Eh, I've never visited our neighbor to the north, so I can't hate. Luckily for me, a close buddy (aka "The Professor) decided to relocate up to Montreal and recently shared a hidden gem that is available in Labatt's Land.
Poutine Flavored Ruffles
In case you're not familiar, Poutine is a dish that is served in many flavors and styles. The most common Poutine is similar to what we know here in the states as "disco fries". The makeup of the dish is a bed of french fries, smothered in a brown gravy (usually beef stock) which serves to melt the heaping amount of cheese curds on top. This last part is usually what turns off most people from the idea of Poutine. For some reason, people hear "cheese curds" and think that there is some nasty process involved. There isn't: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheese_curd Thanks, Internet.
I, on the other hand, am a HUGE fan of cheese curds (as you could probably imagine). I don't recall the first time I had them, but I've always loved 'em and been able to easily to polish off a pile of cheese curds in a hot second. The curds also come in a variety of flavors if you find the right market: horseradish, cheddar, jack, pepper jack, dill, taco, etc. Mmmm... wait, what was I talking about?
When I first tasted the chip, it was rich, flavorful and certainly unique. As some know, I have strong opinions about Ruffles and their basic design, but they do provide a strong foundation for holding hearty flavors. The girth and shear real estate of the chip allows for layering of flavors when trying to tackle something like this. Obviously, tackling a potato based dish when crafting a new flavor is a great starting point, but the flavor designers were really able to focus on capturing the nuances of the peppery gravy, and the meaty base that encompasses the original dish. Apparently they believed they nailed it too, because they had to specify on the outside of the bag that the bag didn't really have Poutine inside.
I suddenly found myself in a quandary because I didn't have a concrete grasp on whether they had really captured the flavor of a traditional Poutine. There was only one thing to do: consult the Internet and find the closest Poutine. Luckily, I live a stones throw away from one of the biggest cities in the world, so tracking down Poutine was easier than expected. I was pleased to find a cosy watering hole that was actually called "Dive Bar" who not only served a traditional Poutine on their menu, but had a bunch of different "styles" of Poutine circulating as specials during the week. I knew I had found the right place.
I, on the other hand, am a HUGE fan of cheese curds (as you could probably imagine). I don't recall the first time I had them, but I've always loved 'em and been able to easily to polish off a pile of cheese curds in a hot second. The curds also come in a variety of flavors if you find the right market: horseradish, cheddar, jack, pepper jack, dill, taco, etc. Mmmm... wait, what was I talking about?
It should be noted that the packaging takes the time to remind you that these are actually GOOD for you if you think about it:
Oh yeah... poo-poo, Poutine.
I had only heard of Poutine, and (as most loyal readers would know, hahaha) I just hopped off the Lay's "Do Us A Flavor" train. I kept thinking to myself, "am I capable of doing another side by side?" Nevertheless, I relied on the idea that I understood enough about how Poutine and its relation to my old, Jersey-based friend, the disco fry. Off we went.
When I first tasted the chip, it was rich, flavorful and certainly unique. As some know, I have strong opinions about Ruffles and their basic design, but they do provide a strong foundation for holding hearty flavors. The girth and shear real estate of the chip allows for layering of flavors when trying to tackle something like this. Obviously, tackling a potato based dish when crafting a new flavor is a great starting point, but the flavor designers were really able to focus on capturing the nuances of the peppery gravy, and the meaty base that encompasses the original dish. Apparently they believed they nailed it too, because they had to specify on the outside of the bag that the bag didn't really have Poutine inside.
I suddenly found myself in a quandary because I didn't have a concrete grasp on whether they had really captured the flavor of a traditional Poutine. There was only one thing to do: consult the Internet and find the closest Poutine. Luckily, I live a stones throw away from one of the biggest cities in the world, so tracking down Poutine was easier than expected. I was pleased to find a cosy watering hole that was actually called "Dive Bar" who not only served a traditional Poutine on their menu, but had a bunch of different "styles" of Poutine circulating as specials during the week. I knew I had found the right place.
This food did NOT disappoint. It's the same as disco fries, but different. The fries are MUCH more saturated in a thick and flavorful gravy, and the cheese is thick and delicious. Where disco fries use mozzarella to have a stringy, melted consistency a Poutine has those thicker curds that don't melt all the way through and still have a thick, cheesy bite. You dig your way through a hearty, rich pile of soft potato, half melted cheese, and meaty, smokey gravy. Like any red-blooded American, I even put a dollop (or a smakeral as my son would call it) of ketchup for the last quarter of the dish, just so that I could mix a nice tomato flavor into the gravy soaked leftovers at the bottom of the dish. Yum.
I was able to affirm that Ruffles had done the Poutine justice. Sure, they're a bit salty, but that's to be expected when you add that kind of "beef stock" flavor to a salt ridden chip vessel. Of course, if I ever find my way to the mighty north, I'll be sure to try some authentic Poutine, and I wish that this review could encourage the ever enthusiastic readers of Faturated Sats to run out to their local snack purveyor and grab a bag. Unfortunately, this is a delicacy that only the hockey playing hosers up in Canada can get their hands on. Take a trip, folks. Canada's calling: POOOOOOTEEEEEEENN!!!
