if I were in the neighbourhood I could see myself indulging in their poutine again.

Belgian Fries
Address: 1885 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC
Website: ‎www.belgianfries.ca

Canada Day Eats with Dunn’s Famous

June 2, 2016 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

On Canada Day last year, my family and I ventured to Canada Place to participate in the festivities celebrating our great nation. One of the food stalls that we came across was that of Dunn’s Famous. We decided to go with some Canadian-inspired eats including a Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich ($13.50) and Dunn’s poutine ($10.50).

The Montreal Smoked Meat from Dunn’s was quite tender and not chewy. It definitely had an strong flavour profile – salty and smoky. The meat slices were thickly cut and it was a quite handful. I would definitely say that Dunn’s version of the Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich is closer to the Shwartzs’ in Montreal. In Vancouver, I had tried Phat Deli’s Montreal Smoked Meat tasted closer to deli meat than the authentic one.

Dunn’s poutine came with BBQ gravy and chopped smoked meat. Pretty good overall with decent portions of meat. Some of the cheese curds were not as soft and melted as I would like.

Overall Impression of Dunn’s Famous

The two items that I tried from Dunn’s Famous were overall tasty and fairly priced for an event food stall. I am interested in visiting their restaurant in the future. Rating: 3.5/5

Satisfying Poutine from Fritz European Fry House

June 2, 2016 by foodgressing 2 Comments

Poutine is certainly my go-to comfort food and guilty pleasure. In Downtown Vancouver, I have tried several poutineries (La Belle Patate, Mean Poutine, Smoke’s and Frites) but Fritz European Fry House has got to be one of my favourites next to La Belle Patate. Located in the Granville Entertainment district, Fritz is a small poutinerie with limited seating and a walk up window. It opens late (ie, closes at 4 am Friday and Saturday) so it’s definitely a place for perhaps some “drunken noms.”

Fritz Menu

Fritz’ serves fries, poutine, hot dogs as well as dips. They have various sizes of poutine available: small ($5.00), medium ($7.50), large ($9.00), jumbo ($10.50), and bucket ($12.50). You can also enhance your poutine with extra toppings like pulled pork, Montreal smoked meat, vegan cheese and crumbled bacon.

What I Tried

The poutine at Fritz is so delicious that I can’t rave enough about it. The fries aren’t super greasy and the cheese curds melted but chewy. I love how the gravy is rich and savoury but not overly salty. Furthermore, the gravy and cheese is spread consistently throughout the container so every bite is just amazing.

On my first visit to Fritz, I made the mistake of having a small poutine. I devoured it on my own quite quickly and immediately regretted not getting a larger size. The following time, I shared a large with my family. Why didn’t we just get a bucket? So good my friends, so good.

Overall Impression of Fritz

The poutine from Fritz gives me cozy and comforting feels. It’s absolutely yummy even without any extra toppings. A must-try in Vancouver. Rating: 5/5

Website: www.fritzeuropeanfryhouse.com

Get Your Poutine Fix at La Belle Patate

February 18, 2016 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

If you are craving poutine in Vancouver, La Belle Patate is one place to go in Vancouver. I have been to La Belle Patate a few times over the last few years, and in this review I’ll share with you my experiences with their comforting eats.

La Belle Patate Menu

La Belle Patate’s tasty array of 26 poutines types includes 8 traditional and 18 speciality. Just reading the names of the poutines makes your mouth water…bacon poutine, smoked meat poutine, and donair poutine to name a few. Poutines come in small, medium and large and range from $6 – $14 depending on the size. But if you want a truly indulging experience, you can go for the All You Eat option for $19.50! Personally, I would not be able to take in that much poutine but I do admire those who can.

Aside from poutines, La Belle Patate also offers smoked meat sandwiches, grilled cheese and hot dogs. Their menu is available online.

What I Tried

I first visited La Belle Patate a few years ago on an $8 Social Shopper offer. It was valued at $19 and included 2 small authentic traditional poutines and 2 classic steamies. The steamies were basically steamed hot dogs in a steamed bun with mustard, onions and coleslaw on top – simple and tasty. The regular price is $2.50.

The two small regular poutines were loaded with sauce, squeeky cheese curds, and overall very delicious.

Recently, I visited La Belle Patate and used a 2-for-1 Entertainment coupon. I got two large poutines: Meat Lovers (beef, bacon, and peperroni) and Maple (bacon and maple syrup) to share with my husband and son. The Meat Lovers was a bit smoky and savoury which was a huge contrast tot the Maple which was very sweet. After trying the Maple poutine, I would have to say that a sweet poutine is just not my thing. I prefer a savoury one for sure.

Overall Impression of La Belle Patate

Great portions for the price with lots of cheese curds, fries and gravy. To satisfy your poutine cravings, head over to La Belle Patate. You won’t be disappointed. Rating: 4.5/5

Website: http://westcoastpoutine.wix.com/labellepatate

Mean Poutine Review

May 13, 2015 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Late night revelers in Downtown Vancouver can always seek comfort in poutine at various establishments around Granville and Nelson. In the last while, I have tried Frites and Smoke’s Poutinerie which are both located in that area (though during the daytime). It had been a few *years* since I last visited Mean Poutine so I decided to go there for an updated experience.

Mean Poutine Menu

Mean Poutine opened in 2011 by former BC Lions football players Sherko Haji-Rasouli and Jon Hameister-Ries. Their menu includes a selection of classic and gourmet poutine and hot dogs, including build-your-own options. Some interesting poutine flavours including Fried Chicken, Southern BBQ and Mama’s Mean Meatballs. For the hot dogs, there are the Zen, Mac and Cheese, and Chilli Cheese to name a few. They also offer Red Bull to complement your poutine or if you are in desperate need of caffeine. Poutines range from $7-$10 and hot dogs between $6-$8.

Grab N’ Go

Mean Poutine is almost literally “a hole in the wall” sort of place. It is not a sit-down restaurant, but rather a grab n’ go food stall. They do have a counter on the side to put your food on and stand and eat.

Poutine and Hot Dogs

My first experience at Mean Poutine was in 2012, and I tried the classic poutine with green onions. The poutine was delicious but the cheese curds were not very squeaky. It was nice to have the green onion toppings.

Fast forward to 2015 and I tried the Fried Chicken poutine, which had buffalo chicken chunks. I can totally see this poutine being addictive because of the fried chicken. The chicken pieces were crispy and tasty and it left me longing for more.

I also tried the Chicago Dog, consisting of cucumber, banana peppers, onions, tomatoes, relish, dill pickles and lemon pepper. The hog dog had a nice spicy kick to it, though not too overwhelming.

My only criticism from all the items that I have tried is that the food tasty too salty. The gravy, fries and even the hot dog could have used less salt.

Overall Impression

Mean Poutine has some fun poutine and hot dog flavours. Whether you have a late night craving or are just coming out of the clubs, Mean Poutine is an option for some late night eats.

Website: http://www.meanpoutine.ca/

Smoke’s Poutinerie Review

March 9, 2015 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

“How Do You Like Your Poutine” says the sign above Smoke’s Poutinerie. I had been curious of this poutine shop every time I walked by it. When I saw their Social Shopper deal for $9 for two meal-sized speciality poutines, I was excited. I had never tried their poutine, so the deal was a good way to try their food at a discount.

Smoke’s Poutinere has 20 locations across Canada. Located in the Granville Entertainment district of Downtown Vancouver, it is open late to cater to club goers.

A nod to the 80’s

You see the face of “Smoke” everywhere inside Smoke’s Poutinerie. Who is Smoke, you ask? According to their website, Smoke is the guy who creates the different poutine recipes. He apparently is stuck in the 80’s and has an extensive collection of Cabbage Patch Kids and He-Man action figures. He also lives in a penthouse cabin made of Lego deep in the woods. He sounds kind of cool and creepy at the same time.

The interior of Smoke’s Poutinerie is retro-inspired as Smoke is such a fan of the 80’s. There is lots of seating available: a mix of tables and counters.

There is a wall that showcases media articles that praise Smoke’s poutines.

Cant’ get enough of Smoke? You can get yourself some Smoke fan gear including t-shirts and baseball caps.

Smoke’s Poutinerie has 30 Types of Poutine

There is no shortage of poutine variety at Smoke’s Poutinere: they have 30 different types. A traditional meal-sized poutine costs $6.99 while a specialty one is $8.99. We decided on the Veggie Rainbow (sriracha, cheese sauce, guacamole, sour cream) and the Chicken Inferno (grilled chicken, mushrooms, and peppercorn gravy).

Did Smoke impress us with his poutines?

We found the poutines to be just *okay.* The fries would be crispier and the gravy could be more flavorful. The veggie rainbow was a bit too sour and salty for me. I did not find the chicken inferno that appetizing but my husband thought it was fine. It did not seem obvious to me that the curds were squeaky.

I prefer the poutine at Frites, which I reviewed recently : fries were crisper, gravy was tastier, toppings were more delicious. Their space is small but clean and bright versus the 80’s inspired decor. Frites is also located close by, so I think they would be my go-to place for poutine if I had a choice between the two.

Frites Granville Review

March 3, 2015 by foodgressing 1 Comment

Mmmm…poutine. A mouthful of tasty poutine makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside on a cold winter’s day. When it’s cold, I crave for poutine. A while back, I saw that Social Shopper had a deal for Frites on Granville. I bought 2 vouchers in which each voucher was $9 for 2 deluxe poutines. I ventured to Frites to see if they could satisfy my poutine cravings. This post reflects my experiences from the two visits.

Granville Entertainment District

Frites is located in the Granville Entertainment District of Downtown Vancouver. It opens late which is great for club goers looking for a bite to eat: they stay open until midnight on Sundays to Wednesdays and until 4 am on Thursdays to Saturdays. Their space is small so no large groups for dining in; they just have a few counters and stools.

Frites is Fries With Benefits

The poutine at Frites is made with authentic Belgian-style frites. Canadian potatoes are hand-cut into thick pieces and then double-fried in gluten-free canola oil. Their menu includes Belgian fries, gourmet frites, double-layered poutine and Belgian waffle sandwiches. The double-layered poutines come in small, regular and jumbo sizes. Small poutines cost between $5-$6; regular costs $7-$9 and the jumbo costs $11-$13.

Double-layered poutine

The double-layered poutine at Frites on Granville consisted of 2 alternating layers of fries and cheese and then topped with gravy. All the poutines we tried came out nice and hot! We tried the montreal smoked meat poutine, which was flavourful and had lots of gravy.

I loved the traditional bacon mushroom poutine: it had a great amount of toppings and the mushroom and bacon were nicely fried.

The deluxe burger poutine was true to its name: it tasted like a burger mixed with fries. It consisted of bacon, ground beef and cheese sauce. My husband and son enjoyed this poutine, but I think I prefer to keep my burgers and fries separate. The mixed flavour was just too overwhelming for me.

My absolute favorite was the crispy chicken poutine: the chicken was just so deliciously crispy. I refused to share this poutine after I had a taste of it!

https://instagram.com/p/zwTxV-M6LF

The portions for the regular sizes were decent. We could not finish the poutines in one sitting. The poutines came in brown takeout boxes which successfully contained all the leftovers without any spillage. During both my visits, I found the staff people to be very friendly. If you check-in on Facebook, you get a free pop or water!

Poutine Craving Satisfied

I found the poutines at Frites quite delicious which satisfied my poutine cravings. I would be interested in trying other items on their menu including gourmet fries and Belgian waffle sandwiches. I would recommend Frites as a great place for poutine!

Poutine Cravings: Belgian Fries on Commercial Drive

Overall Impression of Belgian Fries

Canada Day Eats with Dunn’s Famous

Overall Impression of Dunn’s Famous

Satisfying Poutine from Fritz European Fry House

Fritz Menu

What I Tried

Overall Impression of Fritz

Get Your Poutine Fix at La Belle Patate

La Belle Patate Menu

What I Tried

Overall Impression of La Belle Patate

Mean Poutine Review

Mean Poutine Menu

Grab N’ Go

Poutine and Hot Dogs

Overall Impression

Smoke’s Poutinerie Review

A nod to the 80’s

Smoke’s Poutinerie has 30 Types of Poutine

Did Smoke impress us with his poutines?

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