The Great Return of the Cabane du Pied de Cochon

After a two-year closure, the famous sugar shack of Au pied de cochon will finally reopen its dining room in the spring of 2023, with a new chef at the helm!

Philippe Picard-Labelle, Martin Picard’s nephew, had taken over the kitchen just before the pandemic.

“It had been less than a month since we opened, I had made my first menu with Martin, and then the pandemic struck”, explains the young chef, who has not been idle with his team in the meantime, working on the development of the picnic baskets of the Cabane d’à côté (with the help of Vincent Dion Lavallée), the take-out menus, and the ready-to-eat section of Pied de cochon.

An experience that greatly united everyone, so much so that the teams of the Cabane and the Cabane d’à côté are one and the same today, he adds.

Keeping with tradition

What can we expect for the grand re-opening? “It’s going to be hearty, gourmet and always Pied de cochon,” says Philippe. We will certainly find some classics, including the bines and the famous pea soup, but the chef also promises new dishes, always in the “copious and gargantuan” spirit to which the Cabane has accustomed us. “We’re going to go back to our roots, to our sugar shack tradition,” he continues.

Same formula, but people will have a little more time to stretch their meal, which will certainly not be unwelcome! For the new season, the team has decided to reduce the number of services: there will be only one on Thursday and Friday nights, then three on Saturday and Sunday, in addition to the VIP table in the kitchen.

“It’s like the big return to restaurant life, and we’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” says Philippe Picard-Labelle. Everyone at the Cabane is looking forward to seeing the public again.

The dining room will welcome its first customers in nearly three years, starting on February 16, 2023 and continuing until the end of the season on May 7. The team will then take a few weeks off before resuming picnics at the Cabane d’à côté in June.

Take note: reservations will be open online exclusively for the entire spring season starting Thursday, December 1st at 9 a.m., at a cost of $85 per guest (or $40 for children 11 and under), excluding beverages.

Mark your calendars, seats are going to sell out VERY quickly!

The Cabane at home for the Holidays

While waiting for spring, the Cabane invites you to enjoy the experience at home with the hearty Winter Menu for two. The menu includes squash soup with foie gras, garlic flower brioche, pâté de campagne, cipaille and coquille Saint-Jacques, among other delicacies. Since seating at the Cabane is limited, a box is also provided for the sugar season to allow as many people as possible to sample the menu.

The online store and the ephemeral boutique, located at 540 Duluth Street, right next to the restaurant, also offer several dishes to cook at home – including a succulent pig’s feet stew and cassoulard, a mix of cassoulet and baked beans – and a host of other homemade products prepared by the Pied de cochon team.

Please note that you must place your orders online before December 15 to receive them in time for the holidays. The ephemeral boutique is open to the public from Wednesday to Sunday from 11am to 6pm until December 23rd.

Bon appétit!

Written by Mikael Lebleu
Photography by Cabane à sucre Au pied de cochon