I have a favourite place to eat in Gatineau since moving here this year. Really, it was my favourite place in Gatineau before I moved here, and it’s worth the trip from Ottawa (or further) if you haven’t been to Soif Wine Bar yet.
What you need to know:
- Owned by one of the top sommeliers in Canada and the world, Véronique Rivest.
- Wine list with something for everyone at every price point.
- Tasting flights are a great deal: about 1.5 glasses for ~$20 CAD.
- The flights combine less and more expensive wines, so you can try wines you might not otherwise try
- The flights and by-the-glass selection change regularly (maybe once a month?), so there’s always something new
- An equally creative kitchen knows how to pair with the wine.
- Bottle shop menu. Just buy a small plate and you can take unopened bottles to go (they’re less expensive than what you’ll pay to drink-in).
- Exceptional staff who are as excited about the wine as you are (and know how to get excited for excited customers like me or not make a big deal about the wine for others who just want a glass of something or a beer or a non-alcoholic cocktail and some bison tartare).
- Pretty back terrasse / patio in season.
- Veronique Rivest is actually often there, unlike a lot of restaurant owners with international obligations.
- Hidden gem quality. The kind of place you want to tell everyone about… but you also don’t.
The food could really be an afterthought here, since the focus is the wine, but it’s not an afterthought. Here’s what I’ve had the four times I’ve gone, by season:
Spring:
Summer:
Other things I’ve had:
Fall:
Charcuterie and cheese platter (they give us gluten-free Mary’s crackers, which I appreciate). The cheese platter has pickles and some of the top Quebec cheeses on a rotating basis (e.g. Gré des Champs, Alfred le Fermier, etc., maybe the Louis d’Or). And they stuck a candle in my bowl of summer berries for my birthday (no gluten-free, dairy-free, chocolate-free dessert option, but I heard the regular menu was spectacular).
Loved the bison tartare without the crème fraîche and croutons, even. Great chopping and high quality meat.
Grilled quail with fermented plum, potato and jus – delicious any time of year.
Winter:
I also had a glass of a Christophe Lindenlaub white that was exceptional with the radicchio and foie gras vinaigrette with sunflower seeds. I’m not sure if it’s one that’s now available at the SAQ, but definitely a treat from an exceptional Alsatian natural wine producer.
Contact:
88 rue Montcalm, Gatineau, QC J8X 2L7
Hours: Tues-Thurs 4-10pm, Fri-Sat 4-11pm
How much: ~$50-$70 for a tasting flight, and one or two small plates (a light meal), including tax and tip
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