LUNCH AT GY, for Ottawa Magazine, January 2012

How lovely to come across a little filet of truite Arc-en-Ciel, as they call Rainbow trout up here at Gy (pronounced Jee) with a real live beurre blanc pooling beneath. And just to guild the lily, crowning the fish, a sunny salsa of mango and papaya.  A loose-textured, wine soaked, buttery and creamy polenta was the really good starch on the plate, and next to the juicy fish and creamy cornmeal, a mound of greens.

I’m not going to complain about any of it, except perhaps to suggest the salad might be reviewed in favour of something like green beans. Nothing wrong with the mound, except the hot butter sauce ran into the cold salad and I’m not a fan of a delicate sauce and a sharp vinaigrette on the same plate. But for $12.95, this was a steal of a dish, particularly because of the starter it was packaged with: a zucchini salad that looked as though it might be pretty drab – tangled ribbons of raw green zucchini on a white plate suggest underpowered flavours. Not one bit! Snips of sundried tomato boosted the smack big time as did a sparkling lemon confit dressing cut with a bit of mayonnaise and a rough chop of fuzzy oregano.

If you don’t know this little French eatery on this shoulder to shoulder restaurant heavy stretch of rue Laval in downtown Gatineau, you may find yourself looking around a bit for Gy (short for Gyno, as in chef/owner Gyno Lefrancois, originally from le Gaspésie). Here’s a hint: look up. The signage for this second storey French restaurant isn’t great. But it is. And lunch here is a bargain.