Quebec City and Au Pied de Cochon

(written August 27)

Au Pied de Cochon. For Canadian chefs, it’s a staple name. Martin Picard is well known for his rich and fatty approach to food, and ever since I heard of him (from Anthony Bourdain’s Quebec episode of No Reservations), I’ve always wanted to go to Montreal and eat there. 

Over a few months this past year while living in Hope, I learned some of the nuances of making maple syrup in British Columbia from my friend Justin Brown. Using Big Leaf Maple sap and a couple small evaporators, Justin taught me the entire process, from tapping trees to evaporating, finishing, and then bottling. It was a wonderful experience, and throughout the process, I used the Au Pied de Cochon Sugar Shack cookbook as a resource. ​

(maple syrup at cabane à sucre au pied de cochon)​

The past few days have been pretty full on. We wanted to pack as much into our last days as possible, and Quebec City was definitely a highlight. Wandering on the cobblestone streets and seeing the amazing architecture and small shops in Old Quebec brought me back to strolling around Paris, just a little bit. 

We then drove out of Quebec City, and stayed in Shawinigan one night and a tourist centre another night and made our way to Mirabel area, just outside Montreal. ​

(the streets of old quebec)​

(graffiti on the overpass)​

(salvador dali's "la vénus spatiele")​

(fairmont le château frontenac, the most photographed hotel in the world)​

It looks like this year, the PDC (Au Pied de Cochon) team has gathered their things and set up shop at the sugar shack to cook. Though syrup production wasn’t going (the season is in early spring), seeing the space that was pictured so beautifully in the book was a neat experience. 

Surrounded by maple trees, sitting in the sun on a terrace beside a vegetable garden, we ordered our cocktails and got ready for what would be a truly delicious meal.

The only regret of our meal was that there was only two of us and we couldn’t order as much as we wanted, but we did manage to try the foie gras poutine (outstanding) and the stuffed Pied de Cochon with foie gras (stuffed pig foot), along with the pouding dulce and the carrot cake. It was a decadent and rich meal, though I’m proud that we made it through 2/3rds of the stuffed pig foot, which was served with super cheesy mashed potatoes and a rich mushroom sauce. 

(foie gras poutine)​

(massive stuffed pied de cochon with foie gras, cheesy mashed potatoes, and mushroom sauce)​

(carrot cake)​

As it wasn’t very busy the night we went, the ambience was definitely not the same as the huge party-like atmosphere that I’ve heard about, but it was still nice to walk around inside. We managed to get a peek at the main evaporator that they use to make the syrup. It’s hardlined to over 10,000 trees on the property. We also skimmed through the products in their shop, and my personal favorite feature was the bathrooms. 

Wooden doors with deer antlers serving as handles, and a small sap evaporator which acted as the sink. They also had Japanese toilets. You know, the ones that spray water where you need cleaning. Super out of place and very cool. ​

(evaporator sink)​

(pdc's main evaporator for syrup production)​

After our meal, we headed to one last night in the van. As for tomorrow, it’s time to start unpacking the van, and packing for our next adventure. 

I will definitely miss sleeping in the van, though I look forward to being able to stand up when I wake up. ​