Le Hobbit — Restaurant in Quebec

Ive eaten there three times and ill sum up my food experience as : "amazing - great - underwhelmimg". Not sure if my expectations just were too high after my first time eating there or they have some consistancy problems back in the kitchen.

1st time: ordered a very surprising and great-tasting French onion soup entree. First time I've seen maple syrup used in that dish and it was certainly a revelation. Just the right amount of onions, the cheese was perfect. Next came my elk flank steak served with a juniper and mustard sauces, some parsnip puree, carrots, broccolis, some microgreens. The plate itself was obviously a "walk in the woods", I do like a plate that tells me a story. Now the elk was nicely cooked, maybe a tad more than Id like, the juniper sauce lacked some punch but everything was good and mashed nicely together. Ended up with a raspberry and dark chocolate Sabayon which I can say is amongst one of the best desserts I've ever eaten and it was very well presented.

2nd time : went back with a friend for lunch and we both ordered the burger served with salad and fries and also a salmon tartar. Everything tasted just great, especially the burger itself, perfect cheese choice (I didn't care much for the homemade mayo but im not a big mayo eater to start with), it just lacked the sparkle I felt the first time I was there.

3rd time : went back with a different friend and she also fell in love with their burger, rightfully so. On my side, I ordered a beet, pistachios, asian pears, and goat cheese salad as an entree which was mostly tasteless and badly cut. I also dont remember eating more than 2 little pieces of pears. Some kind of honey and beet vinaigrette would just make everything shine. Then came a risotto with braised buffalo cheek, butternut squash, mascarpone, rum, thyme sour cream, and smoked pecans... rice was weirdly undercooked in most of the dish and overcooked in others, the whole thing just tasted rich to an excess with close to no flavour. The sour cream was watery. No rum flavour coming through. The buffalo cheek was good thankfully and the resting juices from it almost made the rest decent.

Overall though, it's a very beautiful restaurant, all the waiters I've seen are lovely and professional, there is a great selection of drinks. If they could hit an high consistantly and with every dishes it would be a 5 star.

Update : Went there a 4th time and my experience gravitated towards "good" this time. I wanted to experience what the chef had to offer in the spur of the moment so I opted for the daily lunch menu. Started with duck rilettes for the entree. Three rather pleasantly sized rilettes with a one tiny crouton and Im guessing an apricot coulis which lacked the punch to pair well with duck. Following was a grilled wahoo fish served with bahjia (fried onion balls), tomatoes chimichurri sauce, some veggies and microgreens. Presentation was pretty great, and overall the dish tasted okay. The chimichurri was excellent. The veggies and microgreens held their own great. The bahjia were a little bland but you wouldnt expect a Quebec restaurant to season them the way they are usually seasoned which is rather spicy. The wahoo fish was a tad bitter, which makes me think the fish wasnt properly gutted or gutted in time, not sure if the restaurant is to blame or whoever gutted it. Above all that, I have to thank the chef for teaching me a very important lesson that I didnt quite understand yet as a cook and that ive seen many seasoned chefs talk about : do not go too far with your food vision; be cohesive. The dish that I ate today had nothing cohesive about it. Indian fritters, served with an Argentinian sauce to pair with an Hawaiian fish. Thats one part of it. The problem with fritters is that they need a very thick sauce to accompany them because otherwise the sauce just doesnt stick to it, so putting an oil based sauce with an oil cooked dish is...

To describe my experience briefly: Terrible service, especially by our waitress Terrible pricing for the portions we were served The food was not cooked the way we asked

To elaborate: Our visit to the restaurant started as well as we were kindly greeted and seated quickly. The blond waitress was very accommodating to our seating preferences. We were given the menu and told our waitress would attend to us. That’s when it started to go downhill.

As we were looking through the menu and trying to order, we asked our brown-black haired waitress (who goes by the name of either Melanie or Christina) for some suggestions, and stated we would like to order some dishes from both the main menu and Happy Hour menu (which ends at 7pm). She mentioned some dishes on the main menu, but when it came to the Happy Hour menu (which is not as expensive as the main menu), she said something along the lines of, “oh, you wouldn’t want to order from that.” Finally, when we tried to order our dishes, our waitress did not allow us to order from the Happy Hour menu, stating that it ends at 7pm… However, the blond haired waitress who offered us the two menus, said otherwise? With much reluctance, our waitress took our orders; as she left, I checked the time, and it was not even 7pm yet!

Fortunately, we were delivered our water and utensils (note, we were still waiting for one more person who was on their way.). (Note: It was very rude for the waitress to continually discourage us to order from the Happy Hour menu as it was within our full right to! )

After placing our orders, came the long wait for our food. About 25 minutes into our wait, we asked our waitress to check on our food, to which she immediately replied, “oh, it just takes a while to cook – your food is coming.” (Note: How would she know our food is coming if she didn’t even check before telling us?) A few minutes later, another server finally comes with our bread and butter. (Note: why was this not delivered earlier on during our meal?)

35 minutes later, our dishes finally arrive… however, not as we requested. I asked for the steak to be cooked medium rare – when the server placed it down, I double checked and asked, “Is this cooked to medium rare,?” to which the server confidently replied, “yes it is cooked on the outside and medium rare on the inside.” As he walked away, I cut into the steak to discover it was a very well done steak… We called for a waitress, and the same blond lady that welcomed us into the restaurant quickly understood the situation and took the steak away for the kitchen to cook us a medium rare one.

Our guest arrived a while ago, but was never given water, or a napkin until we were forced to ask ourselves near the end of the meal.

We also discovered to our discontent that the food was NOT cooked to our preferences of less salt, oil, pepper, and seasoning. Some of us had health issues that required the specific dietary accommodations… it did not help that the vegetables and fries were seasoned with too much salt.

An hour into our wait, our steak had still not arrived. We asked our waitress to once again check on our order – at least she actually went to the kitchen this time to see if our food was coming. Our steak arrives a few minutes later cooked medium rare. (Note: it’s baffling how it takes 1 hour after we placed our order, for all our food to arrive).

Afterwards, with much difficulty, we managed to get the attention of a server who was behind the bar to get our bill, since we could not get our waitress to come to us.

I am thoroughly disappointed by Hobbit Bistro. We will not be coming back, and definitely do not recommend this...

Le Hobbit in Quebec City, is a hidden gem nestled in the heart of this enchanting French-Canadian city. With the spirit of adventure coursing through my veins, I embarked on a culinary journey that transcended time and space, almost reminiscent of Tolkien's Middle-earth, where the unexpected and magical converge.

As I stepped into this quaint establishment, I couldn't help but marvel at its intimate ambiance. The rustic charm and warm, earthy tones transported me to a world of elegance, where each corner whispered tales of old Quebec. It was as if I had stumbled upon a hobbit's haven, with its cozy nooks and crannies, inviting patrons to escape the bustling city streets.

Now, let's talk about the pièce de résistance – the food. Le Hobbit's menu is a symphony of flavors that danced on my palate like a finely orchestrated composition. The dishes, rooted in French-Canadian tradition with a touch of whimsy, pay homage to the region's culinary heritage. The wild mushroom poutine, adorned with a rich truffle gravy, was a revelation of earthy indulgence. And let's not forget the maple-glazed pork belly, a dish that exemplified the perfect balance between sweet and savory, a true homage to Quebec's iconic maple syrup.

The wine list at Le Hobbit is an oenophile's dream, featuring an array of local and international selections that complemented the menu beautifully. The attentive and knowledgeable staff guided me through pairings that elevated my dining experience to new heights.

But what truly sets Le Hobbit apart is its commitment to farm-to-table sourcing. The ingredients, fresh and locally sourced, tell a story of the Quebecois terroir, a narrative that resonates with the restaurant's dedication to sustainability.

As I savored the last morsel of my dessert, a delicate maple sugar tart, I couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude for stumbling upon this culinary oasis in Quebec City. Le Hobbit captures the essence of both the city and its surroundings, offering a dining experience that is as magical as it is rooted in tradition.

Le Hobbit is a gastronomic treat that bridges the realms of fantasy and reality. It's a place where the spirit adventure and the soul of Quebec come together, inviting you to indulge in a culinary journey that will leave you spellbound and craving for more. This, my friends, is a culinary experience worth embarking upon, a testament to the magic that can be found in the most unexpected corners...