Poutine in London

4 April, 2017

Tuesday we headed to Covent Garden for some shopping, people watching, beer, and lunch. I've been following The Poutinerie for quite a while, based on positive reports from friends who have visited them several times while in London for business. They are a mobile operation, setting up at markets on a rotating basis, so you have to watch their FaceBook page or Twitter feed to know where to find them from week to week. My last trip to London I tried to connect with them but couldn't manage to get everything lined up.

This trip I planned more effectively.

 This is Paul, aka "Paul the Poutine Guy." (At least that's what I call him, as it's descriptive and a bit poetic. Hopefully he doesn't find it offensive, should he ever read my blog.)

While Paul is Canadian, he's not from Quebec, he's from Toronto, but he knows how to turn out some incredible poutine. Never had poutine you say? Think cheese fries, but the cheese is in the form of soft-ish curds instead of being a melted and runny sauce. Then add gravy, which is warm, and helps make the cheese curds a bit melty along with the warm fries (which are proper English 'chips' - not skinny fries that are usually served in the states.)


The menu is uncluttered:

• Poutine (available with vegetarian gravy if you like) 
• Poutine with rib meat (from the Rib Man - another London legend)
• Spiced Chips

If you like things spicy Paul also has some hot sauce he can add to your order as a dressing. The photo at right is my regular-sized order, with rib meat, and a generous dab (but not a full douse) of spicy sauce.  Whatever you do, bring your appetite. The portions are generous and so incredibly delicious that it is unlikely you'll be able to stop before you scrape the bottom of the container. The only way you could possibly improve this magical creation is to have a nice pint with it. Next time around I'm going to see if I can make that happen!

If you've been to Covent Garden you know how much time you can spend browsing stalls and shops when you're not occupied watching the street performers. Being new owners of iPhone 7's we found ourselves in need of headphone adapters, having left ours at home, so we visited the Apple Store for an impromptu purchase. Afterwards my wife wanted to peruse the stalls, so I chose a quiet spot to wait for her instead of adding to the bustling crowd.

As I stood, quietly catching up on the events of the day on my phone, I was approached by three university students from Belgium who were conducting a survey on the BREXIT situation. Given that they didn't realize I was an American until I started talking it made for an interesting exchange. BREXIT flowed to the Presidential election and the similarities between the two issues, both perceived and real, and it was a nice chat among people from four different countries. In other words, it was a typical London experience.

After a bit of shopping we headed towards Strand, stopping off at the Whisky Exchange to pick up a bottle for a friend (and a couple of rare gins for me) before heading around the corner to another favorite spot for dinner. 

Tapas at The Port House always hits the spot for us, and their selection of Spanish and Portuguese wines offer an opportunity to expand our exposure to different varietals and winemaking styles. After several visits we've never been disappointed with any of our food or beverage selections. It's a fantastic place to go with a group as the tapas format lends itself well to sharing and conversation.

Make sure to check out the port and madeira flights they offer, as this is another excellent way to expand your knowledge. Generally speaking flights also provide an opportunity to enjoy something that might be a bit more expensive than what you would normally order.