Chez Boulay-bistro boréal — Restaurant in Quebec

We went in today for a brunch, heard a lot of great things about it, and made a reservation a few days prior. The food was wonderful, one of the most interesting in our eight meals in Quebec City. However, the service was not a match with such quality of food. For most of the times I give 15%–20% tips and sometimes 25% for truly exceptional services (not a ton but a normal range). I gave 5% today because of the following reasons:

The server who is designated to serve our table only stopped by three times throughout our 70-minute meal: two times at the time of ordering and one at the time of paying the bill. It’s understandable if the restaurant is so packed and busy, but 50% of tables were empty at the time we left. Additionally, in contrast, he visited the table next to us much more frequently. For example, we saw him purposely came over to that table after the food the served by a different server and asked if they need anything and wish them bon appetit. We asked for some bread when another waitress delivered the food. She was very nice, but the bread didn’t come until the second request. She was very professional and apologized for the delay and brought the bread not soon after. We ordered all food to share. Another waiter who delivered our food was very kind to ask if we would like some plates to share the food. However, the plates never came. We were not happy with the service of the waiter who was supposed to serve us and gave 5%. When we entered the tip amount on the POS machine, he stared at what we entered and sarcastically did we know we only tipped 5% and question us if this is normal. We replied by saying “the food is wonderful but the service was okay”. Instead of asking what we are not happy about, he sarcastically said at this point, we should’ve just not tip. And then he stared at us and said thank you twice very loudly and completely stopped us from sharing why we are not happy with the service. When we were pushing the door to exit, he said once more thank you so loud and clear behind us with a sarcastic tone. So we ended up writing our situation and feelings here.

Overall, I would recommend the restaurant if you are looking for great local food. But I would warn those who expect or look for the same quality of service...

I had one of the best meals at Chez Boulay-Bistro Boréal a while ago. The restaurant was welcoming for dining alone or with SO. The server was enthusiastic and knew a lot about the menu. It’s best to make reservation days in advance. In terms of food, I had a glass of Marquette from Quebec, Seal and Foie Gras Mousse, Beef Cheek, and Seabuckthorn Pie. I’d give them a 9.5/10.

Wine: Fruity, slightly bitter, not too dry, and had a clean aftertaste.

Mousse: Each component on their own were: Four spices bread on both sides (Refreshingly sweet), Foie gras mousse in the middle (Fatty, umami, smooth), Seal mousse in the middle (Sea/salty, dense), Blue honeysuckle chutney on top (Fruity, sweet, rich, nice crunch, good mix), a bit of onion on top (Extra spice), Roasted barley on top (Refreshing). Everything together brought out multiple layers of flavour and texture.

Beef Cheek: Tender, crunchy, beefy. good thickness, nice flavour (Some flavour in the meat that was amazing when mixed with the sauce). The Mashed potatoes and marrow were creamy, rich, and smooth. The Burgundy Accompaniment had a variety of flavour and texture (Fresh, veggies maintained a bit of a crunch on the outside but soft on the side, mushroomy, sour, a bit of spice, nice carrot flavour, and the diced meat was salty and nice). The sauce with labradors tea went well with everything (Salty, beefy, distinct, rich). Everything in the entree complimented each other. Also, the portion was right as a bit more would have felt too greasy and a bit less would have felt like it was not enough.

Seabuckthorn Pie: The sauce was sweet, clean, and refreshing. The fruit on the side was fruity and cute. The pie was soothing (creamy, slightly sour, and the level clean/refreshing taste felt like it was its signature) and had a nice crust (crunchy with a solid good dense texture and flavour). There was also a bit of cream on top that had a slight roast and was not too sweet. Overall, the dessert was a nice finish...

I don’t often leave reviews but this experience was such a disappointment I feel obligated to warn others. As someone who has worked in restaurants for 20+ years from gastropubs to fine dining, this experience left me just plain sad.

It started with bread service, which was “plated” on a receipt/ticket stabber. Okay? Just put it on a plate. Anyway, stale and not very flavorful.

Second course was their onion soup “cappuccino style”. If you expect a traditional French Onion soup, this is NOT it. It is a cream of onion soup, with a cheese crostini on the side. The foamed butter was not a pleasant texture or taste. Some may love this, but I didn’t enjoy it.

Main course was the halibut. I caught a glimpse of a few that went out and it looked good. But when I got mine it was way overcooked, dry, under seasoned and underwhelming. The carrot puree was fine - nothing special about it. Very bland. Roasted carrots? Okay, fine I guess, but not crispy and again, under seasoned.

My partner got the agnolotti, what seemed like a safe dish. Again, bland and under seasoned. Whatever cream sauce was on this was so rich and over the top it dominated the entire dish and not in a pleasant way.

The server was fine, he could have checked back more often. If I had a table that only took two bites of the agnolotti and expressed their displeasure, I’d have taken it off the bill, no questions asked. Especially considering this is some “big chef” named restaurant.

In a city with so many amazing food options we were really disappointed we fell into this tourist trap and should have known better. In retrospect there were signs it it wasn’t going to be good - such as table tents with QR codes advertising something on the table, paper napkins for a $$$ restaurant and a whole write up on the chef being famous or something.

If you’re looking for a great dining experience worth the $ this...