Travel log

The gallery is still very young. It has character. It's filled with colourful, diverse works: paintings, sculptures, bas-reliefs, small furniture, and other mixed-media products. It occupies what locals remember as a long-time motel, on rue Richelieu, behind the Musée de Charlevoix. The address is 500. It was even gallerist Guylaine Fournier's father who built it. Not much of it remains, apart from the exterior walls and the foundation.

In 2021, Guylaine and her partner and co-owner Pierre Pellerin began transforming a partitioned space they had bought a few years earlier. What's more, the building is right next to her home in La Malbaie's Pointe-au-Pic sector.

Today, she's proud to welcome visitors to her gallery, which dazzles from the moment you step inside. Daylight is everywhere thanks to the many windows all around. Carefully directed lighting brings out the different works.

Guylaine Fournier has over 18 years of experience as a gallerist at her rue Saint-Jean-Baptiste gallery in old Baie-Saint-Paul, of which she is the sole owner. The gallery in La Malbaie, however, is independent of the other since it is run as a co-ownership, though several artists have their works displayed in both.

Interestingly, the Manoir Richelieu de Pointe-au-Pic recently asked to display some sixty works from Galerie 500 in several rooms and common areas of the hotel. This, of course, provides good visibility, as well as recognition of the quality of the product.

Guylaine Fournier never intended to go into this line of work. At 17, she left her family home in Charlevoix to finish her studies. At 22, she became a hotel owner. Later, an opportunity arose in Baie-Saint-Paul: a painter who ran a studio and was looking for someone to take over invited her to help with customer service. After two months, he offered to transfer everything into her name, and that’s how she became a gallerist.

She and her partner are motivated by several factors when selecting artists, including diversity, difference, contact with the artist, and of course personal favourites, in contemporary, figurative, and surrealist styles. Some artists become friends over time.

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A few projects are driving them at the moment, such as converting the second-floor apartment into a gallery, including an interior staircase for access. Visitors should be able to discover this new section starting in July 2023. They also hope to develop events, such as openings and cultural activities, including on the outdoor terrace they’re setting up for this purpose.

In short, Guylaine Fournier is brimming with enthusiasm about Galerie 500’s future. It’s essentially her clientele that motivates her to push herself.

Galerie d'art 500 Richelieu
galerie500richelieu.com
500, rue Richelieu
La Malbaie, Qc
(418) 665-7768

By Gaëtan Vaudry

Connoisseurs of fine dining in Matane are familiar with Pub La Fabrique and its namesake Artisanal Brewery, located on Saint-Jérôme Avenue. Matane's first artisanal brewery sprung up in the summer of 2010. Owned by the cooperative Le Cabestan, it has been gaining popularity ever since.

At Pub La Fabrique, you can enjoy an excellent pub-style meal featuring fish & chips, burgers, sandwiches, salads, and appetizers, along with sipping on a finely brewed beer made on-site, or one of the 35 whiskies that have built the establishment's reputation. During my meeting with Jean-Pierre Boutin (pictured), a member of the cooperative's board, the La Fabrique team had just unveiled their much-anticipated Holiday menu (discoverable here), to the delight of the place's many patrons. This menu is available every evening from 4 PM until mid-January.

Pub La Fabrique is simply stunning. With a cozy decor spread over two floors, it regularly hosts shows by emerging artists, drawing crowds to Saint-Jérôme Street, and often creating a buzzing atmosphere in the pub.

Supporting Matane's Businesses

La Fabrique - Artisanal Brewery brews around 25 beers, ranging from their classics to seasonal varieties, including oak barrel-aged beers. As Jean-Pierre Boutin explains, the brewery strives to use local products as much as possible, aiming to support businesses in Matane and the surrounding region.

If you're passing through Matane, a stop at the pub and the adjacent La Fabrique Brewery is a must. At the latter, you can sample the establishment's offerings and visit the official shop, which boasts an array of products.

Pub La Fabrique La Fabrique - Artisanal Brewery
360, Saint-Jérôme Avenue 366, Saint-Jérôme Avenue
Matane (Quebec) Matane (Quebec)
418 566-4020 418 566-4020
publafabrique.com publafabrique.com

By Gaëtan Vaudry

Tadoussac is arguably one of the most beautiful summer tourist regions in Quebec. However, this North Shore region is much quieter in winter. Fortunately, thanks to our friends at Chalets-camping Domaine des Dunes, it is possible to have very pleasant moments there, even in the winter season!

Located between the tourist village of Tadoussac and the famous Dunes (two huge marine sand terraces exposed by the last ice melt about 10,000 years ago), the Domaine des Dunes site, nestled in a birch forest, is simply enchanting. It offers both camping and chalet rentals that can accommodate up to six people, as well as the rental of a kamook and even a wooden tipi... nothing less! "We resume service in winter, to the delight of our customers," says co-owner Bernadette Roduit Bender, with a broad smile. "The experiences in kamook and tipi are done in camping styles, that is, with access to a sanitary facility with toilets and showers, washer and dryer, as well as a community room."

Several activities are available even in winter at Domaine des Dunes, including a highly appreciated welcome for snowmobile enthusiasts in the boreal forest, trails for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. In summer, the region abounds with activities, including whale watching cruises, black bear observation, sea kayaking, marine mammal interpretation center, the region's fine dining, and much more.

Bernadette, who is joined by her daughter and son for all aspects of Domaine des Dunes, has worked very hard in recent weeks to welcome you this winter. During my short visit to Tadoussac at the end of November, the family was busy making final adjustments to welcome numerous clients for the beautiful winter season. Moreover, Bernadette and her team invite you to book your chalet, kamook, or wooden tipi for the holiday season before December 10th. They even promise a nice surprise!

Domaine des Dunes (Chalets-camping)
585, Chemin de la Rivière-du-Moulin-à-Baude
Tadoussac
418 235-4843
domainedesdunes.com

The Acadian Coast has more to offer than just beaches and cultural attractions. Its culinary pleasures are quite appealing too. The region of La Sagouine and that of Shédiac, the lobster capital of the world, are examples.

In Bouctouche, the land of La Sagouine, you can expect to find distinctive spots. The Restaurant la Sagouine, next door to the gîte of the same name, right in the heart of the city, is a perfect example. For those looking for a novel gastronomic experience, you can enjoy Acadian dishes or famed seafood here. Tour buses regularly drop off passengers for an afternoon meal. The breakfasts are especially renowned.

The famous Marché des fermiers of Bouctouche welcomes local food lovers every Saturday from May to December.

In the heart of the city centre, on rue Main, the restaurant La Coast was founded in 2012. Its new owner since 2024 continues the tradition of this family restaurant, which quickly became a favourite with both locals and tourists. Seafood in various forms is king here, but they also serve a variety of dishes such as steaks, burgers, chicken, pasta and salads. Up to 16 beers and other beverages are on tap, plus a bottle selection, one of the largest in the region. Breakfasts are renowned and popular.

Inspired by characters from Alice in Wonderland, the playful bistro le Moque-Tortue, in a large house on rue Main, lets you play, escape, and eat, all in one place. With the largest board game collection in the Atlantic region as well as well-designed escape games, it offers a varied menu of good, well-prepared dishes. Seafood takes centre stage. The Sunday brunch alone is worth the trip. There’s music on the terrace every day throughout the summer.

Not far from Moque-Tortue, owners Sébastien and Heater offer Adorable Chocolat. The place offers a range of chocolates made on the premises from simple, natural ingredients, and is also a café serving soups, sandwiches, and desserts. In the mornings, you’ll find fresh brioches and viennoiseries. They now also serve alcoholic cocktails alongside a wide selection of coffees, daily until 6 p.m.

As if that weren’t enough, these same entrepreneurs have acquired the ciné-parc Neptune, back in operation since May 2024, where they will also run the canteen under the name Morse et Marteaux, to continue the "Pays des Merveilles" concept. They also secured the operating contract for the Plage Parlee canteen in Pointe-du-Chêne. Sébastien Després dreamed of a Texan-style meat smoker. He built one and installed it at the drive-in’s canteen. It will be used to smoke chicken and beef over a wood fire, to be served at both canteens and his two restaurants in Shediac.

Note: every July since 1949, Shédiac has welcomed its renowned Festival du homard celebrated across the city with a host of culinary activities. Don't miss the Grande Table on the main street right in the heart of downtown.

Believe it or not, 2024 marked 10 years since the arrival of Microbrasserie Le Malbord in the Gaspésie landscape. Housed in a completely renovated former grocery store by the sea in the heart of Sainte-Anne-des-Monts’ historic district, Le Malbord has become a welcoming gathering spot, bringing this heritage building back to life with a chic, rustic decor featuring creations made from recycled objects.

For language lovers, "malbord" is a folk expression for Haute-Gaspésie, the other Gaspésie that refuses to be forgotten. The Gaspésie is often associated with Baie-des-Chaleurs. Malbord refers to the other side of the Gaspésie. "For us, it's a way of saying it's worth stopping in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts. There are fine products and a fine community of all ages, super involved," says co-owner Félix Labrecque.

 

Sainte-Anne-des-Monts is the largest municipality in Haute-Gaspésie, yet it is also the Québec town that has seen the steepest population decline in recent years. It therefore deserved a little entrepreneurial energy.

In 2012, three people from very different backgrounds, yet all concerned about their future and aware of the buzz then surrounding microbreweries, decided to take the plunge and seize the opportunity before them. After two years of small-scale brewing experiments in the basement of one of their homes, they moved forward with their project by acquiring and renovating the building on 1ére avenue.



They even considered growing hops… but after careful thought and recognizing the lack of potential, the project never materialized.

In the meantime, they had their first self-designed beers brewed at Pit Caribou (Percé) and le Naufrageur (Carleton-sur-Mer), and finally welcomed their first customers in November 2014. A year after opening, Le Malbord celebrated the start of in-house brewing with modern equipment and recipes carefully crafted by the owners.

 

From 2018, Thierry Lafargue, a forestry worker, and Félix Labrecque, an architecture enthusiast, carried on the Malbord adventure on their own.

Le Malbord now offers refined craft beers with recipes inspired by the richness of the terroir. The owners describe their products as "beers to share and discover, beers that assert themselves over time. Good sea or bad, they cling to your palate like crags of rock to the sea. They’ll take you on a journey, letting you discover their flavours as well as the beauties of our corner of the country, with its mountains and endless sky."


The bistro bar serves 11 house-brewed draft beers at all times. Several products, including the white, blonde, red and black beers in 473 ml cans, are sold in grocery stores and shops across Québec. For hearty appetites, the pub-style snack menu offers tasty dishes. There’s also a dedicated shop selling Malbord clothing and accessories, plus beer to go.

 

Once a venue for cultural events and discovery, the emphasis is first and foremost on fun! As a small team, they occasionally host a comedian, a fun quiz or karaoke nights.



Le Malbord is open year-round from Thursday to Sunday. In summer, you can enjoy the front terrace and watch the beautiful sunsets over the Saint-Laurent.

Microbrasserie Le Malbord
lemalbord.com
178, 1ère avenue Ouest
Ste-Anne-des-Monts, Qc G4V 1C9
418 764.0022

Autumn morning light bathes the place. The old building sits proudly under the trees of rue de l’Évêché, just steps from the lively rue Saint-Germain with its many shops.

The restaurant, popular for 30 years, can accommodate up to 120 people across two floors and on the terrace in fine weather. Beyond the splendid ancestral staircase crowned by an impressive chandelier that’s visible right from the entrance, more than a thousand birdhouses, including some of the most original, adorn the building’s various corners, the work of the restaurant’s founder, Alain Bellavance. The new owners have taken over and continue to grow the imposing collection.

  

In fine weather, an outdoor terrace in front of the elegant Victorian house is a genuine, sunlit haven of peace in the heart of downtown Rimouski. It lets guests enjoy the gentle sun while beautiful mature trees provide shade.

Built in 1920 by retired priest Georges Gagnon, the building is distinguished by a distinctive Gothic-inspired front portal that dominates the facade, and by splendid galleries that wrap around three sides of this ancestral home. Its turned-wood posts, supported by volute consoles at the top of the balustrade, are original. As a result, past and present owners have ensured this treasure, now over a century old, is preserved.

It was Julie Lacroix and Alain Bellavance who created this brand-new restaurant concept in June 1995. A few years later, another business group took over, and the great adventure continues, much to the joy of a growing clientele.
Finally, in June 1995, Central Café underwent a major management transformation: the previous owner wanted to retire with no successor in place, so a group of employees and a few other individuals interested in keeping the business going decided to move forward and turn it into a solidarity cooperative. The group received help and advice from an expert to work on this worker cooperative project.

There are 16 people, several of them long-time employees, who have been members of the cooperative for nearly 10 years. general manager Nancy Dubé, one of the project's initiators, explains that the model's success lies in the strong sense of belonging created by this management and operating structure: rather than working for a boss, members work for their own organization and take part in decisions. There is also talk of significant tax benefits.

 Nancy Dubé, general manager

Central Café is a member of the Association des restaurateurs du Québec and Saveurs du Bas-Saint-Laurent, an organization tasked with promoting Bas-Saint-Laurent products. The restaurant prominently features the region's agri-food products in its dishes and prides itself on supporting local artisans, who are a source of pride for the region.

Today, over 27 people run Central Café, which is open year-round, 7 days a week.
Guests particularly appreciate the quality of the menu, which offers a good variety of burgers, pasta, pizzas, smoked meat and cutlets. For sides, you can choose from a bowl of house fries, French onions, Atlantic smoked salmon or house parmesan fondue, some of the kitchen's delights.

 

The kitchen strives to create unique recipes, concocted by the cooks and prepared on site from local ingredients and products. They're also proud of the delicious original desserts made here.

Central Café is well worth a visit for those who appreciate delicious food, a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere, and a stay in a setting rich in history and quality cuisine. Home delivery is available at all times.

Central Café
centralcaferimouski.com
31, rue de l’Évêché Ouest
Rimouski (Qc) G5L 4H4
418 722-4011

In the Monts-Valin, in Saint-David-de-Falardeau, the winter sports resort isn't the only thing that shines far and wide and makes its mark even elsewhere in Québec. There's also a distillery founded in 2016 that produces spirits there, the very first micro-distillery in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region.

Distillerie du Fjord is first and foremost a passion passed down through generations, a project that began with brothers Jean-Philippe and Benoît and their father Serge Bouchard. It reflects the history and experience of five generations of gin lovers.

"When our father brought out our grandfather's old still, we suspected it must be in our blood!" says Jean-Philippe.

The project began with a simple idea: to craft unique spirits that would offer an experience of pleasure and discovery. "We draw all our inspiration from the richness of the environment around us, whether it's the purity of the water flowing from the Monts-Valin, the vastness of the Fjord du Saguenay, or even diving into the heart of the boreal forest," he adds.

For example, the ingredients of their flagship product, KM12 (balsam fir bud, dune pepper, pinewood spikenard, wild raspberry leaf and sweet gale), are hand-picked in the distillery's own environment. An organic juniper berry is added to this flavourful blend, giving km12 gin a beautiful complexity.

The distillery's other products also have their specific qualities:
- The KM12 with northern cucumbers has the same base ingredients as its sibling, enhanced by the pleasant freshness of northern cucumber from the Toundra greenhouses in Saint-Félicien, Lac-Saint-Jean.
- 48 Chemin Price is a gin with characteristics unique in the world, offering the ultimate aromatic experience of the boreal forest. Thanks to the fermentation of regional blueberry must, 48 plants and flowers hand-picked north of the 48th parallel are incorporated into this eau-de-vie, giving this contemporary gin an intense and complex character.
- La Liqueur Lily crème de menthe is a classic digestif reinvented in the style of Distillerie du Fjord. Made from wintergreen and wild mint harvested from the heart of the boreal forest, the liqueur has a natural golden colour that brings out the true character of its blended ingredients.

- La Liqueur Lily thé du Labrador is a unique digestif offering an experience that leaves no one indifferent. Made from Labrador tea, a signature plant of the boreal forest and a prized infusion ingredient, it offers subtle fruit and eucalyptus notes with a hint of bitterness. The blend also includes vanilla-scented balsam poplar buds, wild raspberry leaves, and sumac, creating an experience that is both complex and comforting.
- Finally, a few "ready-to-drink" products round out the selection: Gin fizz aux bleuets, Lilymonade, Cosmo, and Smash, available only in the boutique.

Distillery products are available at the SAQ, with select items also sold online.

Sustainable development: a major issue
The Bouchard family is dedicated to applying sustainable development principles across most aspects of their business, including a building constructed to high energy standards, electric production equipment, responsible harvesting, and waste recovery.

Distillerie du Fjord employs 8 permanent staff, plus 6 casual workers during the plant harvest.
Three mornings a week, reservation-only guided tours feature the distillery's spirits. The tours take visitors on a discovery journey through the production process, the interpretation of boreal forest ingredients, and a tasting.

Distillerie du Fjord is a family-run entrepreneurial adventure driven by passion and quality, with a single goal: to give lovers of these original products a unique experience.
Summer can't come soon enough for the cocktail terrace

In an interview with marketing manager Frédérique Folly, we learn that visitors will be able to enjoy a terrace next to the distillery starting in summer 2023. The retail space is too limited to offer this pleasant service. Cocktails made from the distillery's products can be tasted there.

The website features several cocktail recipes for those looking to experiment and discover new flavours.

Distillerie du Fjord
distilleriedufjord.com
48, chemin de Price
Saint-David-de-Falardeau
Québec G0V 1C0
418 673-1012

By Gaëtan Vaudry

Since 2017, Microbrewery La Mouche has been turning heads with its beers, almost exclusively crafted from Quebecois ingredients, without any additives.

Right off the bat, Kelly Mansbridge, the head of sales and marketing at the young Natashquan microbrewery, shared her insights on a slight slump the Quebec microbrewing industry had been experiencing for several months, as reported by some media in November: "It's certainly not easy," she candidly noted. "With many microbreweries in Quebec and a vast range of products available to enthusiasts, the market is becoming increasingly competitive."

Natashquan's Own Wild Yeast

Gabriel Turner, the artist and craftsman behind the success of La Mouche's beers, originally from Montreal and adopted by Natashquan, founded the microbrewery in 2017. He brewed his very first beer at the Microbrewery St-Pancrace in Baie-Comeau, before moving to Natashquan three years later. "Gabriel loves Natashquan for its wild nature, its unfenced lands, and the social life of a welcoming community," Kelly proudly mentioned. "Passionate about this beautiful region of the North Shore, Gabriel aimed to create jobs in the area. He wanted to produce a beer for the local people." After extensive research and development, Gabriel achieved his goal, brewing beers with Quebec hops and grains, and even cultivating his own wild yeast in Natashquan!

I had the opportunity to taste only one product from Microbrewery La Mouche: Mlle Manon, a gently wheat beer with little bitterness, inspired by German hefeweizens. This beer's effervescence is lively, almost sharp. In its large bottle, one finds a hazy, foamy, and sparkling beer with a fresh and pleasant grainy flavor. Mlle Manon is remarkably refreshing, which is exactly what I look for in a beer!

Mikushkuau: The Microbrewery's New Beer

Microbrewery La Mouche offers more than 16 varieties of beer, from Bomber Jaune to Mickey Finn, including Cosse Boom, Pelletier, Pirate, Muddler, Pompier, Green Butt, and Colibri, to name just a few. Did you know that each beer name refers to a fly used in fly fishing? For instance, the microbrewery recently announced its new beer, Mikushkuau ("The sky is red" in Innu language), inspired by a fishing fly specially created for the company by Audrey Ringuette, founder of the North Shore enterprise Shakutaimu. Ms. Ringuette offers introductory fly fishing courses for everyone.

La Mouche's beers are available at over 150 locations in Quebec, especially in establishments specializing in microbrewery beers (see the list here).

Microbrewery La Mouche
33, Chemin de l'Aéroport
Natashquan (Québec)
418 962-6003
microbrasserielamouche.com

After working for six years at the À marée basse workshop-boutique, photographer and graphic designer Maude Jomphe decided in 2022 to embark on the Maison Papier adventure, at once a boutique, a gallery and an event space. Her motivation: to help visitors discover Madelinot artists while making their art more accessible and affordable.

Passionate about design, the arts, and the Iles de la Madeleine, her host land for over 15 years, she wants local artists' talent to shine. "I want to give them even greater visibility, so that a wider audience can discover the artists, form a meaningful connection with their approach, and surround themselves with pieces that inspire and beautify everyday life," she explains, as Maison Papier celebrated its third anniversary last June.

 

Seeing all the works that adorn the walls and shelves of this bright space on the ground floor of the PetIt hôtel de la montagne, on the heights of Bassin, on l'île du Havre-Aubert, her call has been heard. This mother of twins, who found herself without work and without a clear project in February 2022, followed her inspiration when visiting this empty space: she fell in love with it and set out to create her business with the support and encouragement of the owners of the place, Vincent and Jan-Nicolas.

The M A I S O N P A P I E R gallery-boutique features, among other things, work by visual artists from the Îles de la Madeleine in the form of reproductions printed on paper. Each selected piece is photographed, retouched, and then printed with pigment inks on smooth matte paper, resulting in faithful, vibrant colour reproduction and a fine rendering of the details and subtleties of the original work. There are also frames and selected objects made by island artisans. You can also sit down to enjoy a coffee by the large window at the back of the space or on the rear terrace with its uninterrupted view of the barachois.

 

Interesting and original: among the stages that make up Maison Papier's structure, one proves particularly valuable. A visit to the artist's studio is offered, that sacred, intimate den filled with creative energy.

Also worth mentioning is the shared idea of Maude Jomphe and the owners, who are preparing an ambitious project for 2026 to convert part of the basement into an art gallery and multi-functional space, creating an original cultural hub. They hope to host exhibiting artists, business meetings and events, launches, press conferences, and corporate 5 à 7s, making it a popular and sought-after gathering place.

Check Maison Papier's hours, open year-round, on its Facebook page. A visit worth the "small detour" to this out-of-the-way spot off the main tourist route of the Îles, but it wins hearts and captivates the eyes.

Maison Papier
maisonpapier.ca
2979 Chemin de la Montagne
Bassin, QC G4T 0A4
(418) 937-4279

In 2025, experts and inspectors from the Guide Michelin, one of the world’s most illustrious references for restaurant classification in France, delivered their verdict for the very first Guide MICHELIN Québec selection. Nine restaurants crowned with MICHELIN Stars were revealed in Montréal, Québec and Rimouski.

The inspectors also travelled elsewhere in Québec to experience remarkable tables. As a result, Chez Mathilde Bistro in Tadoussac is featured in the prestigious Guide MICHELIN selection.

As they celebrate the 18th anniversary of their establishment, owners Mireille Perron and Jean-Sébastien Sicard consider this recognition an exceptional gift, to say the least!

Here is what the guide writes about it: "At the confluence of the Saguenay Fjord and the Saint-Laurent River, the site of Tadoussac offers exceptional marine biodiversity. Here, in this wind-swept, isolated village, Mireille (from the region) and Jean-Sébastien chose to settle. Over the years, they’ve built a reputation for their restaurant, which is very busy during its five months of summer opening. One menu is dedicated to land-based products (garden vegetables, forest plants, game), the other to the Saint-Laurent (snow crab, bluefin tuna, lobster, halibut). The seasonings are simple and well-balanced, leaving full room for the flavour of the ingredients."

To see the description of two-star and one-star restaurants in the Guide, it’s HERE.