Hot chicken warm-up

The legendary Laurier Barbecue warms you to the bone

by SPANKY HOROWITZ

Chicken noodle soup, onion soup au gratin, hot chicken sandwiches, mashed potatoes, chicken pot pie, barbecue ribs, barbecue chicken, beef stew and chocolate cake fill out a glorious winter menu at Laurier Barbecue.

Steeped in tradition and frequented by old-school Montrealers, Laurier Barbecue is a Montreal institution that prides itself on serving comfort food. Their menu boasts that all of their food is prepared daily on the premises, which means that everything is fresh and homemade. This also means that they may run out of certain items during the course of the night--a risk well worth taking.

After being shown to a table in one of their two spacious dining rooms, we are given water and menus, but no bread. At first this seems rather odd, but then it dawns on me: bread unnecessarily pads your belly, often to compensate for the minuscule portions served at some restaurants. At Laurier Barbecue, your belly will be full and they save you the regret of having eaten too much bread.

The onion soup costs $5.50 and is worth it. The diameter of the onion soup bowl is equal to that of an average onion soup bowl, but it stands tall at twice the height. The broth is real, not canned or powdered, and the cheese is melted on thick. As for the pea soup and chicken noodle soup ($2 a cup, $2.65 for a bowl), the creamy broths were equally hearty and filling and were loaded with the necessary chunks of either peas and ham or noodles and chicken.

The hot chicken sandwich as we know it--white bread filled with mounds of tender chicken, topped with peas and covered in tangy gravy--was apparently invented at Laurier Barbecue, or at least that's what the late Nick Auf der Maur once told me one late night in a smoky bar. This is possibly the best hot chicken sandwich in town, and it only costs $6-9, depending on whether you order a half or whole sandwich, white meat or dark meat.

The chicken pot pie ($8) makes me wonder why other restaurants don't offer it on their menus. A thick and creamy stew of chicken, carrots, potatoes and who knows what else is brought out alongside a freshly baked patty shell. Your pie is constructed in front of you, which gives you the option of having the shell on top of the stew, or, as I prefer, the molten stew poured onto the patty shell! Either way, you walk out with a smile on your face.

While ordering mashed potatoes with my meal, I was sombrely told that the kitchen had run out. I was elated to hear this and settled for French fries. I love restaurants that run out of things--it guarantees freshness and at the same time it dares you to return on a different day to savour the treat that first caught your eye (and taste buds). One of my compatriots was not as pleased as I was, because he was told that they were out of ribs. Ouch.

My girlfriend says the carrot cake is "soooo good" and I take her word for it, because I still regard vegetables as a side dish. The chocolate cake, on the other hand, is absolutely decadent. It's so luscious, chocolatey and volatile that it's only available in the winter months, when the heat won't spoil the delicate blend of fresh butter, sugar and cocoa.



Laurier Barbecue

Address: 381 Laurier W.

Phone: 273-3671

Hours: 11am-10pm or 11pm, seven days a week

Best Features: fresh, homemade comfort food like chicken pot pie, great chocolate cake

and they deliver!

Alcohol: yes

Vegetarian friendly: yes

Price: $5-20 per person, before drinks,

taxes or tip

Rating: HHHout of HHHH