Bistro Coqlicorne — Restaurant in Gatineau

Wooowww. One of the best restaurants I had been to in a while. All the dishes were unique and stood out on its own. Each flavour profile made sense yet were all so surprising. One bite in and I knew it was going into my "favourite restaurant list".

Highly recommend the Buffalo Bill's. The coffee crust had exceptional texture and flavour. It matched perfectly with the sweetness of the figs. Absolutely a must try!! 15/10

The forest was also delicious. The mushroom was definitely the standout. I wished there was more as the portion was a bit small. 9.5/10

The duck was pretty good. I didn't like the risotto as much as it was pretty tangy. 7/10.

The creme Brule was savoury with tons of herby flavour. The sweet caramel top made it a cohesive dish. 10/10

Sunday brunch menu items:

The blood sausage - 8/10. Savory and with the perfect balance of sweetness from the mangos. It really tied the dish together. Without the mangos, the dish would be too heavy. I would recommend they replace the toast with a salad that has a lemon vinegarette to cleanse the palate.

Duck sandwich with blueberry toast - 8/10. Perfect smoky duck with just the right amount of fat, cooked to perfection. The blueberry also bring a perfect amount of sweetness. Only reason I didn't rate this higher was that it was too heavy. It needed some element in the dish to cleanse the palate. I would suggest the potatoes be replaced by a salad. The fruits weren't enough to cut through the fat.

The salmon bagel - 5/10. Very light and had not much flavour other than the yummy cream cheese. Not too unique and not complex compared to the other dishes.

I can't wait to try out the...

Came here on Friday before the Green Day event at Bluesfest. We understandably knew they might be a little busy, that was our expectations. I even reserved a table for 6:30pm ahead of time. We did not expect this level of unorganization though.

Firstly, we arrived at 6:30 for our dinner reservation. The hostest told us we have to wait a bit longer and proceeded to seat 2 other tables after us which had 6:00pm reservations, but were clearly late.

Secondly, once he realized we've been waiting well over 10 minutes after arriving, he asked us if we wanted to be seated inside while we wait for a table outisde on the patio. He pourred water and left us with the menus. While we are waiting and checking the menus, couldnt help be bothered by the chefs in the back constantly yelling and swearing obscene things to each other.

Finally, 10 minutes waiting inside, the hostest comes back and says theres a table avaible outside for us (20 minutes after reservation time). So we get seated, also thinking our orders will be taken. Nope. The hostest left us with our menus again, and refilled our water and left.

After another 15 minutes passed with no service, so we decided to get up and leave. It was 7:05pm, our reservation was for 6:30pm and we havent even ordered drinks yet. Absolutely unacceptable. We will not be coming back. This was also our first time visiting. Clearly...

We chanced upon this lovely bistro en route to Ottawa and were so pleasantly surprised! As tourists, we were initially confused by all the French road signs — and then the menu here was entirely in French too! 😅

They don’t have an English menu, but thankfully, our server graciously translated every dish for us in detail. Through him, everything just sounded delicious — and truly, it was.

The arancini with Brussels sprouts and cream was unbelievably fresh and flavourful — a plant-based dish that completely won me over. The poutine? Next level. Topped with tender beef, it was rich, hearty, and absolutely divine. The fish served over carrot risotto was just what we needed — comforting, elegant, and beautifully balanced. And the drinks… out of this world!

A fun tidbit: our server shared that we were on the Quebec side, where French is the main language (even road signs!). But just a short drive over to Ottawa (15 mins?) and you’ll find people mostly speaking English, with a touch of Italian in some neighbourhoods. Fascinating contrast for a road trip!

We loved this little stop — thank you for making our detour so memorable. Highly recommend popping by for lunch if you’re passing through....