Even though the Poutine Cup has been enjoyed by many over the past couple of years, it was our first visit. We arrived at Fort Gilbraltar later than we had anticipated and it had started cooling off, so D in his shirt sleeves was a wee bit chilly. We made a quick lap around to visit as many vendors as we could and then took some time to warm up in the fort itself. The room holds a special spot for us as our daughter’s wedding reception was in the cozy room.

But to the food…

We were impressed by the addition of cucumbers and carrots to the Promenade’s duck poutine. The veggies layered Vietnamese tastes onto rich French ones.

Chew topped their poutine with fermented pepper sauced chicken and then fennel/celery slaw and seaweed. The tastes were so exotic.

I am crazy for figs so we included The Grove Pub & Restaurant on our rounds. Besides fig jam, braised lamb shank, pickled cauliflower, crispy quinoa and cashew cream topped their poutine.

Loving bold Mexican flavours, we appreciated Underdogs’ chorizo gravy, grilled mango salsa tequila lime guacamole and crispy black beans. It was the sparkling cilantro that made their entry most surprizing. I understood that Underdogs took top prize.

In our humble opinion One Great City was the winner with Chicken yakitori (skewered chicken), togarashi (chili pepper), wasabi aioli, green onions, tobiko (similar to caviar) & nori (seaweed). You would think that the creator was a Japanese Chef-an indication of his varied skill.

Mark your calendars now for the 2018 Poutine Cup. It is one of Winnipeg’s culinary events that should not be missed.

Kath’s quote: “When I am in Canada, I feel that this is what the world should be like”.-Jane Fonda

Love never fails.

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