I should have learnt by now not to prejudge places. When I read up about L’Astral I had heard that it was a) a revolving restaurant and b) it was known for their buffet as well as an a la carte menu. I suppose there’s nothing wrong with buffets but they’re usually for the interminably hungry (of which we were not when we’re travelling) and the food is never going to be of the same quality as a la carte. And revolving, hmm that could be a gimmick too.
The Summer Festival in Quebec City is in full swing and we weave through happy crowds and people wandering around the city. We arrive at the lobby of Loews Concorde Hotel and go up the elevators to the top floor. We’re shown to our table and we take in the breathtaking 360 degree view of Quebec City.
Plains of Abraham
We can see the Plains of Abraham just outside our window which is where we watch people take their places on the prized hill in front of the stage. On the a la carte menu there’s an interesting mix of food from North American classics on one page (apparently these always appear on every Loews hotel menu) but we’re more interested in the local Quebec cuisine.
Roasted Scallops
We start off with the roasted scallops on a bed of fennel with an orange balsamic reduction. They come with a roasted pepper filled with a beurre blanc. The scallops are delicious and perfectly prepared and go well with the orange and fennel. We also use the beurre blanc to dip the bread in! 
Assiette plate
Our next plate is a beauty full of seafood (which is always bound to get me excited). On the left there is a local wild trout tartare mixed with a well balanced cornichon julienne.
In the centre there is a juicy lobster carpaccio on some thin slices of golden beetroot and thin slices of lemon zest. This is divine and fresh and cooling.
The third component is a veal sweetbread and cheek done blanquette style which is rich and soft and flavoursome.
Gazpacho with giant shrimp $8.50
We really enjoy the sweet pepper and cucumber gazpacho with the centre of sour cream and chives. There is also an enormous jumbo shrimp in the centre which I devour with much relish. The only strange note is the curry tapioca which resembles pale green peas but it is made out of tapioca with the centre raw with a bite to it.
Black cod with Yukon Gold roasted garlic mashed potatoes $24
Onto our mains! I am a black cod fanatic, I simply adore the buttery melt in the mouth texture of black cod. I’m surprised at the size of the serve as it is very generous. It is a local black cod that they use and the potatoes are Yukon gold from the Yukon region of Canada. The fish is sublime and it has that gorgeously moist texture to it. It sits on a generous bed of olive and caper tapenade which I mostly leave behind as it can overwhelm the delicate fish if too much is used.
Crispy skin Cornish game hen from Orlean Farm $27
Having only visited the Île D’Orleans that afternoon we went straight to the Cornish game hen from there. It comes crispy skinned with a chicken and morel gravy and a delicious zucchini eggy fritatta type of item (called a muffin on the menu but it seems mostly of egg rather than flour). This is topped with caramelised red onions. It is very good and I find myself particularly enamoured of the zucchini frittata and onions.
Chef J.C. Crouzet
The chef J.C. Crouzet comes out to have a chat with us and he tells us that the menu is geared towards seasonal produce with as much from Quebec city as possible, in fact almost everything on the menu is from the Quebec region. Born in Montreal to parents that come from the French Riviera he has been here at the hotel for 11 years.
Cheese platter served with Offley Porto 2004
He comes out with our cheese platter, an incredibly generous portioned plate for each of us (yes sometimes I pinch myself that I am not dreaming!). On it there are five types of cheese with my two which were soft cheese. The Cap-rond, an ash rind artisinal goat’s cheese from Saint Raymond de Pont neuf , a Barre a Boulard also from Saint Raymond de Pont neuf which is also gorgeous. There is also a lovely Blue ermite cheese which is hand made by monks in Quebec and a Le Migneron from Charlevoix.
Interestingly, the cheese platter comes out with spiced pecans and roasted cashews and dark grapes although there are no crackers so we eat the cheese straight which is actually a really nice way to appreciate the cheese.
Fresh raspberry pistachio macaron and Iced Nougat with crumble
“Dessert won’t be a moment” our waiter tells us and we say “There’s dessert too?”. Hmm I should have checked before I gorged myself on the cheese. The macaron shell is hard to cut through and the pistachio cream is more almond than pistachio. We both however like the iced nougat as it has little toffee pieces inside giving it crunchiness, creaminess and nuttiness. The bamboo stick is actually made out of chocolate!
We are also in possession of VIP passes to the concert later that evening so we roll out of there full of cheese, seafood and sweets and go to the Plains of Abraham to watch the bands play. Yes sometimes I do pinch myself!
So tell me Dear Reader, do you prefer to eat at buffets or a la carte?
NQN and Mr NQN travelled to and explored Canada as a guest of Tourism Canada
L’Astral
Loews Le Concorde Hotel
29th floor, 1225 Place Montcalm, Quebec City, Quebec Canada, G1R 4W6
Tel: +1 (418) 647 2222
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32 Comments | Add your own
What an incredible meal, Lorraine! The seafood all looks wonderful and I now have an insatiable craving for scallops, lol. The view is stunning too!
Beautiful! Love Quebec! And that cheese platter!
Omg that is gorgeous, I would not have imagined a buffet like that either!! Oh and the scallops, yummy!
A La Carte every-time. It’s a no brainer for me.
I usually prefer a la carte, but this buffet looks very good.
Now doesn’t L’Astral in Quebec just look fabulous huh. The food is my sorta food. You can see the French influence coming through strongly with this menu can’t you.
for all the same reasons, unless they are pool side & I’ve thrown it together for a small group of friends…, then I love it. But always, absolutely its gotta bea la carte when dining out.
Buffets scare me.., honestly
Have loved the Canadian trip you did Lorraine, stunning.
I cannot believe you guys were flown to canada, your doing amazing things!! Congratulations! Ps when they say jumbo shrimp, how big are they??
What a wonderful experience. I have only spent a very little time in Canada, and then just over the border to see Niagra Falls. Another destination to put on my travel map.
Lorraine, you have ‘ruined’ my day! Was quite happily prepping lunch until I turned the Net on ‘for a second’ and saw this menu! I could make a meal of ‘first courses’ in most good restaurants and these looked SO fab! Anyways, now I’m green in the face and don’t want to go near my today’s simple ‘offerings’! Thanks!
What a lovely looking meal! I’m glad you explained the bamboo stick, I was wondering about it.
I spend A LOT of my days creating buffet functions, so I appreciate the effort that goes into them. If it’s a reputable place, the food is fresh and quality isn’t a problem. All the wait staff get excited as they get leftovers for staff lunch the next day! I also like to be able to pick a bit of this and that at a buffet, so I like all the choices. But…. in saying that, I wouldn’t like a buffet in a dodgy looking place or somewhere not busy as the food may be ‘recycled’- fine for wait staff for free but NOT paying customers who are expecting quality product.
If only all buffets were like this!
I’m a buffet breakfast lover but other than that, definitely a la carte.
I have many reasons – I don’t like the idea of people breathing all over my food, my eyes are much bigger than my belly and I eat too much at buffets and the food is never really at it’s prime.
Of course I don’t care about any of these things when it comes to buffet breakfast.
Generally, I prefer a la carte, but a few very good hotels do wonderful seafood buffets. I love me one of those where the bugs/lobsters are already halved and pop out easily from the shell, the crabs have been pre-packed, and the rest of the seafood is so fresh and delicious you can’t help gorging. These same restaurants usually do wonderful desserts and cheeses as well. There are always plenty of dishes, which are replaced often, and the service is still wonderful and the buffets are not overly crowded. These are a treat. I don’t like the cheap and cheerful buffets thoughs (I won’t mention names). I also love a good breakfast buffet occasionally.
Every post you do on Canada makes me want to visit more. The scallops & Asiette plate especially look sublime.
Generally I prefer A la carte, but then i’ve never come across a buffet like this!
Oh, the dreaded almond-instead-of-pistachio disappointment!
Must say, though, the lobster carpaccio and cheese plate would definitely have made up for that sadness in my book 
Also, if you are dreaming? Please don’t wake up! I enjoy your dreams so
Buffet versus a la carte. I think there’s room for both, though I tend to veer towards the latter. Gorgeous food you had and that veal cheek & sweet bread looks delicious
I’ve eaten there and it was excellent. Was a bit suss efore as I don’t usually like buffets – but nothing sits there for long – it moves and the variety is brilliant – view’s not bad either at sunset on a sunny day.
That chocolate bamboo stick is
perfection! Honestly, the entire
presentation is beautiful, almost
flirty. That macaron begs to be
spanked.
Really great looking food. Reading through the post I could not stop thinking about the dude riding a segway in the first photo. How cool is he!!!
I prefer ala carte over buffets. My sister thinks that it is a waste of money to bring me to a buffet since I eat like a kitten, despite loving to eat.
It all looks so wonderful. I love Quebec, especially in winter when it looks like a wonderland.
I don’t know if it’s just me, but the church in one of your pics looks just like a building made of gingerbread!
And I love how all the dishes were plated. The lobster carpaccio, in particular, looks like there’s a shark’s fin on the side.
Oh, that looks absolutely delicious. Lots of fabulous sea food there!
OH definitely a la carte, buffets are always trouble for me. I always take waaaaaay too much.
*kisses* HH
It looks pretty damn fine for buffet, not really the sort of buffet we’re used to here ie: quantity versus quality. The cheese platter is divine.
I’m definitely an a la carte person.
What better way to sample Quebec produce than with a 360degree view of the city in all its grandeur and the local fare with style and elegance.
The ala carte menu is like a dialogue between the chef and the produce- judging by the dishes you sampled it seems as though the chef has respect and pride in local produce.
I like the little twists to the dishes – curry tapioca for gazpacho, carpaccio lobster with golden beetroot,roasted scallops(i’ve ever seen them seared, roasting would be tricky to do)inclusion of sweetbreads and veal cheeck blanquette on the assiette.Divine!
Black cod- caught my attension,as did the fritatta pairing witht the cornish hen.
Almost a cross between a frittata-souffle-omellette….great ideas and definietly something to explore .
Spiced peacans and cashews to offer with the cheeses, a heavenly marriage- good alternative to coeliacs instead of crackers.
The bamboo chocolate garnish! wow! how did they do that..
It feels as though I’ve been sitting at the table!!
I totally read that second sentence as a) a revolTing restaurant lol!!!
A la carte for me my friend. Feels fresher & I can control myself better! Looks like a great time in Quebec City. Hope your Christmas was spectacular
xo
Ooh, I always go for the cheese plate in place of dessert so I would have gorged myself on that as well! I want to try that cheese the monks made!!
The lobster carpaccio and the black cod both look delicious! And, I always love a cheese plate. I’ve recently realized that I don’t think there are any cheeses I dislike!
The food looks great!! I’m yet again jealous of you…:P This seems like a common occurrence these days.
For some strange reason, I always tend to eat buffet when I travel (especially breakfasts) at the hotel I stay in. Just seems like a normal thing to do for me. However, I’d choose a la carte over buffets if I had to choose since I believe a la carte are made with more ‘love’ since they’re individually made and generally tastes better as well,. With that said though, I’ve had fantastic buffets at 5 star hotels before so in that case I wouldn’t mind buffets.
Happy Holidays Lorraine. Having been in and out of stomach bug, I could not read any food blogs.
I hate buffets, because I just can’t stand to watch those around me eat and eat and eat and eat. The only exception to this is the breakfast buffet in most hotels in Italy, especially one particular hotel in Chianti. It was like eating in the kitchen with all of the best foods that an Italian grandmother could prepare from the finest of local ingredients. I’ll overeat a bit on that with no problem.
You really do live the fairy tale, but with such sweetness.
The only time I like a buffet is if it has good quality seafood, then I can eat my weights worth in oysters! I can’t believe you got a trip to canada! Very very lucky
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