Even Alan Richman has good words for this place so I consider this a must-try restaurant in Montreal. Our friends here told us how heavenly it is but also warned us it could be overly rich. We however, went against the advice and ordered a whole table of entrees with great ambition to conquer them all.
We started with the cod fish fritters to share. It somehow tasted like Chinese fish paste deep fried. The cod fish is grounded up with seasoning so it is nothing like a fish n chip if that is what you were thinking. It is crispy and tasty.
Then we proceeded with PCD Crispy salad and it comes with a few lettuce but is laden with fried cartilage and crispy pork meat. The flavor and most importantly, fat makes the dish undeniable and delicious. We swept the whole dish within minutes. We also got an order of Bison Tongue and that is definitely the most delicious tongue I have ever encountered. I know tongue sounds frightening but in reality it is so tender and it soaked up all the sauces. We declared it a must try here.
Here, we arrived at the most important moment of our meal at PCD. We patiently awaited the duck in a can. Then, the waiter brought us the famous can with cooked duck, gravy and fois gras over bed of bread and cheese. We watched him open the can and pour the wonder over the plate and we were astonished in awe. It was truly a magic plate. The duck breast was so tender and flavorful. The bread was soaked in the gravy within seconds and cheese melted to add more flavor. I had one piece and then another.
Then, the 2nd entree arrived, the glorious "Pied De Cochon", aka pig knuckles or pig feet so to speak. Chinese love pig knuckles so I was excited to see how they prepare this dish. To my surprise, when the dish arrived I could not even see them. They were buried deeply underneath tons of cheese gravy sauce. The best part about pig knuckle is actually the skin and they cooked it right alright. It was chewy and tender at the same time. The meat is so tender and about to fall aprt. The sauce makes the dish so rich and delicious I think I reached my cholestrol capacity after two bites.
I started to regret there is another entree coming. My stomach is already protesting. So we still have the blood sausage boutin tart left. I know we won't even be able to finish them all. Then the dish arrived with pikes of cut blood sausage with again gravy on top of a buttery crust. I managed to try a small slice and declared I am done for the night. It was very good but I was not a big fan of blood sausage. But everyone really enjoyed the dish as well.
I think for 4 people, 2 entrees will be plenty to share along with the appetizers. I will not be able to return for a long while so my stomach could get detox.