Eat Drink and Shop Quebec City in 24hrs

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Whenever I visit Quebec City there’s one spot that I never miss and that is Château Frontenac, whether I’m staying there or not. Last month, I was invited to La Capitale to experience the brand new Grand Marché de Québec which had just opened. Aside from the new market being an absolute must, here are four things to do the next time you have 24 hours in Quebec’s capital.

EAT

Then new Grand Market houses 30 permanent vendors and 80 seasonal stands. In a vast, Scandinavian-inspired complex, you can wander around sampling fruits, veggies, pastries, charcuteries and craft beer. A real one-stop shop, you can spend a couple of hours eating and drinking your way through the market and take home some choice terroir products. I have a weakness for the mini saucissons-sec from one of the local butchers.

We had an exceptional meal at the Château’s fine dining restaurant, Le Champlain where Chef Stéphane Modat (recently awarded Quebec’s top chef for 2019) prepared us a 4-course gourmet meal. A real treat for fans of gourmet food and game meat.

Drink

I always make a detour to Bar 1608 at the Château for their inspired cocktails and lucky me, on this trip they were launching their new bar concept with four new creations and an ultra-unique presentation.

Stay

The ultimate stay is at the Château where the best views of Old Quebec and the Saint Lawrence River are found. Not to mention the incredible breakfast buffet at Place Dufferin restaurant – I could eat breakfast here every day, but the maple cream crêpes might be the death of me.

Play

L’Île d’Orléans is a wonderful place to visit. A short drive across the Île d’Orléans bridge and you are in vineyard and orchard country, yet still in Quebec City. We had a lovely light lunch at local café Maison Smith – where we also drank some of the best in-house roasted coffee in the city. A short walk from the café is the Saint Pierre vineyard where we tried the various wines produced there while sitting on their patio and admiring the vineyard.