For the past year, a rising star of Quebec gastronomy has taken the reins of the kitchens of Parliamentary, located within the grounds of the National Assembly. Executive chef Sébastien Laframboise, whom you saw in the most recent season of Chefs!, wants to open the doors of this institution to as many people as possible.
“My goal is to bring people and tell them: Le Parlementaire is open all year round, it’s open to the public. You are welcome, the National Assembly is your home,” enthuses the tall guy with the contagious smile in an interview.
The executive chef of the Le Parlementaire restaurant, Sébastien Laframboise.
Photo MARIANNE WHITE
The magnificent dining room of the Parliament House restaurant has been open for over 100 years and was reserved for politicians until 1968.
Fortunately, now the general public can go and discover – at lunchtime during the week – the gourmet cuisine concocted by chef Laframboise and his brigade of around twenty people.
The dishes change with the seasons and the summer season discovery menu pays homage to the riches of the St. Lawrence.
“It’s a menu 100% inspired by our river, what’s there, its banks,” notes the chef from Outaouais who, notably, worked at Saint-Amour and Bistro B before becoming executive chef of Château Bonne Entente for several years.
There is a starter of Nordic shrimp with lovage and chorizo, a main course of halibut topped with a delicate lemon butter and a dessert featuring Ile d’Orléans strawberries seasoned with samphire.
An à la carte menu with six starters, six main courses and four desserts is also available. I particularly enjoyed the bluefin tuna tataki crusted with pumpkin and sunflower seeds topped with a salty herb emulsion.
A new addition to the Parliamentarian’s summer menu, red tuna tataki with a pumpkin and sunflower seed crust.
Photo provided by the NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
The duck breast is also worth the detour. It goes wonderfully with ginger carrot puree and raspberry stomach sauce.
Duck breast, accompanied by carrot and ginger puree.
Photo MARIANNE WHITE
Local products in the spotlight
The Parliamentarian’s kitchen positions itself as a showcase to showcase products from several regions of Quebec.
“We work with the products of our vast territory as a whole. We are not limited to boreal products, for example,” underlines the chef, who adds that MPs are proud when he uses an ingredient from their part of the country.
“They are politicians, they all want to highlight their constituency,” he says. I like meeting these representatives of the people. And I make it a point of honor, in the kitchen, to try to give back to them what they give to the population.”
The kitchen team is lucky enough to have beehives to produce their honey as well as a vegetable garden.
“Our green salad starter is lettuce that comes from the gardens. For me, it tastes like my childhood, it’s nice to rediscover that. It’s this comfort and this freshness that I aim for in all my menus,” shares the man who is also trained in pastry making.
The impact of Chefs!
This lover of culinary competitions had already participated in Chefs! in 2012 and 2014 before returning this spring for the special edition of former candidates. He also participated in Top Chef Canada in 2019.
His appearance on Radio-Canada TV this spring had an immediate effect on the popularity of the Parliamentarian.
“There is a craze this year. I saw it right away in the audience response. Our traffic has increased a lot,” points out the one who left the show before the quarter-final.
The Parliamentarian team will be hosting free teatime events for visitors on four occasions this summer (11-16 July and 8-13 August). Sweet treats will be served, including scones. Booking is recommended.
Scones, like these, will be served during tea time at Le Parlementaire restaurant this summer.
Photo provided by the NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
For more information: https://www.assnat.qc.ca/fr/visiteurs/programmation-citoyenne/the.html
