The Poutine Showdown (Part 3 of 4): The Wild One
Introduction:
This is the third of a four-part series pertaining to my trip to several places throughout Montreal that specialize in poutines, ultimately picking the winner in the final chapter. Poutine is the official food of Canada, and is a major staple in Montreal cuisine, as you’ll find dozens upon dozens of eateries that specialize in the dish that’s surprisingly young when compared to classic cultural staples like New York City’s pizza or even Ybor City’s Cuban sandwich.
The Classic poutine is essentially fresh fries, squeaky cheese curds, and brown gravy---and those recipes of course can vary. In the United States, my only poutine experiences include the Daily Poutine in Disney Springs (it used to be much much better before, I no longer recommend) and Le Cellier in Epcot (absolutely delightful).
For the record, I wasn’t disappointed in any of these places in Montreal, these are all recommendations even if I pick a “winner.” All of these spots deserve a visit, deserve all the love and success that Montrealers and tourists can possibly hand to them. On to the third pick!
The Wild One: Ma Poule Mouillée
This showdown I’ve engaged in was inspired by a Food Insider video that covered three of the four locations I’m visiting. What I didn’t expect was how close these places were to each other. Ma Poule is within a three-minute walk from La Banquise, such a short distance I’m happy there isn’t an intense rivalry among the restaurants.
On top of that, how is there not an influx of overweight Canadians around here as the temptations of poutines exist in every corner?
That being said, Ma Poule has a very different menu from the others, because of its strong Portuguese roots. Their specialty is the chicken cooked over coals and flames, with their poutine being more a delicious afterthought in a menu that’s skewed towards poultry and meats over fries.
Since they are in Montreal, having a poutine in the menu is of course a requirement. They have a poutine with chicken and chorizo, all topped with cheese curds and a special gravy recipe they’ve invented. This place isn’t keen n presentation like Au Pied, this place is focused strictly on flavor and is not above handing you their dishes in aluminum bowls that appear to struggle to contain all the food they’ve poured in it.
And…oh my. Oh my goodness.
This poutine is easily the messiest, the gravyest, the most-packed poutine I’ve had on the journey. Ma Poule isn’t shy at all, its easily a couple pounds of food I’m staring at with excitement and fear. And the flavors all strike simultaneously, and what a medley of culinary music it is. Their chorizo has just a little heat, their chicken is seasoned perfectly, the gravy is thick like cement, and the cheese curds complimented the sauce so damn well.
It was multiple layers of joy as I couldn’t even reach the cheese curds until I took care of the top layer of proteins. An absolute standout, but also a dish that has to be shared because its so much food. I nearly hit food coma levels and had to go to the nearby LaFontaine Park (once again) to recover from the deliciousness.
I wanted to make a return trip to try some of their other dishes, but I ran out of time, but I promise you if and when I return to Montreal, I will find my way here. I ate here at the halfway point of my journey in Canada, but I knew I had just about reached the peak of quality, and it was going to be very difficult for many places to come close.
Find a way here, its mandatory. Arrive alone, or with friends and family so you can order more food and see what else this delightful place has to offer.
