Urban Crave

Matt

5.0

Well, it's been 20 years since I've been in the Montreal airport with time to eat, & this time I landed with a plan to get some proper Montreal food….

I just happened to walk past Urban Crave - & the signs brought me in (instead of having me leave the airport)

PROPER poutine, PROPER Montreal smoked meat - how could I go wrong?
(Spoiler alert - everything was AMAZING - so - skip this review & go there if you are in YUL & just want INCREDIBLE, authentic Montreal poutine & Montreal smoked meat!!)

Having grown up an hour away from Montreal, some of my best childhood memories are eating some of my favourite foods that would be considered Montreal specialties, & having been far away so long - it was SO GOOD to have my one shot at a proper feed be so spot on.

So - the smoked meat sandwich…..
I have to say, when it arrived, I was a little skeptical - it wasn't the ridiculous piled to the sky smoked meat I was expecting….. & lightly toasted rye bread? Come on right?

Well, first off - they absolutely NAILED IT. I definitely underestimated the amount of flavour that would be packed in this sandwich.
Just the right balance of bread & meat, & bits of the smoked meat were slapped on the grill, the edges were just crispy, really bringing out the flavour & the lightly toasted rye bread absolutely elevated the whole thing.
Really did not expect this to be as good as it was when it landed in front of me…..

The poutine - sultry, glossy gravy drizzled over pillowy local cheese curds that are nestled in with crispy artisanal fries - oh man.
With three main ingredients, it's the subtle things that make a poutine great!
The curds & fries were the perfect texture, with the right elements coming through (a little flavour from the crispy ends of the fries, a little hint of black pepper, the smoothness of the flavour of the curds offsetting the saltiness & richness of the gravy….)

It was so good, I ordered a second one (seriously!)

Everything was just the right temperature too - the poutine was piping hot - but not too hot that I couldn't dig into it right away or the curds got all soggy right away, perfect temp! & the sandwich was hot inside, but retained the crispness & chewiness in the rye - again, perfect.

& the service! The service was simply fantastic!
Chantal was a machine - despite being busy that day, she took such good care of me - making sure I got my food right away, making recommendations when I asked - & even chatting with me a little bit in between - it was absolutely awesome service (thanks Chantal!!)

All in all, a truly great experience here at Urban Crave, & I strongly recommend it (I'm sure the rest of the menu is good too…..I'll just never know, because if I find my way back here, it will be just poutines & smoked meat for me!

Jonah

3.0

Service was great, even though they had a very small staff. The food was definitely over-priced. & the curds don't squeak 🥲