SOIF SERVES UP EXCELLENCE
Gatineau wine bar doesn’t disappoint
Months ago, when the region was in the grip of a polar vortex, I first visited Soif, the much-buzzedabout wine bar in Gatineau’s Hull sector owned by the celebrated sommelier Véronique Rivest. I was there three or four minutes before I was politely turned away.
It was my fault, for having come to the Quebec bar with a child, whose presence there was legally prohibited. Oops.
Fortunately, things have gone much better on two more visits made about a month apart this summer.
The delay even worked in my favour. Not only was I able to enjoy Soif’s charming backyard patio, but I tucked into the cooking of chef Jamie Stunt, who in the spring had been hired by Rivest. This pairing of sommelierowner and chef brings two awardwinners together. Rivest has twice won Canada’s Best Sommelier in recent years. In 2013, she came second in the World’s Best Sommelier battle in Tokyo.
That year, Stunt, then running the kitchen at Oz Kafe on Elgin Street, came second at the Canadian Culinary Championships.
With people of this calibre involved, Soif, which means thirst in French, raises pretty high hopes. I’ve scarcely been disappointed.
A big factor: the training and professionalism that have been passed on to the uniformly excellent servers.
They’ve been personable, confident and very astute, describing the bar’s easygoing format and ensuring that plates arrive at the right tempo and in the right order. Some small plates restaurants muck up these aspects.
Soif’s servers have also explained and curated Rivest’s savvy, varied, Eurocentric wine list as needed, so that I and the oenophiles around me have had some fine discoveries. Indeed, sampling wine widely here is encouraged thanks to Soif’s many flight-friendly two-ounce pours.
I haven’t seen Rivest working the room during my visits, but as noted on Soif’s website, she gives wine-tasting workshops, in French or English, at her bar.
Meanwhile, Stunt’s kitchen has delivered smile-inducing small plates that stress clean flavours, freshness, quality ingredients and reasonable prices. There are flashier, more ambitious and more expensive small plates in the Ottawa area, but Stunt’s, I think, go easier on the razzledazzle to ensure that wines have pride of place.
That’s not to say that dishes here aren’t impressive. Minimalism works for Stunt, especially when he focuses on vegetables. In June, there was an impressive platter of just-grilled asparagus accentuated with peas, slivers of radish, ribbons of carrots and a tiny skillet of mushrooms topped with house-made ricotta.
Last month, there was a simple salad of impeccable, well-dressed raw zucchini, with feta and tempura bits providing contrast, and a bowl of savoury and occasionally spicy shishito peppers, oiled, grilled and salted.
We’ve also enjoyed Stunt’s preserved fish, including a serving of mellow smoked trout adorned with fried capers on grilled bread, and oily, funky helpings of poached mackerel “conserva” that benefited from the crunch of house-made chips and deep-fried basil. More recently, we had crisp fried smelts that were terrifically perked by a small but elevated salad of fresh parsley.
Among Stunt’s heavier items, we ate and thought highly of the well-sauced hanger steak, whose fries were nicely seasoned, if a bit squishy. Pieces of pork cutlet, again well-sauced, came with pickled cherries for a pick-me-up.
An adventurous choice was boudin noir (blood sausage), its uncompromising earthiness offset by sweet blueberries and sunchoke purée. It was served in a small slab, rather than in slices, with a pleasing crisp exterior and lean interior.
Bison tartare could have used a bit more adventure in terms of seasoning and acid.
We skipped Soif’s charcuterie plate, having been told that little of it had been made in house.
During my two visits, dessert was always a choice between two dressed-up classics — a deconstructed strawberry shortcake, garnished with bits of dehydrated strawberry and rhubarb, and a near-molten brownie with coffee-flavoured whipped cream. The berry dessert had a bit more going for it.
Given that dining al fresco was a must when I’ve been to Soif, I know its interior ambience simply by the photo on its website, which shows a sleek room with blond wood tables and chairs. I’ve passed by a second room with communal tables and stools that resemble corks.
These rooms were empty when I visited, but come this fall, I expect they’ll be much busier, ban on minors notwithstanding.
Soif Wine Bar 88 Montcalm St. Gatineau (Hull sector) 819-600-7643 soifbaravin.ca Open: Monday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 4 to 11 p.m., Sunday, 4 to 10 p.m. Prices: small plates $2.50 to $16 Access: fully accessible Note: indoors, patrons must be 18 or older; on the patio, when it is open, minors are allowed, but only until 8 p.m.