dining guide complete

T H E O T TAWA C I T I Z E N
FOOD & LIFE
2009
Dining Guide 2009
PART ONE: OLD OTTAWA
ByWard Market
■
Lowertown
■
Sandy Hill
BY ANNE DESBRISAY
T
his year’s dining guide
has a different spin on
“where to eat” in Ottawa. We are a city of neighbourhoods, each with its
own character, each with its
own restaurants.
For me, this hit home
most stunningly during the
transit strike. It may be nice
to know the best Thai restaurant in the city is in Barrhaven, but when it’s minus 28
C, the buses aren’t running,
and the streets are in gridlock, what you really want to
know is “Where can I get a
good curry close to where
I am?”
So this year I’m breaking
Ottawa down into regions
and exploring our city’s
restaurants within its neighbourhoods, beginning today
with its oldest — ByWard
Market, Lowertown and
Sandy Hill.
These are restaurants I
recommend, some unequivocally, others with certain
reservations. But each suits a
mood, or a demographic, or a
budget.
Please note: This list is a
guide only, not a guarantee of
what you will find!
Listings start on page 2
JEAN LEVAC, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
Rene Rodriguez offers delicious food from Spain’s Basque region at Navarra, his restaurant on
Murray Street.
1
T H E O T TAWA C I T I Z E N
FOOD & LIFE
2009
PART ONE: OLD OTTAWA
ByWard Market
AHORA
307 Dalhousie St., 613-562-2081
ahora.ca $
Cuisine: Mexican. This colourful,
cluttered basement room with
seating for 40 is a cheery, nofrills, cafeteria-style eatery with
fresh, fast, flavourful food.
BENNY’S BISTRO
119 Murray St., 613-789-6797
bennysbistro.ca $$
Cuisine: French. Tucked into the
back of the French Baker and
open for lunch only, you are
advised to tuck into anything
baked — the bread, the olive
scones, the strawberry tarts. But
excellent too are the soups, the
risotto, the spiced scallops.
BLUE CACTUS BAR AND GRILL
2 Byward Market, 613-241-7061
bluecactusbarandgrill.com $$
Cuisine: Mexican/Southwestern. Big, busy market eatery,
with an updated look. Menu has
southwest slant. Pasta, pizzas,
fajitas, grilled chicken, ribs. Open
late.
CAFE SPIGA
271 Dalhousie St., 613-241-4381
cafespiga.com $$$
Cuisine: Portuguese and Italian.
Portuguese classics (caldo verde,
bacalhau, sea bream with piripiri) share space with Italian
pasta and veal dishes. Seafood is
a clear strength.
CASA DO CHURRASCO
190 Dalhousie St., 613-241-2743
$$
Cuisine: Portuguese. A little of the
ghost of KFC lingers in the look of
this casa, but not in the food.
Chicken is grilled, Portuguese
style, as are ribs and other meaty
things, served up with lots of
lemon potatoes and a suitably
fiery sauce.
CHEZ LUCIEN
137 Murray St. 613-241-3533 $
Cuisine: Pub. Spaghetti and
meatballs, liver and onions, grilled
chicken sandwiches, a croque
monsieur. But really you come to
this very pleasant pub for the
very good burgers.
DALY’S
Westin Hotel, 11 Colonel By Dr.,
613-560-7333 $$$$
Price guide
Loosely based on a three-course
dinner for two, with taxes, but
before drinks or tip.
$: Less than $40
$$: $40 to $70
$$$: $71 to $100
$$$$: More than $100
Unless stated otherwise, all
restaurants accept major credit
cards and reservations, and
many now have websites where
you will find their menus and
hours of operation. Call about
wheelchair accessibility.
Cuisine: Canadian. An updated
look for the Westin dining room.
Signature lamb dish stands out,
plus the tuna rolls, scallops with
lemongrass, roasted guinea
hen.
DOMUS CAFE
87 Murray St., 613-241-6007
domuscafe.ca $$$$
Cuisine: Canadian. “Canadian
Regional Seasonal Cuisine” is
etched in its picture windows and
is the philosophy that marks its
plates. For close to 15 years, chef
John Taylor and his team have
delivered startling dishes
fashioned from impeccably
sourced ingredients.
EMPIRE GRILL
47 Clarence St., 613-241-1343
empiregrill.com $$$
Cuisine: Grill. Trendy, handsome
restaurant that attracts chic
young diners in droves. Also a
favourite for dinner meetings.
Specializes in steaks, wines and
martinis. Open late.
HAVELI
39 Clarence St., 613-241-1700
haveli.com $$
Cuisine: Indian. In Ottawa since
1984, the what-you-expect menu
of mostly north Indian dishes is
well represented. Superior fish
and rice dishes.
KHAO THAI
103 Murray St., 613-241-7276
khaothai.ca $$
Cuisine: Thai. Fragrant noodle
dishes, complex curries, along
with the usual Thai starters,
salads and soups, in a lush red
and gold space. Try the makua
yaow len goong, a beautifully
balanced dish of shrimp and
eggplant.
KINKI
41 York St., 613-789-7559
kinki.ca $$$
Cuisine: Japanese-style. Its
sexy marketing and its
unconventional menu should
alert you to the fact that this
attractive “Asian-fusion-sushi”
restaurant is as much about the
scene as the food.
LAPOINTE SEAFOOD GRILL
55 York St., 613-241-6221
lapointefish.ca $$
Cuisine: Seafood. The first of five
Lapointe Grills, this one is below
ground in a yellow room with a
school of hand-painted
swimmers. Beer-battered fish
and chips, pan-fried pickerel,
fresh mussels, good chowder.
LE CAFE
53 Elgin St., 613-594-5127
nac-can.ca $$$$
CHRIS MIKULA, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
Daly’s chef Nelson Borges.
2
Cuisine: Canadian. Expect some
interesting changes in the
National Arts Centre kitchen this
year, with the creative chef
Michael Blackie (formerly of
Brookstreet Hotel) newly running
the show. Stay tuned for how he
marks the menu of this flagship
restaurant.
LUXE BISTRO
47 York St., 613-241-8805
luxebistro.com $$$$
Cuisine: Grill. Luxe remains,
despite changes in the kitchen, a
French-style steakhouse with
durable mainstays — French
onion soup, bouillabaisse, steakfrîtes. You feel new chef Duane
Keats’ stamp most strongly in the
page of daily additions.
MAMBO RESTAURANTE
NUEVO LATINO
77 Clarence St., 613-562-2500
mambonuevolatino.com $$$
Cuisine: Latin. Mambo has an
exciting Latino feel and look, but
my experience with the food is
that you need to pick through it a
bit to find the good stuff —
shrimp kicked up with a spicy
orange sauce, carrot and jalapeño
soup.
MAMMA GRAZZI’S KITCHEN
25 George St., 613-241-8656
mammagrazzis.com $$
Cuisine: Italian. Thin-crust pizzas
rolled to order and a page of pasta
dishes in a pretty courtyard
restaurant. Nice patio.
METROPOLITAIN BRASSERIE
700 Sussex Dr., 613-562-1160
metropolitainbrasserie.com $$$
Cuisine: French bistro, seafood.
French-style, super-sized
brasserie steps from Parliament
Hill with a menu that covers
bistro basics, from bouillabaisse
to blanquette de veau. Raw
seafood bar; champagne by the
glass.
MOJI
97 Clarence St., 613-860-6654
moji.ca $$$
Cuisine: Mostly Italian. The word
moji is Japanese, but the short
menu in this slim space leans
Italian. Good carpaccio, steak
salad, seafood linguine, crème
brulée.
Continued on the next page
T H E O T TAWA C I T I Z E N
FOOD & LIFE
2009
PART ONE: OLD OTTAWA
MURRAY STREET
110 Murray St., 613-562-7244
murraystreet.ca $$$
Cuisine: Canadian. The logo of the
new (and good) Murray Street is a
stylized M in a boar’s body, and
pork certainly figures large on
Steve Mitton’s menu and in his
charcuterie bar. Meat may be the
soul of this place, but neither fish
nor the vegetarian entrée eats like
an afterthought.
NAVARRA
93 Murray St., 613-241-5500
navarrarestaurant.com $$$
Cuisine: Modern Basque. In the
former home of the Black Cat
Café, former Cat chef Rene
Rodriguez has opened Navarra,
named for this northern region of
Spain. Food is very good; recent
menu includes steak tartare laced
with ezpeleta powder, lobster “pil
pil” and salt-cod rillettes with
Bayonne ham and roasted piquillo
peppers.
PALAIS IMPERIAL
311-313 Dalhousie St., 613-7896888 palais-imperial.com $$
Cuisine: Chinese. Two expansive
floors of dining with big windows
for ByWard Market-watching.
Extensive menu of more than 200
items, mostly filled with
Cantonese-Szechwan offerings.
PLAY FOOD & WINE
1 York St., 613-667-9207
playfood.ca $$$
Cuisine: Small plates, Canadian.
Just open, untried, untested, but
given it is the new creation of
Stephen Beckta and chef Michael
Moffatt, hopes are high. Menu
focuses on small plates.
RESTAURANT E18HTEEN
18 York St., 613-244-1188
restaurant18.com $$$$
Cuisine: Contemporary.
Comfortable, chic and timelessly
fashionable, Restaurant E18hteen
— three years now under chef
Matthew Carmichael’s lead —
offers a roundup of pleasures on
each stylish plate. Strong wine list.
SAIGON
85 Clarence St., 613-789-7934 $
Cuisine: Vietnamese. If you’re
after a bowl of hot, restorative
soup — and who isn’t? — Saigon
delivers in spades. A family-run
ByWard Market restaurant.
CHRIS MIKULA, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
Chef Duane Keats of Luxe Bistro on York Street.
SHAFALI INDIAN RESTAURANT
308 Dalhousie St., 613-789-9188
shafali.com $$
Cuisine: Indian. Shafali’s tandoor
may be hidden away, but its good
smells slap you happy as soon as
you enter. Sauces shine with
gently layered flavours, and
sometimes a crescendo of spices.
SOCIAL
537 Sussex Dr., 613-789-7355
social.ca $$$
Cuisine: Contemporary. A
handsome, hot-spot
restaurant/lounge with a solid
kitchen. Chef Matthew
Carmichael (of Restaurant
E18hteen) is now balancing both
kitchens — 50 metres apart —
and his stamp on Social is as yet
untried by this critic. Open late.
STELLA OSTERIA
81-B Clarence St., 613-241-2200
stellaosteria.com $$$
Cuisine: Italian. Stella is a hip,
happening and handsome place,
offering comfort Italian food with
contemporary edges. Stick with
pasta dishes if you don’t want to
spike the bill. Linguine with
Manilla clams, short ribs and
shiitake on cavatelli. Open late.
SWEETGRASS ABORIGINAL
BISTRO
108 Murray St., 613-562-3683
sweetgrassbistro.ca $$$
Cuisine: Original Canadian. Coowners and chefs Warren and
Phoebe Sutherland apply modern
takes to the traditional dishes of
North America’s aboriginal
peoples with delicious results. On
the menu, smoked fish cakes,
rabbit dumplings, wild boar back
ribs, Canadian goose with risotto,
ginger and apples.
TAKARA
366 Dalhousie St., 613-241-6582
takara-ottawa.com $$
Cuisine: Japanese. Bright corner
restaurant in the ByWard Market
where the sushi bar takes centre
3
stage and a complete nigiri sushi
dinner, with soup or salad to start,
won’t eat up your paycheque.
THE BLACK TOMATO
11 George St., 613-789-8123
theblacktomato.com $$$
Cuisine: Eclectic-global. A tall,
square space, with great music,
great whisky choices and food
that has a global reach — Thaistyle soups, spanokopita,
quesadillas, curried chicken, crab
cakes.
THE COURTYARD RESTAURANT
21 George St., 613-241-1516
courtyardrestaurant.com $$$$
Cuisine: Contemporary Canadian.
A dining room with a long history,
which may feel dated inside but
won’t taste it. Bison sashimi, pork
belly with ginger and licorice,
ginger fritters with liquid nitrogen
star anise ice cream.
TOTOYA
297 Dalhousie St., 613-241-2224
totoya.ca $$
Cuisine: Japanese. From a largely
predictable menu, you will find
fresh fish, well-cooked, carefully
made sushi, gossamer tempura
and soothing service.
VITTORIA TRATTORIA
35 William St., 613-789-8959
vittoriatrattoria.com $$$
Cuisine: Italian. The original VT, in
the heart of the ByWard Market,
boasts an exceptional wine list.
Food focuses on pizza and pasta,
with a few predictable main
dishes.
WASABI
41 Clarence St., 613-241-3636
wasabisushibar.ca $$
Cuisine: Japanese/sushi.
Reasonable prices for a wide
selection of raw critters from the
sushi bar, plus some consistently
good items from the kitchen,
notably the tempura, gyoza and
tataki.
WILFRID’S
Chateau Laurier Hotel,
1 Rideau St., 613-562-7043 $$$$
Cuisine: Canadian. In addition to
its good looks, assets include a
well-trained staff, a strong VQA
wine list and a menu that makes
good use of local, seasonal raw
materials.
Continued on the next page
T H E O T TAWA C I T I Z E N
FOOD & LIFE
2009
PART ONE: OLD OTTAWA
Lowertown
and Sandy Hill
BENTO SUSHI
606 Rideau St., 613-562-2563 $$
Cuisine: Sushi. A tiny storefront
location caters mostly to those
picking up sushi suppers or quick
sushi lunches, though there is
scattered seating and items other
than sushi.
BISTRO CORDON BLEU
453 Laurier Ave. E., 613-755-2350
lcbottawa.com $$
Cuisine: French. This is a studentrun restaurant, and you are the
guinea pig for Cordon Bleu
students of cuisine at the end of
their nine-month curriculum.
Lunch only, Thursday and Friday.
Three-course, set menu $25.
EAST AFRICAN RESTAURANT
376 Rideau St., 613-789-7397 $
Cuisine: Ethiopian. Grass roof huts
and animal skins set the scene. On
the menu: chicken, beef, lamb or
vegetable stews of varying
intensities, served in small mounds
on large platters layered with
injera.
HORN OF AFRICA
364 Rideau St., 613-789-0025 $
Cuisine: Ethiopian. A longestablished African restaurant that
offers affordable, tasty food in
simple surroundings.
PERFECTION-SATISFACTIONPROMISE
167 Laurier Ave E., 613-234-7299
perfectionsatisfactionpromise.ca
$
Cuisine: Vegetarian. This is still the
Painted Potato, only renamed, and
they still serve PPs (choice of
baked, sweet, mashed, brown rice,
stuffed or topped), but now you
can indulge in the tasty vegetarian
food in a room dedicated to Sri
Chinmoy.
SIGNATURES
Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa Culinary
Arts Institute, 453 Laurier Ave. E.,
613-236-2499 lcbottawa.com $$$$
Cuisine: French. In a Sandy Hill
mansion, the fine dining room of Le
Cordon Bleu (Ottawa campus)
offers a menu awash with luxury
ingredients and cooking that is
layered, technically sound and
stunning on every monogrammed
plate.
JOHN TANGUAY, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
Executive chef Yannick Anton of Le Cordon Bleu Signatures Restaurant on Laurier Avenue.
Anne DesBrisay is the author of Capital Dining: A Guide for Dining Out in Canada’s Capital.
Check out her website at www.capitaldining.ca.
4
T H E O T TAWA C I T I Z E N
FOOD & LIFE
2009
PART TWO: THE CITY CENTRE
Downtown
BY ANNE DESBRISAY
C
hapter two of our
gastronomic spin around
Ottawa-Gatineau
neighbourhoods takes us to its
centre.
Some of our oldest and most
iconic restaurants are found
here, some of its newest too —
and certainly many of its best.
These are restaurants I
recommend, some
unequivocally, others with
certain reservations, but they
are listed here because I
believe each suits a mood, or a
demographic, or a budget.
This list is a guide only. It is
not a guarantee of what you
will find.
Downtown
and Centretown
A’ROMA MEZE
239 Nepean St., 613-232-1377
aromameze.com $$$
Cuisine: Mediterranean small
plates. A Greek-style meze
(small plates) restaurant with an
impressive wine list to match the
impressive nibbles. Kataifi
scallops, melitzanosalata, foie
gras stuffed Medjool dates.
ARC LOUNGE
ARC The Hotel, 140 Slater St.,
613-238-2888 arcthehotel.com
$$$
Cuisine: Contemporary.
Retro-chic dining room/lounge
in a boutique hotel offers an unhotel menu to match the look:
lobster-basil panna cotta; lamb
with pickled grapes and pears;
chèvre cheesecake with sweet
■
Centretown
■
corn ice cream.
BECKTA DINING AND WINE
226 Nepean St., 613-238-7063
beckta.com $$$$
Cuisine: Contemporary. Food
and wine should be the driving
interests when considering
Beckta. Fresh, local ingredients
prepared in winning styles are
matched with a top-notch wine
list, continually tweaked.
Beckta’s service is also a
drawing card.
BENITZ BISTRO
327 Somerset St. W. 613-5678100 benitzbistro.com $$$
Cuisine: Contemporary.
Husband and wife team Derek
Benitz and Meghan McManus
opened this white-on-white
dining room in 2007. You’ll find
the colour in the personality of
the well-trained staff and on the
plates of French-bistro treats.
BLUE NILE
577 Gladstone Ave., 613-321-0774
bluenileottawa.com $
Cuisine: Ethiopian. The cuisine’s
fundamental condiments —
berbere, mitmita, niter kibbeh —
lend the good flavour to the food
at Blue Nile, a new, plain-Jane
Ethiopian restaurant in
Centretown.
BOCADO
343 Somerset St. W., 613-2331536 bocado.ca $$$
Cuisine: Mediterranean. On the
menu, a bit of everything —
Italian, French, Spanish, Greek,
North African. This is sturdy food
with big flavours — fish stew,
grilled lamb, roast duck with root
vegetables, risotto Milanese.
Glebe
■
Old Ottawa South
WAYNE CUDDINGTON, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
Cathy Dewar, owner of Savanna Café, and daughter Natasha
serve up tasty Caribbean/Asian fusion food.
Continued on the next page
5
T H E O T TAWA C I T I Z E N
FOOD & LIFE
2009
PART TWO: THE CITY CENTRE
B/SIDE
323 Somerset St. W., 613-5678100 bsidewine.ca $$$
Cuisine: Canadian, small plates.
On the menu are small plates
and pastas, some conventional
(calamari, crab cakes, ribs),
some more interesting (arrancini,
rabbit rilette, lamb sweetbreads).
CAFE PARADISO
199 Bank St., 613-565-0657
cafeparadiso.ca $$$
Cuisine: Global bistro. Simple
bistro fare — roast chicken, steak
frîtes, grilled fish — plus crowdpleasing appetizers for those who
just want to nibble while listening
to live jazz.
CAPITAL DINING ROOM
Delta Ottawa Hotel,
361 Queen St., 613-238-2582
www.deltahotels.com $$$$
Cuisine: Contemporary. A
windowless rectangle of dated
comfort but with solidly good
food. Scallops in a lime butter
sauce, duck consommé with
confit wontons, wild salmon with
a lobster crust in a yellow pepper
purée.
CEYLONTA
403 Somerset St. W., 613-2377812 ceylonta.com $
Cuisine: Indian/Sri Lankan. Looks
like nothing from the curb, but
inside the aroma of Ceylon spices
is heady and the south Indian
cooking a pleasure. Addictive urid
dahl cakes, black curries of
various pulses, dosai with curried
goat.
CORIANDER THAI
282 Kent St., 613-233-2828 $
Cuisine: Thai. Centretown
restaurant offers the business
crowd at lunch and the
neighbourhood at dinner tasty
Thai food in a shades-of-blue
environment.
DON ALFONSO
434 Bank St., 613-236-7750 $$
Cuisine: Spanish. You can fill up
agreeably on paella, or order a
platter of predictable tapas in this
dated-looking, but welcoming
Centretown restaurant.
EAST INDIA COMPANY
210 Somerset St. W., 613-5674634 eastindiaco.com $
Cuisine: Indian. Lush furnishings
Price guide
Loosely based on a three-course
dinner for two, with taxes, but
before drinks or tip.
$: Less than $40
$$: $40 to $70
$$$: $71 to $100
$$$$: More than $100
Unless stated otherwise, all
restaurants accept major credit
cards and reservations, and
many now have websites where
you will find their menus and
hours of operation. Call about
wheelchair accessibility.
and antiques create an inviting
atmosphere. Most people opt for
the ample buffet (lunch and
dinner).
FRIDAY’S ROAST BEEF HOUSE
150 Elgin St., 613-237-5353
fridaysroastbeefhouse.com $$$
Cuisine: Mainly meat. ‘A
traditional menu…,’ we are told.
Indeed, right down to the crème
de menthe parfait. Stick with the
rack of lamb, the roast beef and
don’t stray far. Portions are
generous.
GENJI
175 Lisgar St., 613-236-2880
genji.ca $$
Cuisine: Japanese. Tranquil space,
with well-crafted sushi, delicate
tempura, fragile dumplings and
fresh fish, well cooked.
HY’S STEAK HOUSE
170 Queen St., 613-234-4545
hyssteakhouse.com $$$$
Cuisine: Steak and seafood. Men
in suits and hungry hockey
players come to Hy’s for quality
cuts of Alberta beef, served in
JULIE OLIVER, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
Executive chef Michael Moffatt cooks up fine fare, pleasingly
served, at Beckta Dining and Wine.
6
comfort at well spaced tables.
ICHIBEI
197 Bank St., 613-563-2375 $$
Cuisine: Japanese. Warm feeling
of a neighbourhood pub. Seating
for a dozen at the sushi bar. Sushi,
sashimi, tempura, noodle dishes
and so on.
KASBAH VILLAGE
261 Laurier Ave. W., 613-232-3737
kasbah.ca $$
Cuisine: Moroccan. Popular lunch
spot for the downtown crowd
with affordable noon specials. At
night the room takes on a more
exotic feel and offers a variety of
Moroccan classics.
MAMMA TERESA
300 Somerset St. W., 613-2363023 mammateresa.com $$$
Cuisine: Italian. An Ottawa
institution in a brick mansion with
an enduring, conventional menu.
If you order the strengths — soup,
gnocchi, smelts, calamari,
anything with shrimp (they’re
good here), veal — Mamma T’s
can be a dependable bargain.
Some dishes can let you down.
MERLOT ROOFTOP GRILL
Ottawa Marriott Hotel,
100 Kent St., 613-783-4212
merlotottawa.com $$$$
Cuisine: Grill. The menu way up
here is a mix of brawny
steakhouse with a bit of bistro —
a thick porterhouse, veal chop
with prawns, slow roasted
chicken. Lofty wine list too.
MYSTIKO
281 Kent St., 613-233-3626
www.mystikogreekkitchen.com
$$$
Cuisine: Greek. Formerly
Papagus, reopened with a new
look, new name, an all-Greek wine
list, and the same vigour on the
menu (char-grilled souvlaki, lamb
chops, garlic dips, farm-boy
portions) and failings (frozen fish,
dull vegetables, salty sauces).
OZ KAFE
361 Elgin St., 613-234-0907
ozkafe.com $$$
Cuisine: Eclectic. Mostly comfort
food on the menu of this casual,
quirky café. Fresh, bold flavours,
some Asian inflections, and some
solid choices for the vegetarian.
Continued on the next page
T H E O T TAWA C I T I Z E N
FOOD & LIFE
2009
PART TWO: THE CITY CENTRE
RESTAURANT JOY
315 Somerset St. W., 613-2316333 restaurantjoy.com $
Cuisine: Korean and Japanese. A
mix of Japanese standards,
cooked and raw, traditional
Korean dishes and a bit of Asian
fusion. Good gyoza, bulgogi, galbi,
chicken katsu.
SAVANA CAFE
431 Gilmour St., 613-233-9159
savanacafe.com $$
Cuisine: Caribbean and Asian
fusion. Since 1987, “Ottawa’s
original fusion restaurant”
presents a short menu of
Caribbean and Asian dishes —
kalaloo soup, jerk chicken, pad
Thai, tempura shrimp — in a
colourful old home in downtown
Ottawa.
SOM TUM
260 Nepean St., 613-781-8424
thaitaste.ca $$
Cuisine: Thai. Opened in 2007,
another Thai restaurant for Art
Akarapanich, who introduced Thai
food to Ottawa 30 years ago.
Strengths are in the well-made
classics, but also in those dishes
and ingredients less often seen on
Thai menus in this city.
SUISHA GARDENS
208 Slater St., 613-236-9602
japaninottawa.ca $$
Cuisine: Japanese. Hordes flock
for the noon specials. At dinner,
you can sup on a predictable
lineup of Japanese dishes, either
perched at the sushi bar or seated
downstairs beneath the waterfall in one of Suisha’s private
rooms.
THE BUZZ
374 Bank St., 613-565-9595
thebuzzrestaurant.ca $$$
Cuisine: Eclectic. The best of the
small plates is the polenta with
ricotta and roasted red peppers.
More substantial fare includes a
good steak-frîtes well priced.
Open late for drinks and noshing.
THE MANX
370 Elgin St., 613-231-2070 $$
Cuisine: Pub. It’s more than an
extensive whisky and draught
menu that draws them down to
this basement pub. Food is solidly
good too, service is kind and
unaffected, vegetarian diners are
treated well.
PAT MCGRATH, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
Som Tum owner Art Akarapanich introduced Thai food to
Ottawa 30 years ago.
THE SCONE WITCH
388 Albert St., 613-232-2173 $
Cuisine: Café/bakery. Goldentopped, layered and yielding,
scones are available in a variety of
flavours, either straight-up, with
cream and jam, or split and filled
with lunchy things.
VIETNAMESE KITCHEN
478 Bank St., 613-593-8991 $
Cuisine: Vietnamese. Very yellow,
very plain, owned by a kind family.
Sizeable Szechuan section of the
expansive menu makes it a bit
different from the pack.
WHALESBONE OYSTER HOUSE
430 Bank St., 613-231-8569
thewhalesbone.com $$$
Cuisine: Seafood. A small and
whimsically decorated seafood
pub, run by a boisterous staff,
where you crowd around
cramped tables or at the
bar feasting on pristine
oysters, seafood chowder,
ethically sourced fish, plus a
meat dish thrown in for good
measure.
Glebe and
Old Ottawa South
CARMEN’S VERANDA
1169 Bank St., 613-730-9829 $$
Cuisine: Eclectic. A short,
seasonal menu in a colourful,
retro room of mismatched chairs,
formica tables, fish tanks and
cacti. Salads are bright,
sandwiches satisfying and the
pizza is excellent.
FLIPPERS
819 Bank St., 613-232-2703 $$$
Cuisine: Seafood. Glebe-view
restaurant on cheery upper level
of Fifth Avenue Court. Large
portions of fresh seafood.
FRATELLI
749 Bank St., 613-237-1658
fratelli.ca $$$
Cuisine: Italian. This is the Fratelli
that started the five-strong chain
of handsome, colour-rich eateries
dotted across the city, each with
similar menus (pizza, pasta, veal)
and admirable wine lists.
LIGHT OF INDIA
730 Bank St., 613-563-4411
lightofindia.ca $
Cuisine: Indian. Solidly good
Indian food in a comfortably dated
room. Strong starters — samosas,
shami kabab, begun bharta on
puri — superior dishes from the
tandoor and the curry pot.
SACRED GARDEN
1330 Bank St., 613-733-8424 $$
Cuisine: Vegetarian Thai. A new
Thai restaurant for Old Ottawa
South and the first vegetarian
Thai restaurant in the city, housed
in a pretty, tranquil space.
SIAM KITCHEN
1050 Bank St., 613-730-3954 $
Cuisine: Thai. Ottawa’s first Thai
restaurant, now 30 years old and
not much changed. The room is
dated, but the food is fresh and
flavourful.
TAJ MAHAL
925 Bank St., 613-234-1280 $
Cuisine: Indian. A first-rate Indian
eatery in the Glebe offers
traditional northern Indian dishes
marked by complex flavours and
generous spicing.
URBAN PEAR
151 Second Ave., 613-569-9305
theurbanpear.com $$$$
Cuisine: Modern Canadian. A
sophisticated but neighbourly
space with a short, seasonal
menu of adventurous food.
Albacore tuna with cranberry
gastrique, scallops with a blood
orange compote, sumac crème
brulée.
Anne DesBrisay is the author of Capital Dining:
A Guide for Dining Out in Canada’s Capital.
Check out her website at www.capitaldining.ca.
7
T H E O T TAWA C I T I Z E N
FOOD & LIFE
2009
PART THREE: THE WESTERN FRONT
Chinatown ■ Preston Street ■ Hintonburg, West Wellington, Westboro
Old Ottawa West ■ Britannia ■ Centrepointe ■ Bells Corners
Celebrating
diversity from
Chinatown
to Bells Corners
BY ANNE DESBRISAY
Part 3 of the Dining Guide focuses on the restaurant-rich
neighbourhoods of Ottawa’s
western front, from Chinatown
and Preston Street, to Westboro
to Centrepointe and west to
Bells Corners.
As for every entry in this
year’s guide, these are restaurants I recommend, some unequivocally, others with reservations. But for whatever mood
you’re in, budget that fits you or
demographic you fit into, you
should be able to find something that suits.
Please keep in mind this list is
a guide only, based on my experiences. There’s no guarantee of
what you will find.
Chinatown
FUSCHIAN
726 Somerset St W., 613-2306815 $
Cuisine: Asian. Fresh, hot,
fast and a good blend of
Vietnamese and Chinese
cuisines, run by very fine people.
Fish is a strength, so are salad
rolls and lemongrass chicken.
Continued on the next page
PAT MCGRATH, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
Mekong restaurant owner/chef Dennis Luc offers a good cross-section of well-treated Asian food.
8
T H E O T TAWA C I T I Z E N
FOOD & LIFE
2009
PART THREE: THE WESTERN FRONT
HOT PEPPERS
495 Somerset St. W., 613-2334687 hot-peppers.ca $$
Cuisine: Thai. It calls itself an
“expressive Thai restaurant”
with an upstairs wine bar. Fried
oysters, curried mussels, spicy
crab cakes with mango sauce,
steamed salmon with plum and
ginger.
JADELAND
625 Somerset St. W.,
613-233-0204 $
Cuisine: Chinese. It’s not the
decor that has folks lined up out
its door. Maybe it’s the food:
pickerel with chili and garlic,
squid with snow pea tips, bitter
melon and beef in black bean
sauce.
JO MOON TING
832 Somerset St. W.,
613-237-8887 $
Cuisine: Chinese. Ten tables in a
pokey little room, or take-away
counter with its window-view of
barbecue treats. Whether inhouse or to-go,
the house chicken, roast pork
and barbecue duck are the wayto-go.
MEKONG
637 Somerset St. W.,
613-237-7717
mekong.ca $
Cuisine: Asian. Vietnamese,
Chinese and Thai dishes on the
menu. Seafood is treated well.
Good too are the soups, pot
stickers, shrimp dumplings,
crispy beef and braised duck.
NEW MEE FUNG
350 Booth St., 613-567-8228 $
Cuisine: Vietnamese. Large dining room with a large menu. Order by number. Try No. 223
lemongrass chicken, or No. 136
spicy satay with rice noodles.
NEW PHO BO GA LA
761-763 Somerset St. W.,
613-233-2222 $
Cuisine: Vietnamese. Pho is noodle soup, Bo is beef, Ga is chicken
and La is the large, extended
family that runs this place and
others like it on the strip.
PHO THU DO
765 Somerset St. W., 613-2357116 $
Cuisine: Vietnamese. One of the
originals and as plain-Jane as
Price guide
Loosely based on a three-course
dinner for two, with taxes, but
before drinks or tip.
$: Less than $40
$$: $40 to $70
$$$: $71 to $100
$$$$: More than $100
Unless stated otherwise, all
restaurants accept major credit
cards and reservations, and
many now have websites where
you will find their menus and
hours of operation. Call about
wheelchair accessibility.
they come. Chipped formica and
permanently scarred linoleum.
But the sweetly scented noodle
soups are wonderful.
SHANGHAI
651 Somerset St. W., 613-2334001 shanghaiottawa.com $
Cuisine: Asian. Mandarin martinis, Brazilian rhythms, disco bingo, karaoke Saturdays … This isn’t your typical Chinese restau-
rant, though it is the region’s oldest. Food’s all over the place too
— North American Cantonese to
Thai curries to Malaysian calamari.
SUSHI 88
690B Somerset St. W.,
613-233-3288 $
Cuisine: Sushi. For the sushinovice, try the “I Like My Sushi
Cooked” combo; for the well ini-
BRUNO SCHLUMBERGER, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
At Atelier on Rochester Street, chef Marc Lepine treats his
kitchen like a laboratory, creating extraordinary food.
9
tiated, “Sashimi Surprise.” Dining alone? “Sashimi Just For Me.”
VIETNAM PALACE
819 Somerset St. W., 613-2386758 $
Cuisine: Vietnamese. First-rate
seafood: scallops with lemongrass and chilies, shrimp with
fresh pineapple, sea bass in
black bean sauce. Sizable vegetarian section.
Preston Street
ALLEGRO RISTORANTE
422 Preston St., 613-235-7454
allegroristorante.ca $$$
Cuisine: Italian. A traditional
restaurant comfortably settled
into its way of doing things, with
a familiar menu and reliable
food. Count on a good Caesar,
homey soups, fresh, well-prepared fish and seafood, and fine
pasta dishes.
ATELIER
540 Rochester St., 613-321-3537
atelierrestaurant.ca $$$$
Cuisine: Modern. Chef Marc
Lepine’s new avant garde, tasting-menu-only restaurant, based
on the Barcelona model of the
kitchen-as-laboratory. Twelve
courses of mostly extraordinary
food. Reservations required.
BIG EASY’S
228 Preston St., 613-565-3279
bigeasys.ca $$$
Cuisine: Southern seafood. A
new New Orleans-style seafood
and steakhouse in the middle of
Little Italy, with a long bar and
oyster bed, good gumbo, excellent crab cakes, fat ribeyes, and a
delicious pecan-sweet potato
pie.
BLACK CAT BISTRO
428 Preston St., 613-569-9998
blackcatcafe.ca $$$
Cuisine: Comfort Canadian.
A new home for the old BC,
born 30 years ago on Echo Drive,
recently relocated from
Murray Street, and now purring
along nicely on Preston.
Venison carpaccio with aged
cheddar, fennel-seeded sweetbreads, duck with figs, lemon
tart.
Continued on the next page
T H E O T TAWA C I T I Z E N
FOOD & LIFE
2009
PART THREE: THE WESTERN FRONT
DIVINO WINE STUDIO
225 Preston St., 613-221-9760 divinowinestudio.com $$$
Cuisine: Small plates. Ottawa’s
first enoteca of exclusively Italian wines, the collection constantly changing. The food menu
relies on small plates designed
for sharing — polenta ragu,
mushroom risotto, pappardelle
in a leek and walnut sauce.
EFES
484 Preston St., 613-230-8828 $
Cuisine: Turkish. Rib-sticking
Turkish food in Little Italy. The
meze platter could make a light
supper on its own — and don’t
miss the doner kebab when it’s
available.
GIOVANNI’S
362 Preston St., 613-234-3156
giovannis-restaurant.com $$$$
Cuisine: Italian. Often busy, often loud, but service is topnotch, the food is flavourful
northern Italian fare and the
wine list is superior.
GREEN PAPAYA ON PRESTON
256 Preston St., 613-231-8424
greenpapaya.ca $$
Cuisine: Thai. The first Thai
restaurant to immigrate to
Little Italy. The pasta strip has
made room for kwaytiaw,
classic Thai soups and searing
salads.
IL PICCOLINO
449 Preston St., 613-236-8158
ilpiccolino.ca $$
Cuisine: Italian. Comfortable,
homey decor in a quirky house
where pasta and pizza dominate
the menu. Pretty summer patio
framed with grapevines.
IL PRIMO
371 Preston St., 613-234-6858 ilprimo.ca $$$
Cuisine: Italian. Il Piccolino’s sister restaurant, this one is more
formal, more contemporary. No
pizza, lots of pasta, tender veal,
inventive
antipasti.
STONEFACE DOLLY’S ON
PRESTON
416 Preston St., 613-564-2222
stonefacedollys.com $$
Cuisine: Eclectic. Thai soup, tarragon chicken, mussels, jerk
chicken, Thai red curry mussels,
jambalaya, and wacky pasta
ROD MACIVOR, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
Bella Milito offers comfort food at her Bella’s Bistro.
dishes, in modern surroundings
in Little Italy.
TRATTORIA CAFFE ITALIA
254 Preston St., 613-236-1081
trattoriaitalia.com $$$
Cuisine: Italian. Recently renovated, but red-and-white-check
cloths still cover the busy tables.
On the plate: kind portions of
fresh, carefully made, affordably
priced, traditional northern Italian food.
Hintonburg,West
Wellington,Westboro
ABSINTHE CAFE
1208 Wellington St., 613-7611138 absinthecafe.ca $$$
Cuisine: Bistro. Patrick Garland’s
food is seasonally sound, locally
sourced, and big on assertive
flavours. Warm tomato salad,
bacon-wrapped quail, red snapper, steak frîtes, profiteroles.
AGAVE GRILL
1331 Wellington St., 613-7285588 agaveottawa.ca $$
Cuisine: Mexican. Go for the
margaritas. Stay for the
guacamole, burritos, tender
steak bathed in a chipotle
chili sauce, and anything with
salsa verde on top.
ALLIUM
87 Holland Ave., 613-792-1313 alliumrestaurant.com $$$
Cuisine: Contemporary. Monday
night tapas at allium make Monday nights palatable. Other days,
chef-owner Arup Jana dishes up
big flavoured food, with particular pleasure found in game dishes and vegetarian arrangements.
ANNA
91 Holland Ave., 613-759-8472
thaitaste.ca $$
Cuisine: Thai. Traditional Thai
vestiges mingle with contemporary decor. Good satay, gingersteamed duck, prawn curry,
mango ice cream with mango
sauce.
BELLA’S BISTRO
1445 Wellington St., 613-7246439 bellas.ca $$$
10
Cuisine: Italian. Bella Milito prepares Italian comfort food, specializing in pasta fatta a casa,
along with the usual vitello, pollo
and pesci, all of it pretty primo.
CAFFE MIO
1379 Wellington St., 613-7615510 caffemio.ca $$
Cuisine: Italian. Soup and panini
on a sunny afternoon on the Mio
patio is pretty hard to beat. This
little neighbourhood restaurant
satisfies with good service, fair
prices and decent food.
CAFFE VENTUNO
1355 Wellington St., 613-7299121 $$
Cuisine: Italian. A modern-look
café attached to Nicastro’s upscale Italian food and cheese
shop. The menu offers pasta,
risotto, thin-crust pizza.
CANVAS
65 Holland Ave., 613-729-1991
canvasrestobar.ca $$$
Cuisine: Bistro. A petite space
with a petite menu of bistro dishes — scallops, steak frîtes, short
ribs, gnocchi, daily fish — named
in honour of the galleries and
theatre that surround it.
HABESHA
1087 Wellington St., 613-7616120 $
Cuisine: Ethiopian. Short menu,
cheap prices, plain room, and on
the menu, 10 fragrant and sometimes searing stews — beef,
lamb, chicken, pulses, vegetables — served with injera.
JUNIPER KITCHEN
AND WINE BAR
245 Richmond Rd., 613-7280220 juniperdining.ca $$$$
Cuisine: Modern Canadian. A
kitchen that looks locally for
quality ingredients and then
casts its net widely for inspiration. One of the neighbourhood’s
finest.
LES GRILLADES
85 Holland Ave., 613-792-3224
$$
Cuisine: Lebanese grill. Reopened after a fire and as good
as ever. Fabulous flame-grilled
chicken, hummus, roasted eggplant dips, grilled lamb, either for
sit-down or takeout.
Continued on the next page
T H E O T TAWA C I T I Z E N
FOOD & LIFE
2009
PART THREE: THE WESTERN FRONT
MHK SUSHI
429 Richmond Rd., 613-7980800 mhkrestaurant.com $$
Cuisine: Sushi. Fish swim in the
walls and on the menu of this
small, chic sushi restaurant. Seaweed salad to start, then à la
carte treats, or one of the MHK
maki platters.
MILAGRO GRILL
357 Richmond Rd., 613-722-8011
milagrogrill.com $$
Cuisine: Mexican. With an upscale decor and a drinks menu
that offers tequila by the “flight,”
Milagro is Tex Mex for grownups.
Food can be uneven. Upstairs patio is a treat.
PETIT BILL’S BISTRO
1293 Wellington St., 613-7292500 petitbillsbistro.ca $$$
Cuisine: Unpretentious restaurant offers small and large plates
of eclectic dishes — curry chicken to maple scallops to eggplant
can-nelloni.
PHNOM PENH
1100 Wellington St., 613-7228588
phnompenhnoodlehouse.com $
Cuisine: Cambodian and Chinese. The food is tasty, there’s
lots of it, prices are reasonable,
service is fast and friendly, and
the place has an engaging family-run feel.
SIAM BISTRO
1268 Wellington St., 613-7283111 siambistro.com $$
Cuisine: Thai. A handsome new
interior and the same familiar
line-up of standard Thai dishes.
Among its talents are its generous servings and pretty arrangements.
THE DINER
1385 Wellington St., 613-7987800 $$
Cuisine: Diner grub. An agreeably grown-up sort of diner,
where parents as well as their issue can feel at home. Hearty
breakfasts, good pot roast,
homemade soups, chicken pot
pie, burgers.
THE FOOLISH CHICKEN
79 Holland Ave., 613-321-4715
foolishchicken.ca $$
Cuisine: Chicken and ribs. Rotisserie chicken, gooey ribs and
homemade desserts are the
WAYNE CUDDINGTON, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
Chef-owner Arup Jana serves up ‘big-flavoured’ food at Allium Restaurant.
strengths at this affordable family restaurant.
THE LOCAL BAR
Irving Greenberg Theatre
Centre, 1227 Wellington St.,
613-236-5196 ext. 315 $$
Cuisine: Canadian. Open for
breakfast, lunch and dinner,
pre- and post-theatre nibbling,
with a short, straightforward
menu of well-flavoured dishes at
fair prices.
THE TABLE
1230 Wellington St.,
613-729-5973 $$
Cuisine: Vegetarian. Bright, utilitarian space for the orthodox
vegetarian to feast all day, every
day, at the pay-by-weight-ofloaded-plate buffet.
THE WORKS
326 Richmond Rd.,
613-564-0406
worksburger.com $
Cuisine: Burgers. Seven patties,
62 toppings, 12 upgrades make
for innumerable options and permutations for burgers and fries
at this busy, high-octane, familyfriendly joint.
TRIO
307-D Richmond Rd.,
613-722-3887 $$
Cuisine: Small plates, lounge
food. A teeny neighbourhood
eatery that’s breezy, quirky, affordable and allows you to drop
in at midnight for paté and pears,
pasta or pizza.
VILLAGE CAFE
295 Richmond Rd., 613-728-2162
thevillagecafe.net $$
Cuisine: Café. A casual
restaurant with an eclectic
menu — tandoori salmon,
Moroccan-style crab cakes,
Thai-style prawns. A soup
and sandwich lunch remains a
draw.
WELLINGTON GASTROPUB
1325 Wellington St., 613-7291315 thewellingtongastro
pub.com $$$
Cuisine: Canadian gastropub.
Fine dining in a relaxed venue:
Ottawa’s first gastropub offers a
short daily menu of seasonal
treats, many options for artisan
beer and an international wine
list.
11
Old Ottawa West
AMBER GARDEN and
DALMACIA RESTAURANT
1702 Carling Ave., 613-728-0000
ambergarden.net $$
Cuisine: Eastern European. Traditional dishes from the Baltic to
the Black seas — cabbage rolls,
pierogies, schnitzels, goulash,
kulebiaka, chicken Paprikash.
CARIBBEAN FLAVOURS
1659 Carling Ave., 613-237-9981
caribbeanflavours.net $$$
Cuisine: Caribbean. In a plainJane location, but nothing plain
about the cod cakes, jerk chicken, goat curry, rotis, saltfish, ackee and homemade ginger beer.
GOLDEN PALACE
2195 Carling Ave.,
613-820-8444 $
Cuisine: Chinese. This is the
sweet-and-sour, battered-andfried, red-dyed Cantonese treat
food of the 1960s, with legendary egg rolls. Now in its 50th
year of service.
Continued on the next page
T H E O T TAWA C I T I Z E N
FOOD & LIFE
2009
PART THREE: THE WESTERN FRONT
HO HO
875 Richmond Rd., 613-7229200 hohorestaurant.com $
Cuisine: Chinese. “Dine-in, takeout, we-deliver” restaurant with
strong west-end following. Locals come for the fresh food and
for the gracious family that
serves it.
LA CABANA
848 Merivale Rd., 613-724-7762
$
Cuisine: Latin American. A Salvadorian pupuseria with a menu
of fast, flavourful, filling food:
tamales, pupusas, whole fried
platanos, refried beans.
MERIVALE SEAFOOD GRILL
1480 Merivale Rd., 613-723-2476
$
Cuisine: Seafood. Fish from the
adjoining market is plucked off
the ice, steamed, grilled, battered, breaded, brochetted —
your choice.
MRS. LE
1766 Carling Ave., 613-798-5697
$
Cuisine: Vietnamese. All the
crunch-soft-pungent-fresh of
Vietnamese cuisine is here, in a
homey space. Lunch specials are
popular.
NOKHAM THAI
747 Richmond Rd., 613-7246620 $$
Cuisine: Thai. Pay attention to
the house specials at this popular place. Stuffed chicken wings,
tilapia in a red curry sauce, delicious mango and shrimp salad.
THEO’S
911 Richmond Rd., 613-728-0909
theosgreektaverna.com $$$
Cuisine: Greek. Hellenic music,
columns, frescos, the works.
Terrific things done with eggplant and lamb. Servings are
enormous.
Britannia
CEYLONTA
2920 Carling Ave, 613-828-7812
ceylonta.com $
Cuisine: Sri Lankan/ Indian.
A second home for this popular
Sri Lankan restaurant, you
find the same curry-leaved,
coconut-sweetened, tamarindtanged, chili-fired food of
Centrepointe
BAAN THAI
261 Centrepointe Dr., 613-2267604 $
Cuisine: Thai. The soups are fullbodied, lip-tingling, sinus-clearing
brews, the salads have some attitude, the stir-fries are perked
with generous amounts of basil
and garlic, and the curries have
heat and perfume.
Bells Corners
PAT MCGRATH, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
The Vietnamese and Chinese food at Tom Trinh and An Tran’s
Fuschian restaurant in Chinatown is fresh, hot and fast.
dles, coriander chicken and
tamarind shrimp.
TAJ
3009 Carling Ave., 613-726-6955
$
Cuisine: Indian. Typical north Indian fare that distinguishes itself
through the lustiness of its spicing, the long drenching marinades and the expertise with the
tandoor.
LINDENHOF
365 Forest St., 613-725-3481 thelindenhof.com $$
Cuisine: European. On the menu,
wiener schnitzel, ham hock,
sauerbraten, bratwurst, apple
fritters. On the plate, lots. On the
bill, not much. On the floor, nice
people.
Sri Lanka here in the west as you
do downtown.
LITTLE INDIA CAFE
66 Wylie Ave., 613-828-2696 littleindiacafe.com $
Cuisine: Indian. Hole in the wall
(under renovation) offers Indian
cooking from the north and
mystic south — silky butter
chicken, complex lamb bhuna
and admirable vegetarian
dishes.
SINGAPORE
69 Kempster Ave., 613-820-4119
$
Cuisine: Asian. Mostly
Malaysian fare, with some Chinese, Indian and Thai influences.
Curry puffs are must-eats.
So are satays, Singapore noo-
Anne DesBrisay is the author of
Capital Dining: A Guide for Dining Out in Canada’s Capital.
Check out her website at www.capitaldining.ca.
12
A TASTE OF JAPAN
3710 Richmond Rd., 613-7217675 tasteofjapan.ca $$
Cuisine: Japanese. In the suburban sprawl, Japanese food that is
a cut above. Miso-marinated
mackerel, scallops flamed in
wine, beef katsu, along with all
the raw snacks.
CYRANOS
39 Robertson Rd., 613-721-0510
$$
Cuisine: Mediterranean. A longrunning Bells Corners restaurant.
Strengths are in homemade
breads, pastas and pizzas, fresh
seafood and luscious desserts.
LAPOINTE SEAFOOD GRILL
194 Robertson Rd., 613-5969655 lapointefish.ca $$
Cuisine: Seafood. One of a half
dozen Lapointes, these are fish
cafés attached to fish markets,
each with similar menus. Beerbatter fish and chips, grilled
swordfish with a lime caper
sauce, fresh mussels.
SUKHOTHAI
134 Robertson Rd., Unit 10,
613-829-1010
sukhothairestaurant.ca $$
Cuisine: Thai. Service is bright
in this dated, dimly lit restaurant
set back in a strip mall. Dishes
are predictable. Highlights: beef
with basil and chili and green
curry of chicken.
WEST END STATION BISTRO
3659 Richmond Rd., 613-7219639 westendstation.ca $$$$
Cuisine: International. Nicely
refurbished Bells Corners restaurant offers a fine dining option
in a part of town in need of it.
Good soup, mussels, crème
brulée.
T H E O T TAWA C I T I Z E N
FOOD & LIFE
2009
PART FOUR: THE MIDDLE EAST
New Edinburgh ■ Vanier ■ Manor Park ■ Gloucester
■ Ottawa East ■ Alta Vista ■ Hunt Club ■ South Keys
BY ANNE DESBRISAY
T
oday, the Dining Guide
takes us to neighbourhoods more or less east
of the Rideau River but
still within the greenbelt.
We start in the north with
the Beechwood Avenue strip
(neighbourhood restaurants
serving Rockcliffe Park, New
Edinburgh, Lindenlea, Manor
Park and Vanier, but that attract clients from farther
away).
From there, we head east to
where Montreal Road becomes St. Joseph Boulevard.
And since the Rideau is a
winding river, we also drift
south, through Alta Vista,
down to Hunt Club and South
Keys.
I recommend every restaurant here (though some with
reservations, sometimes noted). They’re expensive, cheap
and everything in between,
and fancy and casual — whatever your mood.
As always, I provide a caution: This guide, like my weekly reviews, is based on my experiences. As they say on TV,
individual results may vary.
New Edinburgh/
Vanier/Manor Park
EL MESON
94 Beechwood Ave., 613-7448484 elmeson.ca $$$
Cuisine: Spanish/Portuguese.
Stately old house in New
BRUNO SCHLUMBERGER, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
Brothers Simon and Ross Fraser’s tasty food at their Fraser Café on Beechwood Avenue in New
Edinburgh draws hungry diners from across Ottawa.
Edinburgh serves hearty dishes
of the Iberian Peninsula: garlic
soup with chorizo, zarzuela,
paella, filet of beef with cepes.
Finish with crema Catalana.
FARBS KITCHEN AND WINE
BAR
18 Beechwood Ave., 613-7446509 farbskitchen.com $$$
Cuisine: Canadian. A short list
of wintry dishes on a February
menu at the new Farbs — oxtail
ravioli, smoked pork chops with
roasted apple, braised lamb
shanks with garlic polenta.
Food was solid, but service was
soft.
FRASER CAFE
143 Putman Ave., 613-749-1444
frasercafe.ca $$$ Cuisine:
13
Canadian. Small, cramped,
endearingly cluttered, this
former hamburger joint has
been turned by the Fraser
brothers into a neighbourhood
gem with a short list of
Canadian comfort food. The
“kitchen surprise” is fun.
Continued on the next page
T H E O T TAWA C I T I Z E N
FOOD & LIFE
2009
PART FOUR: THE MIDDLE EAST
FRATELLI
7 Springfield Ave., 613-749-3369
fratelli.ca $$$
Cuisine: Italian. The fourth
Fratelli in a chain of five, this one
has the same modish decor,
Italian-ish cuisine, and midrange prices. Good soups,
carpaccio, house antipasti plate.
IL VAGABONDO
186 Barette St., 613-749-4877 $$
Cuisine: Italian. On a skinny side
street just off the main
Beechwood Avenue restaurant
row, this modest Italian bistro
may just have the best lasagna in
town.
Gloucester/
Ottawa East
CHAHAYA MALAYSIA
1690 Montreal Rd., 613-7420242 $
Cuisine: Malaysian. A long menu
is divided into Malaysian,
Indonesian and vegetarian
sections. Flame-throwing dishes
(chili-fried squid) along with
milder ones (Singapore noodles)
and those that linger in the
middle (the rendang Java).
COCONUT LAGOON
853 St. Laurent Blvd., 613-7424444 coconutlagoon.ca $
Cuisine: South Indian. This eastender cooks dishes from the
south, specifically from Kerala,
where rice, coconuts, fish and
root vegetables abound,
prepared with intoxicating
spices.
HOST INDIA
622 Montreal Rd., 613-746-4678
hostindiaca.com $
Cuisine: Indian. The wood-fired
tandoors get much credit for the
superior flavour of breads and
meats at this cavernous
restaurant. But sauces are also a
cut above, and prices a cut
below.
LE SAINT O
327 St. Laurent Blvd., 613-7499703 lesainto.com $$$
Cuisine: French. An enduring
French restaurant that continues
to offer a menu of French
classics with Québécois accents:
ris de veau with local honey,
duck confit with maple syrup.
Price guide
Loosely based on a three-course
dinner for two, with taxes, but
before drinks or tip.
$: Less than $40
$$: $40 to $70
$$$: $71 to $100
$$$$: More than $100
Unless stated otherwise, all
restaurants accept major credit
cards and reservations, and
many now have websites where
you will find their menus and
hours of operation. Call about
wheelchair accessibility.
Alta Vista/
Hunt Club/South Keys
festooned with the elephants
that are its namesake. Good
seafood, fragrant curries, wellbalanced pad Thai.
FLYING PIGGY’S BISTRO
ITALIANO
1665 Bank St., 613-526-4900
flyingpiggys.com $$
Cuisine: Italian. Affordable, tasty
food served by a kind crew in
AIYARA THAI CUISINE
1590 Walkley Rd., 613-526-1703
$$
Cuisine: Thai. Service is
soothing and attention to detail a
cut above at the sister-run
Aiyara, found in a mini-mall and
JEAN LEVAC, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
Ratana Phanrat is one of the sisters who run Thai Lanna
restaurant on Bank Street.
14
busy, unpretentious
surroundings. Soups are a
strength, so are mussels,
homemade pasta, pecan pie.
NAPO FARM TO TABLE
1542 Bank St., 613-523-9595
napofood.ca $$$
Cuisine: Italian. In a little brick
house bordered by traffic and
industry, Napo Farm to Table
creates simple, flavourful Italianinspired dishes, devoid of any
attention-seeking chic. Bread
salad with grilled squid, duck
with blood oranges, lamb shank,
deconstructed tiramisu.
PELICAN FISHERY AND GRILL
1500 Bank St., 613-526-0995
pelicanfisheryandgrill.com $$
Cuisine: Seafood. A longrunning suburban fish café
attached to a fishmonger where
the bill of fare is all fish, the
service all kind and the prices
kept reasonable.
THAI LANNA
2401 Bank St., 613-249-9524
thailanna.ca $$
Cuisine: Thai. Another tiny gem
run by sisters. The ambience is
perfectly pleasant, and the food
is fresh-tasting with good,
strong flavours and plenty of
contrasting textures.
VERANDA D’OR
4 Lorry Greenberg Dr., 613-7361965 $
Cuisine: Chinese. Family-run
strip-mall restaurant
concentrates on the cooking of
the Szechwan province. Top
marks to the fish specials and
the authentically hot Szechwan
dishes.
VITTORIA TRATTORIA
3625 Riverside Dr., 613-731-8959
riverside.vittoriatrattoria.com
$$$
Cuisine: Italian. Two Vittorias —
the original in the ByWard
Market and this newer location
in Ottawa South — both with
exceptional wine lists and a food
list that touches the basics —
pasta, pizza, veal.
Anne DesBrisay is the author of
Capital Dining: A Guide for Dining
Out in Canada’s Capital. Check out
her website at capitaldining.ca.
T H E O T TAWA C I T I Z E N
FOOD & LIFE
2009
PART FIVE: AROUND THE EDGES
Kanata ■ Stittsville ■ Carp ■ Barrhaven
■ Manotick ■ Orléans ■ Out of town
PAT MCGRATH, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
Chef Bruce Enloe of The Branch Restaurant in Kemptville specializes in local, made-from-scratch, seasonal fare.
BY ANNE DESBRISAY
T
his second-last instalment of the Dining Guide
takes us to the restaurants
on the edges of Ottawa— those
found beyond the greenbelt in
the growing communities of
Stittsville, Kanata, Carp, Barrhaven, Manotick and Orléans.
And then we go farther
still, into the tastiest bits of
the Ottawa Valley — to
Kemptville and Carleton
Place and an old house near
Arnprior with home-grown
fare.
bombay-masala.com $
Cuisine: Indian. Kanata dotcommers descend on the noon
buffet. At dinner, the room is
more peaceful and the à la carte
menu holds more appeal.
Tandoor dishes are a cut above.
FRATELLI
499 Terry Fox Dr., 613-592-0225
fratelli.ca $$$
Cuisine: Italian. This was No. 2 in
Kanata/Stittsville/Carp
BOMBAY MASALA
591 March Rd., 613-599-0090
15
the now-five strong Fratelli
empire. Past strengths here have
included the house Caesar
dressed in robust style, the
carpaccio, and the rack of lamb.
Award-winning wine list is
extensive, as is the built-in
storage system that is part
practical, part art.
Continued on the next page
T H E O T TAWA C I T I Z E N
FOOD & LIFE
2009
PART FIVE: AROUND THE EDGES
PERSPECTIVES AT
BROOKSTREET HOTEL
525 Legget Dr., 613-271-1800
brookstreet.ca $$$$
Cuisine: Contemporary. Dining
room of swanky Kanata hotel
takes us on a culinary ride with an
ambitious menu of multi-faceted
dishes. Lamb with lobster-stuffed
brioche, scallops with chorizo,
pineapple and coriander.
POCO PAZZO
6081 Hazeldean Rd., 613-8367100 pocopazzo.com $$
Cuisine: Italian. Crayola-coloured
and cute, in a new strip mall in
Stittsville, Poco Pazzo (“a little
crazy”) devotes most of its menu
to pasta dishes. Prices are in an
affordable range, which keeps the
funky little place filled.
THE SWAN AT CARP
108 Falldown Lane, 613-8397926 $$
Cuisine: Eclectic. While the
interior remains much as it was
— Presbyterian parsonage meets
pub — the food does not. You can
still get a steak and mushroom
pie or a bucket of wings, but turn
the page to miso-marinated
chicken, Korean pork bulgogi, and
escargots with wild mushrooms
in a beurre blanc. Don’t miss
dessert.
its big, inventive salads, yummy
bread, pizzas and wines by the
glass.
LA PORTO A CASA
3500 Fallowfield Rd., 613-8430825 $$
Cuisine: Italian. A cheery
mom-and-pop restaurant that
offers sturdy, home-cooked food
(pasta, pizza, veal, tiramisu) at
prices that keep the place
packed.
PAESANO
1160 Beaverwood Rd., 613-6926100 $$$
Cuisine: Italian. The corner unit
in the Manotick Mews, but more
impressive once you’re through
the front door, Paesano offers
a traditional Italian menu
bolstered with daily specials —
roasted halibut in a niçoise sauce,
linguine bistecca, admirable
crème brulée.
PHO THI FUSION
4-129 Riocan Ave., 613-825-3325
$
Cuisine: Asian eclectic. A newish
restaurant next to a newish
megaplex, Pho Thi Fusion forays
into upscale looks and prettily
arranged pan-Asian offerings,
with a menu of popular
Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai
dishes, plus a page of sushi.
Barrhaven/Manotick
Orléans
BARRHAVEN VIETNAMESE
RESTAURANT
16-3777 Strandherd Dr., 613-8254567 $
Cuisine: Vietnamese. All the pho,
mi, bun, banh hoi, xao and lau
(noodle soups, vermicelli dishes,
wrap and roll platters, stirfries
and fondues) we’ve come to
expect in a Vietnamese
restaurant, but there are other
distractions on the long menu too
— snails with curry, lemongrass
and peanut, salt and pepper beef
rib, deep-fried squash with honey
and ice cream.
FIAMMA
3750 Strandherd Dr., 613-8435263 fiamma.ca $$$
Cuisine: Italian. A welcome
alternative to the usual suburban
chain eateries, Fiamma scores big
points on atmosphere, and with
CAFE TOURNESOL
2564 St. Joseph Blvd., 613-8245049 $$
Cuisine: Café. Can only vouch
for the club sandwiches and
ample breakfasts, but I
understand they also serve
weekend dinners and end of week
tapas, in a suburban-countrydiner-looking space brightened
with sunflower art.
LITTLE TURKISH VILLAGE
2095 St. Joseph Blvd., 613-8245557 $
Cuisine: Turkish. Longestablished, busy communityminded restaurant serving
generous portions of rib-sticking
Turkish food — shish kebabs,
seafood, lamb.
Price guide
Loosely based on a three-course
dinner for two, with taxes, but
before drinks or tip.
$: Less than $40
$$: $40 to $70
$$$: $71 to $100
$$$$: More than $100
Unless stated otherwise, all
restaurants accept major credit
cards and reservations, and
many now have websites where
you will find their menus and
hours of operation. Call about
wheelchair accessibility.
PAT MCGRATH, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
Chef David Ngo offers specialty sushi at Pho Thi Fusion
restaurant in Barrhaven.
Continued on the next page
16
T H E O T TAWA C I T I Z E N
FOOD & LIFE
2009
PART FIVE: AROUND THE EDGES
RANGOLI INDIAN CUISINE AND
SWEETS
2491 St. Joseph Blvd., 613-8344549 rangoli.ca $
Cuisine: Indian. Tables are
packed into this colourful space,
and most are filled. Rangoli is
busy because the food is good —
homemade chutneys, breads and
a long list of Indian sweets.
THE WORKS
900 Watters Rd., 613-824-0406
worksburger.com $
Cuisine: Burgers. The fifth
location in a chain of “burger
bistros” with the same menu of
poutine and onion rings,
sandwiches and wacky-named
burgers — eight kinds, 66
toppings, and a dozen
“upgrades.”
Out of town
BALLYGIBLIN’S
151 Bridge St. Carleton Place,
613-253-7400 ballygiblins.ca $$
Cuisine: Eclectic. An odd blend
of pub (deep-fried pickles,
nachos) and fine dining (wild
salmon, heirloom tomatoes, local
pork) with a sidebar of
sandwiches, burgers, mussels
JOHN MAJOR, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
Rangoli Indian Cuisine and Sweets in Orléans is busy because the food served by owners
Charanjit Singh and his wife Gurvinder Kaur is good.
CHRIS MIKULA, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
Clifford Lyness is new executive chef at Perspectives.
GOOD FOOD COMPANY
31 Bridge St., Carleton Place, 613257-7284 $$
Cuisine: Eclectic. Cheery space
of mismatched chairs, batikcovered tables, a takeout counter
and excellent home-cooked
comfort food. The short menu
leans in all kinds of directions,
from Thai curries to shrimp with
olives, basil and feta, to lemon
trifle with local berries.
SAM JAKES INN
118 Main St. East, Merrickville,
613-269-3711 samjakesinn.com
$$$
Cuisine: Canadian. Chef Thomas
Riding is a Scot trained by a
Swiss and his experience
includes hunting lodges in the
northern Highlands, but he’s
committed to a Valley-first
and ribs. Homemade desserts.
CASTLEGARTH
90 Burnstown Rd., White Lake,
613-623-3472 castlegarth.ca $$$
Cuisine: Canadian. Lanterns
flicker in the windows of this
heritage building, once a post
office, now a seriously good rural
restaurant. Raw materials are
mostly home-reared or sourced
locally, and they elevate the
Canadian dishes that fill a onepage daily menu.
FITZGERALD’S
7 Mill St., Almonte, 613-256-2524
$$$ fitzgeraldsrestaurant.ca $$$
Cuisine: Bistro. Upscale dining
provided by two talented young
chefs in a restored woollen mill
— duck confit, scallops,
cornmeal-crusted chicken,
potato rosti.
17
philosophy. Autumn menu
included squash soup, housecured gravlax, local lamb, roast
duck with fennel.
THE BRANCH
15 Clothier St. E., Kemptville,
613-258-3737
thebranchrestaurant.ca $$
Cuisine: Canadian. There’s a
casual, energetic vibe in this old
room. Locals gather at the bar,
artists gather on the walls,
musicians jam. The feel may be
informal, but the food is
accomplished — fresh, unfussy,
made-from-scratch seasonal
fare by chef Bruce Enloe.
Anne DesBrisay is the author of
Capital Dining: A Guide for Dining
Out in Canada’s Capital. Check out
her website at capitaldining.ca.
T H E O T TAWA C I T I Z E N
FOOD & LIFE
2009
PART SIX: ACROSS THE OTTAWA RIVER
Aylmer ■ Hull ■ Chelsea
Wakefield ■ Papineauville ■ Messines
■
■
BY ANNE DESBRISAY
F
or this sixth and final
instalment of the
Dining Guide by
neighbourhood, we
cross the Ottawa River to
explore the gastronomy of
Gatineau and the Outaouais.
From the dazzling French
regional cuisine at Le Baccara
in the Casino du Lac Leamy
to the chewy pies at the
wildly popular Piz’za-za in
Old Hull; from promising
newcomers like Bistro StJacques to the old-timer Le
Pied de Cochon, which has
been dishing up steak tartare
since 1976, there is lots to
choose from.
The region still seems to
me haunted by the absence of
the iconic Café Henry Burger,
which closed in 2006 after 83
years of distinguished
service. In its place is a Thai
restaurant filled with patrons
in jeans chowing down on
pad Thai. Progress, I
suppose. And yet, we mourn.
It’s worth venturing out of
Gatineau into the
countryside, to the quirky
little restaurant Chez Eric
(named for a goldfish) in
Wakefield, or to the muchcelebrated Les Fougères in
Chelsea, which seems to me
better each visit.
This guide is meant to
direct you to those
restaurants I feel I can
recommend — some
BRUNO SCHLUMBERGER, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
Marianne Johner and Rachid Belamri serve delicious food at the well-hidden L'Echelle de Jacob in
Aylmer.
unequivocally, some with
some reservation, that might
suit a mood or a budget.
There’s a lot of good eating
in this chapter of the guide.
So let’s get to it!
Cuisine: French. A well-hidden,
well-established restaurant on
the second floor of a century-old
mill. Local goat cheese soufflé,
scallops ceviche, wild mushroom charlotte, perfect profiteroles.
BIFSTRO MARIN
11 Front St., 819-685-0123
pages.videotron.com/bifstro
$$$
Cuisine: Seafood and steak. The
Aylmer
L’ECHELLE DE JACOB
27, boul. Lucerne, 819-684-1040
lechelledejacob.ca $$$
18
30 seats inside, mostly constantly filled, plus about 20
more when the patio opens,
keep owner Flo flying around
this cluttered little space. She is
much the pleasure of this bistro.
The generous portions of steak
and seafood prepared by her
husband Sandy are the other.
Continued on the next page
T H E O T TAWA C I T I Z E N
FOOD & LIFE
2009
PART SIX: ACROSS THE OTTAWA RIVER
Price guide
CHRIS MIKULA , THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
Chef Lucas Hornblower and owners Tina Cobb and Vincent
Denis of Bistro St-Jacques offer gracious service and carefully
sourced food.
Hull
AROME
3 boul. du Casino, 819-790-6410
hiltonlacleamy.com $$$$
Cuisine: Grill and seafood. The
dining room of the Hilton Lac
Leamy offers a menu of seafood
and meat, mostly from the grill
— steaks, ribs, Kobe beef hamburgers — but also from the
oven (prime rib, pork sous vide)
and the smoker (house-smoked
chicken and salmon.)
BISTRO ST-JACQUES
51 rue St-Jacques, 819-420-0189
bistrostjacques.ca $$$
Cuisine: French Canadian Bistro.
Carefully sourced raw materials,
prepared in comforting ways —
roasted vegetable soup, warm
mushroom salad, duck confit,
lovely desserts — are paired
with gracious service at this new
bistro.
CHEZ FATIMA
125 prom. du Portage, 819-7717568 $$
Cuisine: Moroccan. If you have
yet to experience what tasty
things happen when a lamb has
lain down with a preserved
lemon for a few hours, Fatima’s
place (recently moved from up
the road) is a good introduction.
CHEZ LE THAI
39 rue Laval, 819-770-7227 chezlethai.com $$
Cuisine: Thai. A dimly lit restaurant with bright food. All the hot-
Loosely based on a three-course
dinner for two, with taxes, but
before drinks or tip.
$: Less than $40
$$: $40 to $70
$$$: $71 to $100
$$$$: More than $100
Unless stated otherwise, all
restaurants accept major credit
cards and reservations, and
many now have websites where
you will find their menus and
hours of operation. Call about
wheelchair accessibility.
sour-salty-sweet we want in
Thai food; ingredient-focused
and fairly priced.
DELISH
45 rue Laval, 819-771-3456 $
Cuisine: Café. You order from a
display case with seasonal stylishness and either take it away
and relish it, or else find a perch
at this 10-chair/six-stool café
with a liquor licence.
FLEUR DE SEL
59 rue Laval, 819-772-8596 $$
Cuisine: Vegetarian. Serene and
pretty, with fish on the evening
menu for pescetarians — pickerel with mango ratatouille, shrimp
with arugula, lentil and cashew
terrine — and now with crêpes.
(See L’Argoat.)
L’ARGOAT
59 rue Laval, 819-772-8596 $$
Cuisine: Crêpes/galettes. Former fans of this upper deck
galetteria, who may have noticed it’s been supplanted (see
Le Café d’en Haut), do not despair. You will rediscover it sharing space and a menu with the
vegetarian restaurant Fleur de
Sel a few doors away.
LA GAZELLE
33B rue Gamelin, 819-777-3850
$$
Cuisine: Moroccan. In a vibrant
room of 10 tables, you find a traditional menu of tagines, brochettes and couscous dishes.
Lamb with prunes, honey, almonds; chicken with preserved
lemon, cumin, onion, olives and
artichokes. Mint tea and Moroccan wines.
LE BACCARA
1 boul. du Casino, 819-772-6210
casino-du-lac-leamy.com $$$$
Cuisine: French. Fine dining
restaurant of the Casino. Chef
Serge Rourre’s cooking is an-
chored in solid French traditions, but filled with toothsome
flights of fancy. Magnificent
presentations. Magnificent
wine cellar. One of the region’s
best.
LE CAFE D’EN HAUT
39A rue Laval, 819-770-9997 $$
Cuisine: French bistro. Opened
early in 2009, in the upper space
vacated by L’Argoat, with a short,
daily menu of fresh, seasonal
fare — soups, fresh fish, homemade terrines — at a price point
that will have you climbing the
stairs often.
LE PANACHE
201 rue Eddy, 819-777-7771 $$$
Cuisine: French. Reliably good
French and Mediterranean cooking complemented by a generous wine cellar and charming
service in a petite, dated-looking
space.
LE PIED DE COCHON
242 rue Montcalm, 819-7775808 lepieddecochon.ca $$$
Cuisine: French bistro. Since
1976, a no-nonsense lineup of
Parisian bistro classics. Some
things are done very well, like
the steak tartare, duck confit,
the daily fish.
LE SANS PAREIL
71 boul. St-Raymond, 819-7711471 lesanspareil.com $$$
Cuisine: Belgian/French. More
charming from within than without, but once within, inspired
French and Belgian cuisine with
emphasis on fish, seafood and
game. Of course, moules et
frites, but also venison in a Belgian beer sauce, apricot-roasted
duck breast with braised Belgian
endive, and a fine chocolate ending. Delightful.
19
Continued on the next page
T H E O T TAWA C I T I Z E N
FOOD & LIFE
2009
PART SIX: ACROSS THE OTTAWA RIVER
LE TARTUFFE
133 rue Notre-Dame, 819-7766424 letartuffe.com $$$
Cuisine: French. In a lovely old
house, the principles of modern
French cuisine are applied to regional produce: cranberrystuffed roasted quail, pheasant
with wild mushrooms, crème
brulée.
LOTUS ROYAL THAI
101 rue Montcalm, 819-7780559 $$
Cuisine: Thai. Thai food with all
the right stuff. Excellent soups,
panaeng, spring rolls, satay and
fish curries.
PAPAYE VERTE
69 rue Laurier, 819-777-0404
greenpapaya.ca $$
Cuisine: Thai. Not sure what
Madame Burger would make of
neau nam tok, but this pretty
beef salad, along with a few
dozen other Thai dishes (soups,
curries, stirfries, rice and noodle
dishes), fill the menu of this third
location of the Green Papaya
restaurants, in digs once occupied for some 83 years by Café
Henry Burger.
PIZ’ZA-ZA
36 rue Laval, 819-771-0565 pizzaza.ca $$
Cuisine: Pizza. This cheerfully
French and jampacked restaurant is mostly about pizza and
wine, but also about lemon pie.
STERLING RESTAURANT
835 rue Jacques Cartier, 819568-8788
sterlingrestaurant.com $$$$
Cuisine: Steak and seafood. Spacious, dramatic dining, where a
cornucopia of cuts and
weights of premium steak
share a luxury menu with
oversized seafood.
Chelsea/Wakefield
CAFE SOUP’HERBE
168 chemin Old Chelsea,
819-827-7687
soupherbe.com $
Cuisine: Vegetarian.
There’s more than veggie
soup to like at this little
house in the woods in
Chelsea. The burrito has
ample flavour, the chili has
PAT MCGRATH, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
bite and brawn, and the pizzas boast fresh toppings
Game terrine is a constant on chef
and a tasty crust. HomeChe Chartrand’s commendably
made desserts.
short menu at Chez Eric.
CHEZ ERIC
28 Valley Dr., Wakefield, 819has changed hands and purpose
459-3747 cafechezeric.ca $$$
over its 170-year history, but it
Cuisine: Canadian. The blackhas been operated as an inn
board menu changes regularly
since 2000. Its restaurant offers
and is commendably short. On it
a short menu of contemporary
you will likely always find a game dishes, some with Asian notes —
terrine, dinner salads, somesmoked beef maki and ginger
times fish and chips, pasta with
cream; scallops with a green tea
local mushrooms, and magnifibeurre blanc.
cent duck.
LES FOUGERES
Out of town
783 Route 105, Chelsea, 819827-8942 fougeres.ca $$$$
LA TABLE DE PIERRE DELAHAYE
Cuisine: Canadian. Impeccably
247 rue Papineau, Papineauville,
sourced raw materials prepared
819-427-5027 latabledepierrewith contemporary flair at this
delahaye.ca $$$
lauded Chelsea restaurant. PotaCuisine: French. Lacy French
to soup with smoked Arctic char,
restaurant that specializes in the
scallops teamed with salt cod,
cooking of the apple-rich region
lamb drenched with Indian
of Normandy: escargots with
spices, chocolate tart with blueCalvados, ris de veau braised
berry compote.
with apples, apple tart.
L’OREE DU BOIS
MAISON LA CREMAILLERE
15 chemin Kingsmere, Chelsea,
24 chemin de la Montagne,
819-827-0332 oreeduboisMessines, 1-877-465-2202 lacrerestaurant.com $$$
maillere.qc.ca $$$
Cuisine: French. Long-estabCuisine: French. The focus of
lished, rustic-looking restaurant
chef Andrée Roger’s table d’hôte
in Gatineau Hills forest setting
is on local, seasonal and Quebec
serves unrepentantly old-school
ingredients, prepared in classic
French favourites: fish soup, esFrench style. The focus of somcargots, duck confit, seafood pot melier André Dompierre’s list is
au feu. Regional products
on wines to match his wife’s good
abound and chocolate enthusicooking. Reservations essential.
asts are well served.
WAKEFIELD MILL INN
Anne DesBrisay is the author of
60 Mill Rd., 819-459-1838 wakeCapital Dining: A Guide for Dining
fieldmill.com $$$$
Out in Canada’s Capital. Check out
Cuisine: Contemporary. The mill
her website at capitaldining.ca.
JANA CHYTILOVA , THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
Robert Noël, head chef at Le Sans Pareil in Old Hull, delivers
delightful French and Belgian cuisine, such as apricot-roasted
duck breast on Belgian endive.
20