Friday nights are often a time to let things go a bit more. We relax our rules and settle the week. At home, with the kids, pizza is a regular guest. It's a festive, unifying dish that goes really well with movie night.
So it was on one of those Friday nights when I wanted to take a break from the stove that I ordered at L'Intuition, a restaurant located in Quebec City, near the Enfant-Jésus hospital. I had a feeling that I would hardly be wrong. An intuition, like that!
Lots of choices on the menu
Looking at the large menu, I was impressed. On the one hand, I had never heard of this restaurant, which has been around since 1994, and the menu was really extensive. The poutines immediately caught my eye with the six choices of sauces: brown, BBQ, spicy BBQ, Italian, pepper or homemade "ceto". Apart from the traditional one (fries, cheese curds, sauce), the poutines are classified in 4 categories: the topped, the deluxe, the super-deluxe and finally the ultimate. There is something for everyone.
Poutine without olives
For my part, I selected the Sublime in small format with a BBQ sauce. The latter combined two types: the luxurious one (peperoni, smoked sausage, bacon) and the Intuition one (green chili, celery, onions, mushrooms). So I knew it was going to be a filling one! Next came the option of adding olives or not. Since it didn't say whether the olives were green or black and I was apprehensive about the mixture, I declined the olives. To my surprise, they (the green ones) were still on my poutine when I received it. I was also surprised by the size. I had ordered a small one, right? It was gigantic! So we understand that the establishment does not lie when it claims to offer generous portions.
I still enjoyed my poutine, which was very heavy in condiments, maybe a little too much in the end. I didn't particularly like the combination with the olives and I realized that I'm not a fan of vegetables on a poutine. The potatoes are enough and the protein is a bonus. I was also a little disappointed with the BBQ sauce. I found it rather sweet and far from the traditional taste. After a few bites, I was bored.
Classic pizzas
To go with it all, I had also selected a pizza, another of the star dishes of the place. I had chosen the Intuition pizza, in order to try the speciality of the place. Topped with spaghetti sauce, bacon and onion, the pizza arrived with a soggy crust. This made the experience a little less interesting. So I didn't feel any wow effect for this pizza which was, all in all, similar to the one you can taste everywhere.
Modern menu
The menu also includes the classic snacks: pogo, hot-dog, meatloaf, burger, sandwich, guédille, chicken strips, spaghetti and club-sandwich. I found the last few pages of the menu nice, although they weren't directed at me, as they featured several Keto and low-carb options. This struck me as a great demonstration of adapting to the current reality. For example, they suggest swapping the poutine fries for refried beans or celery root fries. Ingenious! Keto alternatives are also offered for pizzas.
All in all, despite my small disappointment, I would give Intuition a second chance by opting for different choices next time.
Rating:
7 /10
What stood out to me the most from my visit:
The choice of poutines
The specialty of the house: poutines and pizzas
Most expensive main meal on the menu:
Smoked-meat trio sandwich, $19.95
Cheapest main meal on the menu:
Small traditional poutine, $8.50
Would I recommend this restaurant:
Yes
What time of day did I visit:
Dinner
Pros:
- generous portions
- quality/price ratio
- choice
Cons:
- respect of the order
