Restaurant review | Chez Renard: in the heart of the Islands

Rising stars in the restaurant industry, institutions that stand the test of time, hidden gems… Our critics dig in and help you make informed choices. This week, a look back at a meal taken in the heart of summer in the Magdalen Islands, at the Chez Renard refreshment bar.

It’s been a while since I wanted to tell you about one of my favorite meals of 2024, enjoyed on vacation, at the end of August, in the Magdalen Islands, at the Chez Renard refreshment bar. But as the place then closed for several weeks for renovations, here I am, in the middle of winter, transporting you to the height of last summer in the salty scent of the Islands. There are worse things, right?

But who will get lost in the wind of the Islands in the middle of the cold season? They are not legion. But we perhaps forget that many people live there all year round. And more and more people “from the city” are settling there.

This is perhaps not unrelated to a phenomenon, namely these new businesses which decide to remain open once the tourists have set sail. This is the case of the Ilot café-buvette, where I drank iced lattes and matcha lattes during my stay. This is also the case for Chez Renard, a “local refreshment bar”.

Ève Beaudoin Galaise and Philippe Raymond met at Louise Taverne et Bar in Quebec; he passed through the kitchens of Buvette Scott, Saint-Amour and Cercle; she notably worked at L’Orygine of the La Tanière group. Having come to spend a summer on the Islands, they ultimately never left.

Although both are trained in the kitchen, Philippe works in the kitchen while Ève is in the dining room, but she also takes care of the pastry and the wine list. “We liked the idea of ​​staying here all year round, of offering a social place, having a glass of wine, a small dish or two, not a very straightforward formula,” explains Ève.

Here we are seated. As soon as I walk through the door of this little house with its mint green facade, I am under the spell. The wood of the walls and tables is enveloping. A large bookcase filled with cookbooks sits in the center of the space. The atmosphere invites relaxation.

The menu, which changes every week, is written on the slate; short, divided into three sections – snacks, small dishes and sugar. Almost everything that appears there is madelinot. We know the Islands for their seafood products – oysters, halibut, sea bass, mussels, etc. – but there are also market gardeners here, small fruits and boreal plants to pick, meat producers (lamb Sheep of the Sea, in particular). Everything is local, with a few exceptions, like the asparagus, and also the chicken. “That way, we don’t depend on a boat,” remarks Eve.

From constraint comes creativity. I was really blown away by the dishes I tasted, full of taste, life and inventiveness.

The most compelling example is the cucumber dish three ways – marinated, grilled, raw. It was paired with thin slices of carrots marinated in homemade rose kombucha and served on a tasty Greek-style mash made from candied garlic bread (called skordalia). Sprinkled with homemade focaccia croutons and a dash of tetragon (reminiscent of spinach), the whole thing was not only astonishing, but also downright divine! Even my 10 year old son was won over!

I also like that the local philosophy is combined with flavors from elsewhere and the use of various preservation techniques (lactofermentation, marinades, etc.). The shredded sea bass bao with a homemade fish sauce, marinated carrots and a blueberry salsa which softened the sometimes iron taste of this meat was a real success. Without a doubt one of the best seal dishes I have tasted!

As I tasted a glass of Cuvée 16, an irresistible easy-drinking red from Languedoc (a single varietal Cinsault from Château du Vieux Moulin, imported by Vin Oui), I continued to marvel: here in front of a plate of lacto-fermented cabbage then fried in tempura, a chanterelle tapenade and a green goddess dill sauce, which evoked the taste of fish and chips; there in front of karaage-style fried chicken with miso emulsion, incredibly tender beneath its crispy exterior.

The dish we liked the least was the most classic: poached halibut on zucchini puree with cherry tomato salad, with rather muted flavors.

For dessert, there was a pretty verrine of small cubes of compressed honeydew melon with whipped cream. Tell you how much I would have dragged out the evening, or even started the experience again the next day… But you have to leave some for others!