The French-inspired restaurant Navy blue Although it is located a stone’s throw from Château Frontenac, this discreet address is not a tourist trap. The chef and sommelier concocts dishes paired with wines carefully selected by her and her business partner, also a sommelier.
Claudine Déry does not have the classic profile of a chef. She was a hairdresser for many years before diving into the restaurant business. A change not so surprising, if we trust the main interested party who thrives on creation.
“I was the hairdresser in the restaurant and it’s not for nothing, I really had a good feeling with these people,” she tells me, seated before the arrival of the first customers in her cocoon. of rue Saint-Louis, surrounded by stone walls.
Yann Barrette-Bouchard and Claudine Déry founded Bleu Marine together in 2019. Since 2021, the restaurant has been located on rue Saint-Louis, in Old Quebec.
Photo Marianne White
“Everything I love about hairdressing, I knew I would find it in sommelier and catering, like creativity and customer contact,” explains the woman who trained with well-known chefs to perfect her knowledge. over the years.
This beef carpaccio comes with several toppings, including lacto-fermented carrots.
Photo Marianne White
Leave everything to study
After a first sommelier course at the École hôtelière de la Capitale, she realized that a new passion was born. She sold her hair salon and left for France in 2016 to follow intensive training at the University of Wine in Suze-la-Rousse.
On her return, she continued to improve and worked in several restaurants, including Saint-Amour, where she met sommelier Yann Barrette-Bouchard.
After a short stay in Montreal, the inseparable duo opened Bleu Marine in 2019, in the Saint-Jean-Baptiste district. The pandemic slows down their takeoff and the artisans find themselves deprived of their leader, who packs up. To survive, they must take on everything together.
“I took charge of the kitchen, and I never came out,” Claudine says with a laugh.
Since 2021, the 32-seat restaurant has been located in the heart of Old Quebec, in a welcoming space located under the Auberge Saint-Louis.
The chef at Bleu Marine always has a risotto on the menu. Here, it is enhanced with wild mushrooms.
Photo Marianne White
The self-taught cordon bleu takes inspiration from France, but without the rigidity of the classic framework. She enjoys creating more sophisticated and sometimes surprising flavor combinations, gleaned during travels or by observing her favorite chefs like Marc Veyrat and Anne Sophie Pic.
Wine and truffle
His bistronomic dishes focus on the balance of flavors and textures, in addition to being beautifully presented. She focuses on fine details, such as the lactofermentation of vegetables or the infusion of milk mushroom with a maple scent.
“If you give love to a vegetable, it can be very satisfying,” says Yann, rightly.
Cauliflower carbonara, garnished with grated truffle.
Photo Marianne White
I fell for his cauliflower carbonara garnished with scallops. We find the richness of the sauce, without the heaviness of the pasta.
Luckily, during my recent visit, the chef had gotten her hands on a small quantity of fresh Appalachian truffles. This variety specific to Quebec is slowly starting to make its way onto our plates and that’s so much the better!
It has aromas of chocolate and hazelnut and enhances dishes wonderfully if you want to add it as an extra.
Chef Claudine Landry holds a piece of precious Appalachian truffle, a variety specific to Quebec that a handful of restaurants, including Bleu Marine, were able to obtain this year.
Photo Marianne White
“It’s really impressive,” says Yann, who invites those interested to hurry before the limited cargo runs out.
Bleu Marine offers à la carte dishes, but its strength is the blind menu in three or five courses, where customers let themselves be guided. After sharing your preferences and intolerances, the chef will prepare a tailor-made meal, which can be vegetarian or even gluten-free. “It’s a surprise menu, but it has to be nice surprises!” insists Claudine.
Wine, at the heart of the owners’ lives, is not just an extra. This is absolutely the driving force behind their creation. If you do not choose a food and wine pairing, rely on Yann who will be able to advise you.
During the German Christmas Market, the restaurant’s hidden bar, Neptuneoffers a tempting menu of seasonal cocktails that can be paired with a steaming bowl of leg stew.
