After a fun but wintry toboggan ride, we were ready for something warm to line our stomachs!  We had passed by Le Chic Shack (15 Fort St, Quebec City) the other day, which had a long line-up of customers.  We were curious about this restaurant and after Googling it, found out that they were a burgers and poutine joint.  We were ready for a quick casual meal so walked three minutes from the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac to reach Le Chic Shack.

We queued outside in the line at Le Chic Shack where there were about five other people ahead of us.  Luckily, about a minute after we joined the queue, the man in front of us informed us that there was a waiting list inside the restaurant.  Ken went inside and got us a name on the list.

After a 15-minute wait, we were called in.  The wait was actually less than we expected.  It seems from our dining experience in Quebec that there tended to be more bigger parties as opposed to couples.  I think this was the reason why we got our table so quickly.

I was so excited to try the food here!  We were also seated right next to the kitchen which meant we could view the chefs at work.  We love kitchen-viewing seats!

Our server was friendly and prompt with our orders.  We ordered two burgers, a poutine, a salad, and a milkshake.

The Le Robuste burger had a venison patty, maple whiskey deglazed mushrooms, Ciel de Charlevoix cheese, arugula, house pickles, tomato, gentleman’s steak sauce, and black garlic mayonnaise for $14.  This was a good-looking burger and I liked it overall.  I did find that the venison patty was a bit dry though.  The saucy mushrooms, steak sauce, and black garlic mayonnaise did moisten up the burger overall which was the saving grace.

The Le Jardin (vegan burger with pumpkin seeds) contained a housemade vegan patty, mesclun, pickled beets and onions, tomatoes, and chic sauce for $13.  The vegan patty reminded me of a falafel and overall it was a clean-tasting and satisfying burger.

The star of the show for me was the “2.0 Poutine”, the La Forestière poutine which consisted of wild mushroom ragout, aged cheddar, cheese curds, shallots, and fresh herbs for $13.  All of their poutines are made with crispy hand-smashed potatoes, housemade sauces, and local cheeses.  The cheese curds were AMAZING!  There’s nothing like Quebec cheese curds anywhere else that I’ve tried and this poutine was simply the best.

The way this poutine was put together was also a little different than other poutines that I’ve had in the past.  All of the sauce was in the bottom of the bowl.  I liked that this meant there was an abundance of sauce, and I could dip the potatoes and cheese curds into the bottom of the bowl for the ultimate forkful of salty cheesy goodness.  The thinly sliced mushrooms were such a good complement as well.  I loved this dish.

We ordered the regular-sized La Verte salad which had mesclun lettuce, pickled onions, brioche croutons, shaved Parmesan, and lemon dressing for $6.  This was a hefty portion of a salad.  The lemon dressing was delicious, and the brioche croutons were so airy that they practically melted in my mouth.

I rarely order milkshakes but felt the need for one in this traditional burger joint.  Plus, I needed all the calories I could get to recover from the wintry temperatures outside haha.  The French Vanilla Salted Maple Caramel milkshake for $6.50 is blended to order with La Laiterie de Coaticook’s old fashioned ice cream.  There was some whipped cream at the top of the milkshake in a mug.  I really liked that they used a paper straw instead of the plastic ones (good job on helping to reduce the earth’s plastic waste one straw at a time!).  The milkshake tasted like vanilla all the way through.  I couldn’t taste much of the salted maple part.  Either way, I still really enjoyed this cold dessert drink.

There was a constant queue of patrons from the time we arrived (obviously) until the time we left, which was around 3:40 p.m. and an almost fitting time for an early dinner.  I really enjoyed the food and visit here.  I’m glad that we were able to try this popular restaurant!  If I were to visit again, I’d like to try their homemade chips.

They also have an $8 burger on the menu and it seems like a lot of people were ordering that.  It’s a good deal for a gourmet burger in an authentic Quebecois restaurant.  No wonder Le Chic Shack is so popular and had lines out the door.