Last Updated on May 20, 2026 by Pamela MacNaughtan
Everything starts in a lounge space located immediately inside the door. A mélange of chairs circles the space, which is accented with warm lighting and large photos of artistically plated foods. In the center of the room, separating the lounge from the dining area, Kebec Club Privé’s Michelin 1-star award sits on a brushed gold and glass bar.
I’m one of the last diners to arrive, sitting near the door, sipping a negroni (the signature cocktail, made with Seventh Heaven gin, Amermelade, and red apple vermouth) and looking around at the people I will be sharing a table with for the next 3-4 hours.
The long rustic table on the other side of the bar seats 10 people, and tonight the majority of guests are French-speaking, seven, to be exact. Before we choose our seats, though, chefs and co-owners, Pierre-Olivier Pelletier and Cassandre Osterroth, introduce their culinary philosophies, as well as a couple of small bites to tantalize our taste buds.
“The concept is more than a chef’s table, it is something more Quebecer for us. When we think about what Québec gastronomy is, it’s more about a moment than just food. It’s a moment we share with people we love, with family, with our friends. It’s a moment to have fun, so this is why we decided to have one place to sit all the people who don’t know each other to pass the night together”, says Pierre-Olivier.
The night begins with a crispy tartlet stuffed with mushroom purée seasoned with black garlic, then topped with pan-seared morrels. Followed with Arctic char marinated in salt, maple sugar and white peppercorns, placed on top of buffalo yogurt, topped with thinly sliced brown butter-brushed radish on a decorative long-handled spoon. It’s soft, and a little tart – a lovely introduction to the flawless evening ahead.
Pierre-Olivier acts as our culinary docent for the evening, guiding us through each course, first in French, then in English. Raised in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Québec, Pierre-Olivier is known for his artistry – art was his love before cooking. He’s worked in the kitchens of Restaurant Auguste (Sherbrooke), La Planque, Panache, and Laurie Raphaël in Québec City. He was on Les Chefs (similar to Top Chef, but Québécois) in 2015, won the San Pellegrino Young Chef award in 2022, and, along with Cassandre, was named Best Young Chef in Québec by Michelin in 2026.
Cassandre, originally from France, came to Québec City in 2018 after winning a fully paid internship at Laurie Raphaël (her cooking teacher entered her into the competition without her knowledge). It’s here that Cassandre honed her skills and learned about Québec gastronomy – and met Pierre-Olivier, her future partner in business and life. A little over a year later, she and Pierre-Olivier opened Kebec Club Privé.
A Shared Dining Experience
The menu at Kebec Club Privé centers around fresh seafood, organic vegetables, and foraged ingredients (think mushrooms and edible plants).
“Our main inspiration comes from the seasons and the ingredients they offer. Our dishes are centred around the ingredients themselves; we always strive to highlight them as much as possible without any unnecessary embellishments,” shares Cassandre when we chat a few days later.
I’m seated near the open kitchen, where I can observe my fellow diners, as well as Pierre-Olivier and Cassandre. The two women across from me work near Québec City, and dine at Kebec Club Privé once a month. On my left are two American men who met in the lounge at the start of the evening and immediately shared their dining plans for their time in the city.
There’s a French couple who quietly sit at the centre, and a family of three adults at the end. It’s a quiet start filled with anticipation. What will the first main course be? The answer comes after the arrival of homemade cultured butter and the best sourdough bread I’ve ever tasted (note: listen to Pierre-Olivier when he suggests enjoying the bread slowly), asparagus!
The briny pop of sturgeon caviar complements the crunch of young asparagus, which is offset by an asparagus and smoked Sturgeon cream seasoned with grated soy sauce-marinated egg yolk, and topped with marinated shallots and puffed buckwheat on the opposite end. It’s a feast for the eyes, and the taste buds, and a delightful start to the next eight courses.
There’s a round of smashed roasted carrot, garlic, and thyme sitting on a bed of smooth goat cheese seasoned with a gentle kick of Québec wasabi (more mild than traditional wasabi), sitting in a pool of emulsified carrot juice and smoked mustard; followed by wolffish with urchin from the Saint-Lawrence River, trout eggs, and puffed rice – a mix of flavours and texture that took my brain a minute to process and enjoy.
After the first three courses, it’s easy to understand why Michelin awarded Kebec Club Privé a star two years in a row. Pierre-Olivier and Cassandre are masters at blending flavours and textures, creating dishes that are high quality, unpretentious, and a nod to the food culture of Québec and Canada.
My favourite dish of the night, which I am still salivating over, features plump mussels from Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, a sinfully smooth purée that’s 50% potato and 50% butter, roasted potato skin cream, white garlic cooked in butter, and foam made with the mussels’ juices. Delicate, aromatic, silky… I’m swooning from the first bite, and tearing up a little as I slowly eat the last bite.
Next is a lobster dish, served alongside a caramelized onion pancake topped with shredded lobster claw meat seasoned with reduced lobster bisque. It’s quite good, as are the beans cooked with smoked eel, birch and maple syrup, and topped with lightly smoked arctic char.
My taste buds, however, are still mingling over the flavours of the Salt Spring mussels – the true star of the evening, in my opinion.
The last two courses are dessert, which begins with a meringue made with honey and egg whites, topped with yogurt and paired with celery and fresh herbs. It’s followed by hasakberry confited in fortified wine, topped with a crispy meringue seasoned with spruce and a soft cake made with brown butter, and finished with a light fortified wine mousse. On the side, a honey cookie topped with aronia jelly and filled with cream, and a hemp oil financier topped with verbena jelly.
When the last bites are reduced to crumbs, sated diners exchange stories and reminisce about the last three hours while sipping a digestif. Quick friendships forged over food and wine – this is the magic of dining at a shared table with strangers.
Dine at Kebec Club Privé
I don’t always agree with Michelin’s choices, but when it comes to Kebec Club Privé, I am 1000% onboard. This is a place where your eyes eat first, and your taste buds are rewarded with a pastiche of flavours and textures, in an atmosphere that is relaxed and jovial.
The tasting menu at Kebec Club Privé changes regularly based on the seasonality of the ingredients and the inspiration of its chefs, making each consecutive visit feel like it’s the first time. There are, of course, things that do not change. You can expect 10-12 courses, an impressive wine selection, and a culinary journey through the flavours and textures of Quebec and Canada. Pierre-Olivier will be effervescent, Cassandre will be quietly charming, and you’ll meet fellow foodies who may become friends.
Distinctions: Michelin 1-star 2025 – present
Neighbourhood: Saint-Roch
Budget: 170 + 105 (wine pairing) CAD *pricing subject to change
Reservations: Required. This is now one of the hardest tables to book in Québec City
Number of visits: 1, with plans to return soon with friends
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