Rustiek
51 Rue St-Jacques, Gatineau (Hull sector), 819-525-3343, rustiek.ca
Open: Tuesday and Wednesday 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 10 p.m.; Thursday and Friday 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 11 p.m.; Saturday 5 to 11 p.m.
Prices: Mains under $30
Access: Steps to dining room, washrooms downstairs
These days, only a contrarian chef puts such vintage dishes as vichyssoise and apple pie on his menu.
But that’s how Christopher Mulder, in charge of the kitchen at Rustiek, rolls. And thankfully so.
At his two-and-a-half-month-old restaurant in Gatineau’s Hull sector, Mulder’s classic cold soup of potato and leek, perked by Dutch mustard, a scattering of crisp shallots and a dollop of quark, was an outstanding meal-starter. Just as great was a thick slice of warm, perfectly crusted apple pie that sat on a puddle of salted caramel and was adorned with blueberries. And between soup and pie, there were more delights.
Dutch Mustard Vichyssoise, with fried shallots, chives and quark cheese at Rustiek
Dutch apple pie, w/ salted caramel and blueberry cloud ice cream. Wayne Cuddington/ Postmedia
Mind you, if you’ve followed the comings and goings of chefs in the Outaouais, you have have high expectations of Mulder, Rustiek’s 34-year-old chef and co-owner. The Gatineau native was the executive chef at Le Tartuffe and Bistro St-Jacques, two well-regarded French restaurants. Until the latter closed in 2013, it was at the same address where Rustiek now stands, and where the restaurant Gy was before it closed in early 2016. About a decade ago, Mulder was in the kitchen of Café Henry Burger, where he rose to become its sous-chef.
Rustiek pitches itself a little differently than do those other, late and lamented restaurants on Mulder’s résumé. A self-described “gastro-tavern,” Rustiek serves items that are a little more amply portioned and comforting, although their plating and complexities still reflect Mulder’s experience and proficiencies. With its name and some of its dishes, Rustiek nods to Mulder’s Dutch and German roots — hence the presence of marinated fish as a bar snack and schnitzel as a main course.
Tavern-wise, Rustiek offers a diverse and impressive list of draft and bottled craft beers, for the most part brewed in Quebec. The restaurant is similarly local in its choice of produce, drawing on meats from West Quebec and Eastern Ontario farms.
Over my two recent visits, each of five starters was between quite good and stunning. As we were with the vichyssoise, we were wowed by two of Mulder’s charcuterie creations that got the savoury-sweet balance just right — a glass jar filled with silky chicken liver mousse, duck rillette and Armagnac-spiked stewed prunes, plus a thick slice of pastry-wrapped game pâté with foie gras at its core, offset by a rhubarb marmalade.
Verrine of chicken liver mousse and duck rillette at Rustiek
Game pâté in pastry at Rustiek
Another appetizer devoured to the last speck was a serving of risotto studded with borlotti beans and asparagus and made with a quality broth. A pairing of succulent but meaty pork belly and blood sausage was predominantly sweet and earthy.
Borlotti bean risotto at Rustiek
pork belly and boudin noir with salad and maple syrup at Rustiek
Among the mains, poultry picks shone. A chicken breast from Gatineau’s Ferme Aux Saveurs des Monts, paired with roasted fennel and marinated eggplant, satisfied deeply with crisp, spice-crusted skin and moist flavourful meat. Lightly smoked Mariposa Farms duck breast impressed too, and the plate benefitted from a thoughtful combination of sweet, bitter and crunchy sides — turnip purée, Swiss chard, carrots, pecans and cherry chutney.
Chicken breast main course at Rustiek
Smoked duck breast main course at Rustiek
Wiener schnitzel was nicely crisped but just a little bland on its own. Fortunately, its many sides, including a half-sausage made with sweetbreads, a relish made with apples and jalapeños, and a sweet potato purée — were zippy and elevated enough to amply compensate.
Weiner schnitzel at Rustiek
The bowl of fresh pappardelle was another wining composition, generously combining clams in the shell, heritage cherry tomatoes, lardons, oyster mushrooms and grated cured egg yolk.
Clam pasta with, lardons, cherry tomatoes, grated cured egg yolk at Rustiek
A fillet of rainbow trout from Cedar Creek Trout Farm in Shawville was tasty and crisp-skinned. Meanwhile, the flavours beyond the fish on the plate were abundant, thanks to a smear of hops-infused mayo lentils, caraway-flecked lentils, and a topping of shaved asparagus and radish.
Trout with lentils at Rustiek
Only two plates were slight letdowns. A Ferme Takwânaw bison sirloin steak — at $29, the most expensive main — was under-seasoned and less special. A special that paired a pork chop with plump, skewered shrimps had everything going for it except for a too dry chop.
Bison sirloin at Rustiek
Pork chop and shrimp special at Rustiek
Delicious desserts banished our gripes. Chief among them was that apple pie, but slabs of cappuccino brownie and maple pecan pie were close seconds.
Cappuccino brownie at Rustiek
Maple pecan tart at Rustiek
When I visited Rustiek this summer, I rushed through its dining room, which had been freshened up slightly from its Gy days, to eat on its pleasant backyard terrace. Indeed, indoors, Rustiek was deserted. But given Mulder’s appealing dishes, his dining room deserves to be nicely filled once fall arrives.
phum@postmedia.com
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