Hello lovelies! Yes you’ve read right although no I haven’t suddenly embraced politics and gone over to the “dark side” and become a politician . Although I think there might be some merit to NQN-land where the shops are open late, bakeries and patisseries abound, street signs are represented with “fruit” and there is no tax on designer shoes, clothes or bags. I digress though….  Quebec’s Parliament House contains a restaurant where ordinary people and tourists can come to enjoy a meal. The building is an enormous and beautiful  stone structure and we pass through several very polite and friendly security checkpoints including one where we show them a copy of our passports (as they require photo ID) in order to get to the restaurant.

We reach the restaurant which has two stunning Art Nouveau stained glass windows that are almost worth a special trip to see.  These were made by French native glass maker Henri Perdriau. The room was inaugurated in 1917 and is enormous as it plays host to visiting dignitaries and politicians. In the neoclassical Beaux Arts style of architecture, the room has heavy curtained windows and signature crockery with the signature Fleur de Lys pattern.

We take a look at the menu which is quite reasonably priced and as we aren’t particularly hungry, we share an appetiser and order a main each. There are about six other tables of people in the enormous room so it does feel a little empty although we would imagine that it would be gorgeous for a wedding reception when full.

Bread and butter

Hooray! I miss my sourdough bread

Wild Caribou Pate $9

The pate is served without toast so I use the bread. It has a mild gamey flavour and slightly rough texture and gelatinous mouthfeel. It pairs well with the thinly sliced apple and radish salad and juniper berry compote.

Split Pea Soup

All meals come with a soup and today’s soup is a split pea soup which is thick and rich and warming (and much better than the one at Aux Anciens Canadiens we had the other day).

Fillet of Walleye Almondine $23

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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

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I thought these houses were so cute!

I tend to familiarise myself with a city by shopping in it. At least this is what I tell Mr NQN. I will of course use any excuse to buy things and my main aim while I am here in Quebec is to buy up vast quantities of maple syrup. After all, it’s only when you’re actually in Canada that you appreciate the amount of maple syrup there is on offer and the things that they have devised for it! After familiarising ourselves with the general area of Quebec City with our guide Elyse, Mr NQN and I were dropped off in the centre of Old Quebec city to do a little exploring and discovering on our own.

We start by browsing the numerous little boutique stores that pepper the area. Most of the shops and wares are quite touristy but then again so are most of the people wandering around (including us!). We spy maple body products in a store that stocks anything and everything to do with maple syrup. I’ll be back for you after lunch I say! People are very friendly here in Quebec City and as far as the city area goes, many speak very good English and some even apologise for not speaking more English whereas I was ready to break out my very rusty French.

A cute store window with a bike covered in lollies

A pretty street with an end view of the harbour

As we pass so many restaurants we start to get peckish so we give into curiosity and temptation and take my friend Gina’s advice and go for lunch at Aux Anciens Canadiens (literally “The former Canadians”). It is one of the most famous restaurants here and is known for serving traditional Quebecoise and Canadian cuisine including a lot of game. It is also one of the most striking. Housed in Quebec’s city’s oldest house built between 1675 and 1676, it is a white building with red roof and red accents with small front windows reportedly because their original glass came over from France packed in barrels of molasses!

Gina advised going there for lunch and we check out their sign for a three course lunch with wine  or beer for $19.95. When we peruse the dinner menu we see that it was good advice with main dishes for dinner ranging from $32 to $72 which is very expensive for Quebec. We walk in and it’s like a step back in time. A woman in traditional costume greets us and shows us to a table even though we don’t have a booking.

There are two dining rooms and every table but one has fellow tourists seated. There are displays of vintage glasses and plates and the wooden tables are laid with thick blue napkins and placemats. The waiter is very friendly and speaks fluent English and we take a quick look at the menu. For the fixed lunch one can order the soup of the day or a pea soup and then choose a main. Many of the mains are $19.90 (which includes the wine, soup and dessert) but you can also upgrade to larger or more elaborate mains. We choose a couple of good examples of their cuisine and the wine and freshly squeezed orange juice comes out quickly. Laguiole cutlery sits on the table and classical music plays in the background.

Bread and whipped butter

A bread basket follows and it is filled with regular supermarket wholemeal sliced bread and cold garlic bread croutons which we figure are to be used for the soup. They come with whipped butter. I take a quick trip to the ladies room where there is (oddly) a television that isn’t switched on and magazines in a rack.

Split pea soup

The soups come out quickly. I prefer the split pea soup which isn’t bad but I have to be honest, it didn’t wow me.

Tomato and zucchini soup

I was even less wowed by this. In fact I asked to swap this back with Mr NQN as it just tasted like tinned soup to me.

Pheasant legs and beans $19.90

However things turned around rapidly with the pheasant leg which came with a whole potato and absolutely delectable beans sweetened with the meat juices, maple and molasses. I spent much time chasing around these little beans (if you’ve used Laguiole cutlery, you can imagine how difficult it is to pick up tiny beans with their steak knife and fork). The pheasant is soft and slow cooked so that it falls off the bone and it goes well with the beans although the beans are my favourite part of the dish. It’s a huge dish with the two meaty pheasant legs.

St Jean Meat Pie $19.90

We selected the St Jean meat pie instead of the regular meat pie as this one contained caribou, stag deer and wapity which is elk. It comes out minced with diced potatoes and encased in a flakey pastry. It is accompanied by a steamed butternut squash and an unusual fruit compote which has tomato, peach and maple syrup. Mr NQN loves this and the slight gamey flavour and I admit it is very good but I am still obsessing over those beans and he kindly swaps back with me.

“Have you decided on dessert?” the waiter asks us as he is clearing our plates. Ha! Of course! He tells us that there is always maple pie and a sherbert (sorbet) on offer as well as a fruit pie which is strawberry for today so we choose both pies.

Strawberry Pie

I know, it looks a little sad and despondent yes but the pastry crust on this was delicious and the strawberries and cream went well together although we couldn’t possibly finish the generous amount of cream on the plate. Just ignore the presentation

Maple Pie

The maple pie is unusual and I can’t believe I’m saying this but I try some and tell Mr NQN it’s too sweet for me. It’s similar to a pecan pie filling just without the pecans- you know that syrupy sugary caramelly toffee filling between the pecans.

Teehee-not much of a view from this window!

They offer coffee or tea ($1.75 extra) but we demur and instead do some more sightseeing. Old Quebec city is set on two levels and each level can be accessed either by walking up or down the stairs (down is preferable, trust me) or taking the “furniculaire”. We visit the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac hotel which overlooks the St Lawrence river. We buy some chocolates from the Cupidon chocolate store inside the hotel. I choose  a coconut chocolate and an Earl Grey jelly chocolate ($2.30 for both).  Costumed ladies glide by and everyone takes photos of them.

Artist’s laneway

Back on the streets of Old Quebec, there is an artist’s lane where artists sell their painting, sketches and drawings. We watch street artists perform-hey you never know as the Cirque du Soleil founders were stilt walkers that were discovered at the Quebec Summer Festival!

I’m transfixed by the spray of water mist in the heat!

In the heat, we refresh ourselves on fresh lemonade and snow taffy which they make fresh for you. They grind up ice to simulate snow and then dispense some liquid maple taffy onto it. You pick it up and wrap it around a paddle pop stick and suck on the liquid taffy while shaping it on the cup of ice that they give you.

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