"Plates of gravy, fries, and cheese curds are available all across town — and a true Montrealer will have pledged their allegiance to their favourite long ago. La Banquise is the most touristy of the bunch, but it is irrefutably a Montreal icon. A local fireman opened it as an ice cream shop in 1968, then transformed it into a 24-hour snack bar, and only in the 1980s did poutine — classic or Italian — appear on the menu. Today, it’s still open 24/7, but there are now 30 varieties of the dish on offer." - Valerie Silva, Tim Forster