Having visited Quebec and Montreal before I know well of St-Hurbert, one of the provinces most beloved chains. A well known brand that has now expanded their market to premade frozen savoury pies and comfort Canadian dishes, available at local, large format Canadian grocers.
Driving around, you will notice that St. Hurbert has several locations, and are fast food rivals to the likes of McDonalds and KFC. Although instead of strictly fried chicken, burgers and fries they focus on more dressed-up comfort eats. The majority of their menu centres around Quebecois classics like pâté chinois and Tourtière.
I have been to a couple of locations during my last trip to Quebec many years ago. However, as this was my travel companion’s first time in Montreal, it only felt right to take him to one to experience some easy Quebec-style traditional eats.
The location we visited was on the outskirts of “Gay Village”, a dressed-up restaurant with full bar/lounge not unlike that of an Earls in Toronto or Cactus Club in Vancouver. The decor was modern and clean ad decorated with simple abstract art. We grabbed a high-top and started off with a pint of local Quebec beer to share, because when in Rome.
To be able to get a good sense of their offerings as a first timer, we ordered their Table D’Hote set menu option. This includes your choice of appetizer, a main course, dessert, and unlimited nonalcoholic beverage. For the latter we would stick to black coffee served with a side of cream and sugar, as this was brunch.
With the Table D’Hote menu you pick and choose from a list, with the ability to upgrade and add on. The base cost is reflective of your main. Considering the total price tag, I wish I took the time to calculate, to see if ordering the set or a la carte was more cost savvy.
For our starter we paid extra for the French Onion Soup. It was a warm and hearty serving that delivered on rich onion flavour from a heavier beef broth. The best part was all the cheese that topped it. Taking a fork to get through it led to a magnificent marble cheddar cheese pull.
For our main we went with their Piri-Piri style rotisserie leg. They are known for their chicken, so it is a must and I have never had it spicy with a Piri-Piri kick before. We opted to pay more to have the piece as a leg over breast, as we both prefer dark meat. However, for over $30 I wish I got more meat, it was tender and delicious, but far too little for 2 grown adults to share(as we intended).
Although the dinner set did come with unlimited creamy or traditional coleslaw, BBQ sauce, and a dinner roll/bun. We got the former most creamy, but the coleslaw still tasted dry in the mouth. It simply served as a great fresh element, but we chose seasonal vegetables as our side, to served this purpose better. The steamed and lightly salted vegetables also helped to provide a more balanced meal over the other choices of fries, salad, rice, mashed potatoes, and the add on of yam fries or poutine for extra.
And for dessert we went for the Chomeur pudding, which was basically a soft and sweet, melts-in-your-mouth vanilla cake, served alongside vanilla ice cream. This is a classic French-Canadian dessert that is most commonly offered in diners.
In closing, the chain is not a restaurant I would return to or frequent, but they are a good one to check off, for the full experience of Montreal.
Rôtisserie St-Hubert
1019 St Catherine St E, Montreal, Quebec H2L 2G4, Canada
+1 514-385-5555
st-hubert.com
