At the maître d's recommendation – he is French, and charming – I have ordered pétoncles (scallops) with maïtake mushrooms, and black lentils, followed by succulent duck breast, a local speciality. For dessert, after lengthy mind-changing between chocolat crème and something called élixir de fraises, I have opted for rhubarb carpaccio with green apple sorbet. It's a good decision.
Despite the hum of French conversation, the starched napkins, and the waiters gliding as if on wheels, I'm not in Paris. I'm in Canada, home of maple syrup and, well, other maple syrup products.
I knew Quebec province had French influences, but I hadn't counted on such an abundance of gamey meats, patés, cheeses, vineyards, long menus and bountiful markets. In a week exploring Montreal and the towns and villages known as the Eastern Townships, I have eaten, in no particular order of deliciousness, wild boar mousse, rabbit stuffed with foie gras, truffle risotto and bison tartare. The cuisine is a mix of France and New England, which means if you tire of fromage, moules-frites and croissants, you can gorge on clams and bagels, as you can in Vermont and Maine. And now I know why they go on about the maple stuff: it's subtle and fine, less like syrup and more like liquid caramel with a hint of citrus.
The area hasn't tended to shout about its culinary delights, but it has now created a brand, Chefs créateurs, (cantonsdelest.com) and a logo to denote independent restaurants using regional produce.
The Townships are about an hour's drive east of Montreal. Settled by British loyalists in the late 18th century, they feel more English than England: lush, rolling farmland, wooded slopes, lakes, charming historic towns called Farnham, Sutton and Richmond, and clapboard Anglican churches. They are so pretty, and so jammed with antique stores, quaint shops, picket fences, ice-cream parlours and photo opportunities that they feel like film sets.
But though this looks like Cumbria, it sounds like France: French is the first language here, spoken with a Canadian lilt. If you can dust down a few phrases, you will make more friends. Many of the towns have gourmet cafes, part of another network of eateries, called Cafés de Village. To avoid putting on some serious weight, it could be an idea to investigate some of the area's great hiking and biking trails aplenty you can hike or bike, following trails. Apparently, snowshoeing, kayaking and something called "treetop trekking" are quite big here, but I think they made that last one up. too. I was content just to swim in the lakes, such as Massawippi and Memphremagog, named by the first-nation Abenaki people. We spent one night in the rustic Auberge & Spa in West Brome. After two nights in buzzy Montreal during the jazz festival, the silence made my head spin.
Before dinner (venison with butternut purée and purple snow peas) the chef showed me his vegetable garden, plucking a basket of leaves that would, 20 minutes later, end up on my plate. But it was Manoir Hovey, in North Hatley, where I ate scallops and duck the following night, that will stay forever in my mind. It's a turn-of-the-century manor house on Lake Massawippi, with a pleasingly antiquey interior, lush gardens and a jetty from which to leap into the lake, basket of fluffy towels on hand.
At night, the stars were so bright, they hurt my eyes. After an early swim the next morning, I decided I'd earned two breakfasts: eggs benedict and French toast. Later, I noticed the waistband on my shorts had shrunk.
But then eating was our main activity on this trip. In Montreal, we'd spent a morning at the vast Jean-Talon market, the largest food market in north America. It's a farmers' market in the truest sense: mountains of cheap local produce, and open every day. It's where the locals do most of their shopping, as opposed to picking up one or two pricey treats before heading to Tesco. Wandering through the streets of the bohemian Mile-End district, we sampled bagels from Montreal's longstanding rivals, Fairmount and St-Viateur: they're lighter than their dense New York cousins.
Dominion (tavernedominion.com) in the Downtown district was filled on this scorching Friday lunchtime with young city workers getting ready for the weekend. Perched at the bar with a cold white wine and a bowl of garlicky mussels, I tried to decide whether I was happiest in the country or the city. The best thing about here, I thought, was I needn't – I'd had my fill of both.
• The trip was provided by Quebec Tourism. Flights were provided by Air Canada, which has returns from Heathrow to Montreal from £576.25 including taxes
