Sucrerie des Gallant
Foods from Sucrerie des Gallant

Comments

2009 Apr 6
Yes, real plates and cutlery! The only disposable items are the plastic water cups (no idea why) and the napkins. Coffee cups, juice/pop glasses, plates, bowls, and cutlery are all dishwasherable.

2009 Apr 6
Real plates and cutlery? (Not disposable)? That's a basic "must-have" for me.

2009 Apr 5
After reading positive comments in the forums here (ottawafoodies.com) we decided that our 2009 sugar bush venture would be at the Sucrerie des Gallant. We were very pleased and thought it worth the 1.5 hour drive from Ottawa's West End.

The atmosphere was comfortable and relatively spacious (compared to other sugar bush dining halls). Service was friendly and welcoming.

Food was self-service buffet style, excepting beverages, a basket of rolls and the starter bowl of pea soup. A large pitcher of ice water was made available at each table.

They offer all the usual stuff (menu is on their website), with a few notable substitutions/additions:
* Pancakes are folded in half, stuffed with cooked apple slices, and topped with a caramel-like sauce (presumably made with maple syrup). They were very good, but if you're looking for a traditional stack of buttermilk flapjacks, you won't find them here.
* They offer the traditional Québecois oreilles de crisse (smoked and fried pork jowls) instead of bacon. Totally delicious and addictive to the point where I had no need for regular bacon.
* Sausages are distinctly different from your average breakfast sausage. Short, coarse, and rustic, they're packed full of flavour.
* The "omelette" was a baked egg mixture, reminiscent of a thick frittata (sans vegetables and other fillings). It looks kind of funny but sort of works well in a buffet setting.

The food all ranged from pretty good to awesome. My favourite items were the pea soup, the oreilles de crisse, and the exemplary sugar pie.

I'm not much of a fan of Tourtière so I can't say much about it except that it seemed like a traditional one and the pastry was good.

The maple taffy on a stick (served outside after the meal) was excellent, as it typically is.

This is a great place to visit if you want to kick the sugar bush experience up a notch. Better food, better selection, better atmosphere, and better value for your money. I always feel ripped off by the pancake-sausage-bean plates sold for $10+ at some other sugar shacks, so I found the value here to be noticeably superior for $22.