James A.
Yelp
Cheese Curds, anyone? Really great place to get Poutine in downtown Vancouver.
Fresh cheese curds are a thing in Wisconsin, so have been able to get decent poutine while living there in the past. But poutine is a Canadian thing, so was looking forward to getting some on our Vancouver visit in April '24. My daughter did some research and came up with La Belle Patate as the place to go if staying in downtown.
We came soon after it opened on a Sunday, and it was already getting crowded. The menu is displayed as multiple boards above the registers, and we placed and paid for our orders using a credit card. It took about 5 minutes for the food to be ready. The poutine comes in 3 different sizes.
Smoked Meat Poutine (L) - $17: the chunks of meat is called Montreal Smoked Meat Brisket, and it tasted like pastrami. It was good, very little fat, not too tender. The cheese curds were broken up into its natural size, without needing to clump and were slightly heated. The brown gravy was not too thick and had the right seasoning. The fries were decent, thick cut and deep fried. This allowed each bite to have the right mix of warm cheese, gravy, and french fries. Of course, the fries got soggy so the best bites are the ones immediately after being made.
We also got a Regular Poutine ($11) to go, and my daughter reported later that night, it was a great meal, even reheated.
Did I mention that the brown gravy here is advertised to be vegetarian? Not sure how they do that, but wish we could use the same recipe for other brown gravy needs like Loco Moco and pot roast.
Both white and malt vinegar were available, and as expected, it went well with the fries and meat. The dishes are very shareable, so makes sense to get bigger sizes to get better value,
Was thinking if the combo of meat, cheese, and gravy would work on a baked potato...but I don't think it would be the same. Somehow the deep fried potatoes, even though losing its crunch, still adds that 'je ne sais quoi' that makes it a unique dish.
La Belle excludes an establishment that has gotten its routine down pat, knowing it has the right product, at the right price, for both locals and tourists.