Poutines of Victoria (Pt. 1)
Alright, let’s cut to the chase:
There’s no real introduction required for this post. I love poutine, and I know you do too. In this series (yes, series) of posts, I will be posting pictures and descriptions of all the poutines I’ve had the pleasure of tasting in the City of Victoria. So please, kindly start your tastebuds and come along for the journey to find this city’s best French-Canadian classic dish.
Poutine.(N) /po͞oˈtēn/ –
Leopold’s Tavern “Buffalo Chicken Ranch” poutine
Ingredients:
“Buttermilk fried chicken, cheese curds, ranch and buffalo sauce on house-cut fries”
Price: $13.5 (Small) / $19.5 (Large)
Pros:
- Excellent thin-cut fries, generous volume of sauce & chicken
- One of the few poutines that could (theoretically) be consumed with poise
- The tavern has a ‘weekly poutine’, and they all seem to have the same attention to detail and ‘meet-cute’ aesthetic as this one. They also have a great plant-based poutine option!
Cons:
- Incredible amount of wing sauce – delicious at first, but if you dare buy the large poutine it can border on indigestion-inducing.
- The price is warranted for the meal, but the large is on the more expensive side of poutines in town
UVic’s The Cove “vegan poutine”
Ingredients:
Vegan gravy, vegan cheese, fries
Price: $8
Pros:
- We love a vegan option
- Definitely has fries, gravy and cheese
- Works as a solid cost-effective study snack
Cons:
- Cheese is grated, not in curds
- Could use a spice or other fourth ingredient
- If this were Dragonball-Z, we would say this is not poutine’s ‘final form’
Cafe Mexico’s “Poutine Mexicano”
Ingredients: “Skirt steak, barbacoa gravy, melted cheese, tortilla chips, pico de gallo and cilantro”
Price: $24
Pros:
- Hearty amounts of veg & meat (if you choose to add it in)
- Points for creativity with added ingredients
Cons:
- Actually just nachos
- Begs the question “what makes poutine, poutine”? To me, this is delicious but not poutine.
The Palms “Canadian Poutine”
Ingredients:
“Duck confit, hand-cut Kennebec frites, gravy, Quebec cheese curds”
Price: $14
Pros:
- If you like duck, this poutine has it
- Great crunch texture, with well-done gravy and excellent curd quality
- Really good value to price ratio
Cons:
- Doesn’t work as a veg option (without the duck, it’s not quite worth the value)
- The title of ‘Canadian’ is a bit misleading, unsure of what makes the poutine ‘Canadian’ other than just existing as poutine.
My poutine recommendation of this post is Leopold’s Tavern, for the sheer variety of poutine options (including plant-based) and attention to both the aesthetic detail and taste in their Buffalo Chicken Ranch poutine.
And that’s it for this month! Join me next time as I continue to search for Victoria’s most memorable poutines.
