Historic Quebec cuisine
Aux Anciens Canadiens is one of the few restaurants in Quebec City where one can try traditional cuisine. The reason for this paucity is that it’s peasant food. Old Quebec food is heavy and doesn’t have broad appeal. Like fèves au lard (baked beans with maple syrup) or tourtière (minced meat pie). Enterprising restaurateurs who can re-invent the cuisine will surely be fêted.
But it’s not going to happen at Aux Anciens Canadiens. They value authenticity and it’s the reason people tourists visit. To add to their street cred, they claim to occupy the oldest house in Quebec City.
The food
Poutine is actually a 20th-century invention and wasn’t available during the formative years of Quebec’s cuisine. Nevertheless, Aux Anciens Canadiens imagines how poutine might look like in that era: with confit duck and pork knuckles.
I wasn’t in the mood for poutine, so I ordered the 3-course table d’hôte (set menu) to sample other foods. Pro tip: save $11.50 off the set menu by visiting before 5pm.
For appetizers, I had cretonnade de gibiers (spread of wild meat). The cretons looked like a coarse pâté. It had an indistinct meat taste and the dominant spices were cloves and all-spice. Small pieces of toast and home-style orange marmalade were provided. I was disappointed that the toast was served cold. The best part of the dish was the marmalade. It wasn’t too sweet and I liked the texture from the candied oranges. 7/10.
For mains, I ordered régal de grand-mère (grandmother’s treat), their term for a house special comprising of a slice of tourtière, meatball ragoût (stew), fruit ketchup, and boiled vegetables. Very country style.
The tourtière tasted like the pie version of cretons. The seasoning was plain and simple. The pie crust was thin and flakey. It was packed with meat. It’s a respectable pie but I find authentic tourtière boring. It’s not the fault of the chef though. 7.5/10.
The meatballs were similarly ho-hum. 5.5/10. The brown stew wasn’t striking, and the same goes for the boiled beets, wax beans, and red-skin potatoes.
The fruit ketchup was runny like a sauce and not at all like manufactured tomato ketchup. I couldn’t taste any particular fruit except for tomatoes. Its tang provided the only source of brightness that the dish sorely needed. 6.5/10.
For dessert, I went with the iconic tarte au sucre (sugar pie), or to be more precise, tarte au sirop d’érable (maple syrup pie). It came with whipped cream and half of a strawberry. According to the waiter, this was from a recipe from more than a hundred years ago.
Well, the pioneers must be on to something because this was the best maple syrup pie I’ve had. Then again, I haven’t had a lot of maple pies. The pie crust was delicate and crisp. The filling was gloriously gooey and bursting with maple flavour. The whipped cream provided temperature contrast. The buttery and sugary richness was balanced with the tart strawberry. 8.5/10.
The place
The interior is quite modern for the “oldest house in Quebec City”. It looks like a tourist restaurant from the 1990s. An ultra-modern touch is the plexiglass shields around each booth, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was Halloween season when I visited and the proprietors seemed to have kept their sense of fun.
Other places to try
For faithful Quebec cuisine, Le buffet de l’antiquaire is the only competitor in the city. For a slightly updated take, La Bûche is convenient.
Verdict
Aux Anciens Canadiens is a decent place for foodies who want to sample traditional cuisine. It’s getting harder to find places like these. Most survive as tourist restaurants. 8/10.
Practical information
- Name
- Aux Anciens Canadiens
- Rating
- 8/10
- Recommended dishes
- Tarte au sirop d’érable (maple syrup pie)
- Prices
- Table d’hôte (appetizer + main + dessert): $34.44 ($29.95 excluding tax)
- Address
- 34 Rue Saint-Louis
- Hours
- Monday to Saturday 1200h – 2030h
- Date of visit
- October 2021