Restaurant La Buche — Restaurant in Quebec

I picked this restaurant because of its good ratings (it is one of the highest rated restaurants in the area) and its offering of Quebec food. To book a table at this restaurant online, you need to provide credit card info for a cancelation fee of $25 per person. Given this policy, I figured the restaurant must be popular so I was rather looking forward to dining here.

The restaurant has a distinct style, but it is crowded and it is not air-conditioned. We were there on a hot day and, even though we were seated next to the window, we felt uncomfortable with the heat inside the restaurant. They served us a complimentary plate of pork rinds with pickled cucumber and beets to start. I didn't like the pork rinds, but I think that's more due to the personal preference; I really enjoyed the pickled cucumbers and beets, on the other hand.

We ordered a cheese platter to share, a bison sandwich for my partner, and a meat pie for myself. The cheese platter was quite good; I enjoyed all four types of cheese that came with the platter, though the blue cheese and the goat cheese were my favourite. The meat pie looked great when it came out, with the puff pastry on the top looking airy and flaky as it should. The puff pastry was good; it was flaky and buttery, and it had the right amount of salt. The meat and the potatoes inside, however, was almost inedible. They were way too salty, especially the potatoes. The salad served on the side had this very sweet dressing that I didn't enjoy. The similar dressing was also used in the bison sandwich, which was also underwhelming. It just had this sweet flavour that easily overpowered very thin slices of bison inside the sandwich. I've always seen bison as the more "beefy" tasting version of beef, but I wouldn't have known there was any inside the sandwich if I hadn't read the menu. The fries served alongside the sandwich were bland, and the coleslaw tasted a bit sour and not very fresh.

The server who served us was great, and the service was timely, but we were very disappointed with our experience here overall. Due to the heat and the disappointing taste of our food, we were unable to finish what we ordered and didn't ask for them to be packed. The food is not cheap here; contrary to it being designated as a "$$" restaurant, you should expect to spend at least $50 per person. Given the price and the quality of the food served here, as well as the lack of air conditioning, I can't imagine why this restaurant is so well rated.

Overall, I would recommend giving this restaurant a pass, especially...

I wish we had come here for brunch instead of dinner, but we booked a time that worked for us, so dinner it was. The online reservation process was seamless, and we were seated immediately—though at 7 pm, the restaurant wasn’t particularly full.

The ambiance leans into a rustic sugar shack aesthetic, which has its charm, but being seated at an indoor picnic table felt more casual than comfortable - I should have requested a table seating (there were many open). Our servers were good - service throughout the meal was efficient and friendly.

Spotting Shepherd’s Pie on the menu, I was excited—this is my ultimate comfort food. The rest of our table ordered a variety of dishes with mixed experiences. The French Onion Soup was criticized for having an overwhelming amount of fat and not an overwhelming amount of flavour, while the foie gras, served warm, was a disappointment.

When my Shepherd’s Pie arrived, at first glance, I genuinely thought there had been a plating mishap—it looked as though the dish had been overturned onto the plate. But no, this was their take on it. Instead of the rich, cohesive layers of minced meat, corn, and creamy mashed potatoes I expected, I was served shredded, slightly gelatinous meat atop a bed of kernel corn blanketed mashed potatoes, and garnished haphazardly with green onion. The textures didn’t quite come together, and while it was edible, it wasn’t Shepherd’s Pie in any recognizable sense.

The overall experience was fine—nothing disastrous, but nothing compelling enough to return for dinner. Service was prompt, and the atmosphere was pleasant enough while not overly busy, though I can imagine it becoming overwhelmingly loud when full. If I were to revisit, it would be for breakfast or brunch, where the setting and menu might better align with the...

I post a picture of their shepherd’s pie, made of tasteless beef brisket, sweet corn, and watery smashed potato. No cheese, unbaked, and with sweet beets. I was told that the beef is made with wine, but good lord, I haven’t taste any brisket with wine like this before. That is to say, I am really mad. This is not something you can learn in French cuisine or British daily meal. I mean, don’t fool me, I learned in French school for three years. This is a total combination of nonsense. Do not choose their ‘special made’ shepherds pie, which has no salt, no sour, but only watery sweetness. What is this, anyway? This is just like something you take out, stack together, and heat in the microwave. At least respect your food. You can have a new name for it, but not by the name of shepherds pie. I expect everything else from it as a shepherds pie, and you ought not fool customers by calling it ‘special’. The price of shepherds pie is CA$25. I can say no more because I just paid 25, great as hell. But the deer tartare is delightful, though not good as one restaurant in NYC, it worths its price for a first try at CA$32(approximately). I rate low on their service, based on my actual feeling. But do notice that they agree to change this shepherds pie to something else, but I refused to, cuz I was full after finishing half of the pie. Errrr so watery and unflavored. I paid for every food I ate tonight, so I do have the right to express my true thoughts upon the food. You can’t say that exchanging the pie to something else is an equal compensation to me having half of the awful pie into my stomach. I questioned myself for 10 min, whether alcohol has blocked my tongue tonight, and the answer is no. I do not recommend...