Gastronomic experience and adventure…

Boy, last night I had a sensational gastronomic experience at Les Fougeres…a remarkable restaurant located in Chelsea, a small community within L’Outaouais, Quebec. The setting is reminiscent of a small French countryside inn, with some of the most artistically creative dishes I’ve had the pleasure of consuming. Prior to my first dish being served, I had to go walk the lush, colorful and vibrant gardens behind the restaurant. Everything about my meal emanated passion, creativity and excellence. I will be doing a complete write-up of my experience soon.

After a lovely night’s rest and breakfast at Auberge Old Chelsea B&B, I was off for an adventurous day of activities. My morning started with an adrenaline rush at Camp Fortune, where I traversed a variety of obstacles high above the ground, often swinging or zip-lining from tree to tree. This was a ton of fun, but proved even more challenging doing it with one hand, as my other was occupied holding a camera. Footage to come. 🙂

After working up an appetite, I headed to a lovely café for lunch. Café Soup’Herbe’s serves up some amazing vegetarian fare, including brie, pear and walnut quesadialls; spinach and strawberry salad, to a triangle shaped pocked of filo dough wrapped with yams, potatoes and other veggie goodness. I even went so far as to have dessert…a triple berry crisp of sorts, but rather than using flour, they used some sort of granola for the toping. Everything was fantastic, made more so by the fact that it was a perfect afternoon to be dining on the patio deck.

I then headed north to the outskirts of L’Outaouais region, for what would be an out-of-the-ordinary experience for me. I made my way to La Pêche to visit Éco-Odyssée, a marsh maze in which folks navigate the waterways in search of clues that will return them to the starting point. You can choose a paddle boat or canoe to do your excursion, which is very educational and interactive. I will be writing an entire post on this experience because I found it to be unlike anything I’ve ever done before, so stay tuned. In the meantime, visit Éco-Odyssée for more info.

After my eco adventure, I drove back south to the town of Gatineau, where I’m now staying at the Crowne Plaza, which is within walking distance to a stone bridge that goes over a canal and takes you into a lovely park. There are many nearby restaurants, and even a public transit bike station. The best part however, are my accommodations…very spacious and modern with a tremendous view of the Ottawa River and capital city.