There’s a new fast food eatery in town! Their name is Smoke’s Poutinerie and poutines are the only thing you will find there. The poutine lovers (me, crazyDiva, and tooVee) drove all the way downtown to check it out. We had high expectations for their poutine since it was the only dish they specialized in. After spending 10 minutes hunting down a parking spot, we hopped out of the car with big smiles on our faces, excited for the worst combination of grease you can ask for.

Strategically placed in the heart of the entertainment district (218 Adeladie Street W.), they are open until 4:00 am for drunks to get fat on after their night of clubbing.

As expected, their menu consist of different types of poutine, ranging from your traditional version to flavors like butter chicken. I had my eyes on the butter chicken but it was missing from the menu so I went with my second choice, the Bacon Poutine:

The order came in a brown cardboard box. I like to pick apart my poutine and went straight for the fries first. After chowing down a few pieces, I found them a little disappointing. They were similar to New York fries but the potato flavor wasn’t as intense. It was also a little too soggy for my taste. I like my fries with a nice crunch to contrast the softness of the melted cheese. For the cheese, they properly used cheese curds and not the usual shredded version. The cheese had a rubbery texture and did not properly melt since the gravy was not hot enough. The taste of the gravy was perfect since it had a lighter flavor. Unfortunately, crazyDiva’s didn’t agree as she complained it wasn’t dark and salty enough. The bacon was very good. It wasn’t greasy and it had the perfect crunch.

crazyDiva went old school and ordered the traditional poutine:

Her fries tasted better as they had more crunch and flavor. I prefer this dish over the bacon version since the saltiness of the bacon was too overpowering. Now you ask: “why did you order the bacon poutine if you complain about the bacon flavor?”. I guess I like my bacon in small portions…

tooVee went all fancy and ordered the Italian poutine:

This version was the best out of the 3. The meat sauce was very well made. It had a nice meaty flavor and the tomato sauce was not too acidic. The sausages tasted like the ones in your average hot dog, but it complemented well with the rest of the flavors. They had a wide selection of side sauces to choose from. tooVee had to make the poutine his own by adding some Chinese hot sauce (as you can see in the lower right corner).

Their poutine ranged from $6 to $10. I ordered a bottle of spring water along with my bacon poutine and the meal came to $10 (after tax). The price is moderate since their portions are large enough for a single meal.

Now for the verdict: I thought Smoke’s Poutinerie was very average. With the exception of the variety of toppings, their poutines are similar to what you can find at other fast food joints. I walked out disappointed since I was expecting their poutine to be much better than average. Don’t get me wrong, their poutine is not bad, it just won’t surprise you. I wouldn’t purposely go out of my way for them, but Smoke’s Poutinerie is a place I would visit if I happen to pass by.

crazyDiva’s PoV:

Ok, let me chime in here. I thought the traditional poutine was not bad overall. Actually, I think the fries are supposed to be soggy since they are soaked in the gravy. According to the Smoke’s website, you are supposed to let the poutine sit for 3min before consuming it (sounds like a cup noodle, haha). I also prefer my fries soggy, so I didn’t have a problem with the fries. I thought the gravy was lacking though. Maybe I am too used to the NY Fries poutine gravy which has a much stronger flavour. Since they were the only fast food joint in town that served a decent poutine before Smoke’s, I always went there when I had a craving. I think I would enjoy the poutine much more at 3am after a night of clubbing and when the alcohol has kicked in and made me all hungry. This will be a good replacement for that Train pho place which gets overly crowded sometimes.

crazyPyxo’s Rating:

6.5/10

crazyDiva’s Rating:

7.0/10