536 rue Duluth est, Montreal | Metro Sherbrooke
www.restaurantaupieddecochon.ca
In case your wondering I think the name means the "foot of the pig".
After wandering around in the shops of rue St-Denis all afternoon I retired to my hotel room and had a fast nap and shower. I needed that but I could have slept through the night. But I didn't, I had things to do...
Mainly to eat...
Au Pied de Cochon was on my favorites list from my last trip to Montreal so I had to come back.
The atmosphere here is friendly and social. This is a really great restaurant but not an intimate one. People are here chatting, gossiping, celebrating and generally having fun. The floors are rustic wood, tables wood and worn with age and lighting is with globes hanging from the ceiling. If you want to grab a good seat, ask for a counter seat at the bar. The kitchen will be right in front of you. It's a pretty exciting sight to see and makes you appreciate how hard these guys work!
To start off the table I am served a big bowl of soft dark country bread with a malty flavor. I could eat the whole thing. For my "entree" I picked the endive, walnut and blue cheese salad (CDN$8). I sort of wanted the french onion soup but that make me burb. The salad was pretty good but not the best I've had. I thought it was a bit salty and the blue cheese didn't taste so good. I sort of expected a salad completely made with endives but they were mixed win with baby mixed greens. Actually there were more greens then endive.
For my main course it was hard to select from all the meaty specialties ranging from pork feet to venison to duck. To keep it simple I am having what they call "the happy pig chop". Knowing that the dishes here are quite dramatic, god knows what will be on the plate! This place is not for the faint of heart or your vegan friends!
As expected the pork chop was a huge cut of meat but I didn't really like it. First it was smothered in mushrooms, onions and broth which is something I can't stomach. Second it was dry. I broke my "no pork chops at a restaurant" rule. I hate to have dining rules but I can't remember if I have ever been to a restaurant and had a pork chop that wasn't dry. The dish sort of left an onion flavor in my mouth. I need gum.
For dessert I am getting a dish that I have waited a year for. It's called "Pouding Chomeur" which I think has something to do with your grandmother. It is sort of a sponge cake cooked in maple syrup and cream. It's a low fat, low carb dessert, NOT! Last year someone told me th at this is one of the rare places where you can find this on the menu. I actually have the recipe from this restaurant somewhere. I hope this makes up for my other 2 courses that were not to my expectation.
Is it me or am I not re-living the experience? The pouding was also not up to my expectation. It just didn't have the bubbly hot character I remembered. OK, yes it was warm and distinctive maple syrup flavor but the cake part was somwhat flat and cold. Not what I remember.
Today I struggle to give Au Pied de Cochon 3 hearts so I have to give them 2. I think I have to read my review from last year to see why I liked this place. Service was as good as to be expected, friendly but not personal.
Total bill CDN$40.17 (US$36)
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