restaurant les fougères

we went to les fougères for lunch today.  i had the duck and it was spectacular.  innovative and classical at the same time.    accompanying fruits and vegetables were cooked and seasoned perfectly.  nice
setting, right on the edge of gatineau park.  great service.  go for a hike in the park and treat yourself to a nice lunch here.

logo-213x162i’ve been wanting to go to les fougères ever since i got to try a bite at bon appetit years ago. they had my favourite bite of the evening and they have had one of my favourite bites since! my husband was away last week so i needed some dining partners! my friends suggested taking me to les fougères since they have been a few times and have loved it. we had the 7 course tasting menu, here is out night...

always lovely at les fougeres. enjoyed the table d'hôte with betsy foodwise on the civic holiday monday and was, as usual, pleased as punch with both the service and food at this wonderful restaurant. the menu was lovely, starting with a well executed tomato basil soup with just a hint of citrus and garnished with goat cheese. this was followed dy a tasty crusted halibut served on fresh tomato. i requested the duck confit rather than the chicken and was thrilled with the crispy duck, potato galette, steamed spinach, goat cheese and pear that was cooked perfectly and presented with flair. dessert was a lovely panacotta, served with berries and maple popcorn. the wine pairings were terrific, beginning with a fresh sauvignon blanc, followed by a dry pinot gris, a complex flavourful malbec with the main, and an armagnac fortified white with dessert. for tasty french cuisine, les fougeres cannot be beat.

amazing

not worth the price. first of all they were out of a lot of things such as my wine selection, my appetizer selection, & my friends meal selection. i had the wild boar as my main and it was well cooked with good flavours but overall uninspired. my husband had the arctic char and my friend had the what was suppose to be veal but was changed to beef and they both found their meals to be ok. my desert was terrible. the chocolat brownie was dry. on top of all of that, when i called they asked if the reservation was for a special occasion and i said it was for a birthday. they told me that they would provide us with a free desert with candle. well they forgot. which was kinda dissapointing since i wasnt going to point it out once the desert arrived on the table. kinda defeats the purpose. the meal was expensive and not worth it. many great restaurants in ottawa that provide better food for a lower price with better service.

for an unforgettable culinary experience, try their tasting menu with pairings. this was a meal that i will forever be comparing others to. the service was perfectly attentive and the food displayed an array of techniques and flavours. we visited in the fall and are hoping to try the spring menu sometime soon

you can't beat the view. yesterday, enroute to meech lake to check out our favourite swimming destination, my friend and i suddenly decided to see if les fougères was open. it was and they had room for us. we ordered the fish cakes with poached eggs and a leek and caper sauce served with mixed greens, unbelievably tasty. the service was a bit spotty- we had to flag down a waiter for coffee refills and it took awhile for the waiter to arrive with the interac machine so we could pay. service quibbles aside, you can't beat this fresh canadian fare presented in a gorgeous location in the gatineau hills. and getting there from downtown ottawa takes no longer than driving to a restaurant in the west end of the city.

tasting menu was fantastic. this is the second time we have had the tasting menu (with wine pairings) and both times have been absolutely wonderful. i won't list each of the courses, but we loved them all, bar none. if you do the tasting menu, get ready for a lengthy meal as it takes a while to go through so many delicious courses. the service was outstanding on both occasions and the ambiance is just lovely. this is certainly one of my favorite restaurants.

much to do about not much. my friend and i were adequately seated on a late sunday afternoon. we decided to go with the table d'hot which paired each of the 4 courses with wine. let me say right away that the amount of wine poured into the glass was so little as to not even be two mouthfuls. this was very disappointing given how expensive this menu is. the waiter noticed our glasses empty throughout the meal but did not offer more. we did not expect a pail of wine, but for goodness sake pour a decent glass for the course!

the soup was adequate and hearty.
the smoked trout whilst fresh and plump was bland and tiny in portion.
the chicken was superb with a luscious assortment of mash and root veges.
the dessert a mille feuille was truly regrettable...crisp overly dry puff pastry with a smidge of cream and fruit..should have been luscious and plenty in cream and fruit.

although the food was 'solid' for the most part the very high prices charged are not justified at all in my opinion and after reading the reviews here i believe the people in ottawa are easily pleased by the 'quintessential' french restaurant!

a lovely experience.... had a fabulous meal recently at les fougeres, after an afternoon in the nearby scandinavian spa... we came early without a reservation, and were graciously invited in by our fantastic waiter. he was very attentive, but not overly so. we started with the foie gras appetizer (served 3 ways), then i had a lovely piece of black cod with lentils, d had the hare 3 ways.. both of us so pleased - enough to have a dessert each!

highly recommended for its ambiance but don't forget they also have fantastic take-away/frozen food section as well!

fantastic. i must contrast our review with a poster below who was given unappealing seating ostensibly because he presented a coupon. we used a coupon and were offered our choice of table -- we chose out back with a view of the gardens, which frankly made the experience.

we opted for the full tasting menu and it was not a disappointment. would go again.

service doesn't live up to the food. first off, let me just say, i really did enjoy like my meal at les fougeres (with one minor quibble that i'll explain later). however, the quality of service took away from the whole experience and annoyed my girlfriend and i enough that i need to tell people about it.

to begin with, we were using a coupon for our night out (spend $25 and get $50 off) and i advised them of this when i made the reservation. the reason i point this out is that there were 2 other couples that arrived during our meal that also had 'said' coupon and we were all seated right next to each other... at the front of the restaurant by the cashier/entry way.

why this bothers me is that we had a dinner reservation at 5pm. it was early but that was all we could get. within 5 minutes of being there, i wanted to change tables because of the noise from the servers (chatting about the dinner options, greeting guests, answering the phone, etc.). it was really ruining the experience. think of sitting by the kitchen, with constant noise. however, we were told all the tables were booked. b.s.! yes, they had their allotments full for the evening as they only accept so many people at certain times, but by the time we left at 8:00pm, the restaurant was still only 1/3 full. so, they could have easily put us in the back if they wanted to but they didn't. and i'm sure the reason was is that we were using a coupon. that was my hunch and the fact that the two other couples got seated next to us in the 'loud' area were also coupon users kind of proofs it.

there were other examples of poor service throughout the evening and again related to this... arrogant may be a bit harsh, but somewhat elitist behaviour that would never be accepted at a true french restaurant where every client should be made to feel like they are a king.

from a meal perspective, my only complaint was that they didn't let my plate sit long enough before serving it. i had venison and while i may not know a lot about cooking, i do know you are supposed to let your meat sit after taking it off the grill (helps spread the juices and colour), and they didn't do that resulting in my meat being a little too blue though it stabilized to a nice red later in the meal. i'm not sure if that was do to the lesser quality of service or just a general mistake.

anyhow, the fact of using a coupon should have no impact on the service one gives their customers and if that is there attitude towards their clientele, then i can spend my money elsewhere. and also the reason i lowered the percentage on the tip... not because i'm cheap, but because the service wasn't good enough.

wonderful location, wonderful food. one of the best in ottawa and right up there with the better restaurants in cities around the world. the food is always interesting and is often sourced locally. a good wine list. it is a treat to dine there whether surrounded by snow drifts in the winter or with breezes on the screened porch in the summer.

this restaurant is amazing! my husband and i went on a monday night. we both had the mushroom soup to start which was absolutely delucious. my husband had the duck confit for his main which is the house specialty (for good reason) and takes 2 days to make!! so tender and delicious. i had the ling cod which they get flown in from bc and pick up at the airport! i have to say it was worth the trip - the fish was so well prepared and the dish included potatoes with house-smoked halibut which was also amazing. i also had a glass of wine with my main selected for me by the waiter which paired wonderfully! for dessert, we shared the maple tart au sucre and i had a bodum coffee while my husband tried one of their many teas. the service was also impeccable, i loved the cozy atmosphere, and the food - i can't say enough!

from the moment that we arrived at the restaurant, i had a good feeling about the place. it's in a quiet area near the border of quebec and ontario. right beside the parking lot is a fairly large garden, where the owner grow their own vegetables and herbs.