In this article, I’m excited to share a recent addition to Ottawa’s already-fantastic Vietnamese food scene: Mama Mai

Chả giò (spring rolls) here are a solid starter. Crisp and toothsome, they take the edge off your hunger and set the tone for the coming feast. If fried bites aren’t your thing, get the delicious gỏi cuốn (summer rolls) instead.

What’s a Vietnamese restaurant without phở? Mama Mai comes through with flying colours here. Offering just 8 meat arrangements1, the menu offers a carefully curated subset of all possible combinations. The broth is deeply flavourful, onions are plentiful, and accompanying herbs are fresh.

Large is indeed generous. Share it along with another dish, or choose Medium and leave room for dessert. Either way you can’t lose!

Cơm (rice) with various nướng (grilled) meats is another delicious Vietnamese staple. Mama Mai’s version is beautifully presented, with nicely grilled and savoury meats, a mound of aromatic rice, an optimally tapered bowl of nước chấm, and a generous pile of fresh vegetables. The only downside is the melamine bamboo plate that has a tendency to rattle about if you get a little too excited while eating — and you will.

Perhaps my favourite Vietnamese meal of all time, bún bò Huế (round rice noodles in beef soup, Huế style) is a deliciously spicy, lemongrass-scented, beef and pork soup that lights up all your tastebuds in unison. 🔥 Mama Mai’s version might be the best I’ve ever had and I enjoyed it to the very last drop. I always ask for flat rice noodles (bánh phở)2 because I prefer them to the traditional thick round vermicelli (bún).

Before the owners of Mama Mai opened their restaurant in December 2025, they operated a bánh mì stall inside Bayshore Shopping Centre. I don’t have a lot of experience with bánh mì, but I do know what I like. Loaded with zesty veggies in a wonderfully fresh bun lined with tasty meats, this is top notch. They bake the bread each day and they do sell out, so go early if your heart is set on one of these. ❤️

Interestingly, one of their bánh mì offerings is made with “pulled pork” jackfruit instead of the more typical meats and paté. Spicy and sweet, it works really well as a vegan option.

Let’s talk about dessert! Fried bananas with ice cream are a ubiquitous and delicious option in many Vietnamese restaurants. Mama Mai launches theirs over the moon with a succulent coconut cream sauce, whose addictive salty-sweet tongue tickling leaves you wishing you hadn't agreed to share.

Keeping it Fresh

Every weekend, they announce a special item that isn’t on their regular menu. Past offerings have included various incarnations of bún riêu (tomato crab soup), bò kho (beef stew), bún chả (IYKYK) and even bún măng vịt (duck and bamboo noodle soup). Follow their Instagram account to stay up to date: @mamamai.ottawa

I really loved their bún chả Hả Nội special one weekend! Loaded with herbs (perilla, basil, mint), veggies, and a bonus rice paper spring roll, this platter tasted at least as good as my previous favourite at Phở Tây Hồ in Montreal.

Crossing That Artificially Drawn Line

Pre-clearing US customs at Ottawa’s airport is a welcome convenience. Arms in the air for a full body scan1, a brief wait in the CBP (US Customs and Border Protection) line, some low-heat grilling about hotel bookings, followed by a saunter to the departure gate without the arrival-hall frenzy typically awaiting international passengers. It’s a small luxury that feels less like crossing an international boundary and more like boarding an unusually bureaucratic domestic flight.

The US customs officer asked the purpose of my visit and as I began to reply he interjected with, “I can’t hear you, you’re mumbling!”—likely due to the thick plexiglass shield between us and also because I was mumbling. I repositioned my mouth near the speak hole and replied loudly and clearly thereafter. The guard was enthusiastic about both my destination and my hotel, which he claimed to know well. As a white man born in North America, all of my experiences with US customs officers have been positive.2

I was somewhat dismayed to see an ICE 🧊 booth guarding the entrance to the US pre-clearance waiting area. But then I realized the acronym stood for International Currency Exchange. 😅

Vi(v)a Chicago!

If you find yourself flying United and you’ve also discovered the joy of airborne tomato juice, definitely check out their new Pickle House offering. I found it to be perfectly balanced and delightful over ice. 🧊

My connection through Chicago delivered the standard dose of O’Hare drama. After 45 minutes of stop-and-go taxiing before parking, our relaxed 1-hour layover had withered into a 10-minutes-until-boarding culinary crisis. Traveling on a Sunday evening, this would be my last opportunity for hot food until Monday morning. So I grabbed a Polish sausage from America’s Dog and wolfed it down, sport peppers and mustard threatening to tag my t-shirt like some Windy City writer making their mark. Not my finest travel moment, but at least the wiener was worthy!

Schilo’s is the Shizzle

A midnight checkin resulted in a leisurely 8am (9am EST) wakeup. Day one breakfast at Schilo’s kicked my week off to a hearty start. This 1917 delicatessen serves up schnitzels and sauerkraut in a city with deep German roots. Waves of immigration in the mid-1800s left San Antonio with more German speakers than English speakers for several decades, and their culinary legacy persists. Schilo’s has character in every corner and a menu that likely hasn’t chased food trends since Prohibition. Reminding me I was no longer in Canada, the offerings were peppered with Bible quotes and my super sociable server wished a blessed day upon me as I made my way out the door.

It being breakfast time, I opted for the Papa Fritz Breakfast with a potato pancake on the side. I chose “biscuit” as my bread choice and was presented with two biscuits accompanied by a bowl of that ubiquitous southern cream gravy. The potato pancake showed up with both sour cream and house made apple sauce. This meal was pure comfort and it filled me up so much that I skipped lunch, but I look forward to returning one day to taste their house made root beer.

The River Walk

San Antonio’s famous River Walk formed the focus of my visit, since I had company commitments from late Monday afternoon through Thursday morning and our hotel opened directly onto the meandering riverside. The Walk is like a parallel city one level below street traffic, featuring bowed bridges, burbling waterfalls, and majestic cypress trees. The whole thing is unabashedly touristy and blatantly commercial, and yet its charms somehow still feel genuine.

Each morning before 10 am, the River Walk is sprayed down by cleaning crews wielding barge-mounted pressure washers. The loud Internal Combustion Engines (more ICE? 🧊) inject some fossil-fueled Texas character into the otherwise tranquil Walk. At night, the river transforms into something magical, with strategic lighting reflecting off the water while wandering musicians approach outdoor diners, competing for attention and tips.

I found an Egyptian Goose perched on the Kallison Love Lock Bridge, at the western end of the River Walk. The bird seemed equally unimpressed by both padlocked romance and gawking tourist.

Lest the exotic goose cause me to forget I was in Texas, a sign warned me to keep my handguns3 concealed, atop a more familiar no smoking notice. 🚫

The Alamo à la mode

Located just off the northeast corner of the River Walk, the famous Alamo turned out to be more dignified than its touristy surroundings on Alamo Plaza might suggest. The mission itself sits in respectful silence while the adjacent blocks hawk Davy Crockett coonskin caps and refrigerator magnets. I spent a scant 10 minutes on the premises, avoided buying any tour tickets, photographed the rather fascinating history boards to read later, and then fled before the gift shops had a chance to convert my guilt into a monetary transaction involving commemorative spoons.

La Villita

This old arts village tucked along the River Walk’s southeast corner delivers a craft-fair aesthetic—painted skulls grinning from bird-poopy shop windows, a dignified Benito Juárez bust presiding over a small plaza, and an outdoor cross-river stage that sometimes hosts performances rather than just posing for photos.

Rivercenter Mall

Much like Ottawa’s Rideau Centre, the Rivercenter shopping mall seems to exist largely because it links to a place people want to visit. It connects directly to the River Walk by land and water, and provides air-conditioned refuge during scorching south Texas summers.

Omni La Mansión del Rio

This hotel was a beautiful and comfortable base camp for the week: Spanish colonial architecture with modern conveniences, plenty of conference space to swallow our group of almost 150 without feeling crowded, and a courtyard pool that nobody used because February in Texas is lovely but not that lovely.

The Food

Company-sponsored hotel plates were primarily predictably pedestrian, with some outstanding BBQ brisket, mac and cheese, and gnocchi—all served buffet style. Otherwise, the food establishments of the River Walk delivered culinary peaks and valleys, sometimes within the same meal:

• Rita’s On the River • steak a la Mexicana: Delicious tender skirt steak, perfectly seasoned, smothered with Jack cheese and pickled jalapeños. This is a lively and unpretentious spot in an ideal location along the river.

• Domingo • churro waffle: Somehow managed to feel both indulgent and appropriate for breakfast. Crispy edges, cinnamon sugar in all the right places, dulce de leche syrup — a successful example of compound food.

• Joe’s Crab Shack • shrimp & seafood ensemble: Overcooked and mediocre chain food, I only went because I was craving seafood and thought Bubba Gump might be worse. Skip unless you’re nostalgic for disappointment.

• Mr Ice Cream • butter crunch milkshake: Made with Texas’s well known Blue Bell ice cream, this vanilla-chocolate-peanut butter combo (think Butterfinger) was a delightful treat. They went above and beyond to help me choose, partly because it wasn’t busy at all. [no pic]

• Alamo Biscuit Company • chicken and waffles4: Solid execution, tasty waffle, country scramble, super salty side biscuit, nicely seasoned chicken but see the note below about dryness.

Three broad learnings related to some observations I had:

Chicken: I encountered poultry four times across all my meals and it was always dry, regardless of restaurant quality or price point. Turns out the Texas Food Establishment Rules mandate that all chicken reach an internal temperature of at least 74°C (165°F), a reasonable food safety standard that unfortunately renders breast meat into something approaching leather. Restaurants enforce this, and the result is a statewide chicken drought, where even skilled cooks can’t rescue white meat from its regulatory fate.

Butter: Company meals at the hotel were all served buffet style, and I noticed the whipped butter was bright white and disappointingly flavourless, as though someone had extracted the milk solids and left only the fat. This likely traces back to Texas dairy cows being predominantly grain fed rather than grass fed. Grain fed cows produce milk with minimal beta-carotene (the compound that gives butter its yellow color and some of its complexity), resulting in pale, neutral butter. It’s not bad, but it adds no flavour.

Shrimp: I was hoping to enjoy some proper Gulf shrimp, given San Antonio’s proximity to the Gulf of Mexico5 but couldn’t find any. Thanks to the recent “Honesty in Labeling” Law (Texas Senate Bill 823, September 2025), restaurants can no longer lie about seafood origins. Turns out this matters significantly: Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, the Forrest Gump themed chain that had previously implied strong Gulf connections, has now quietly scrubbed any mention of the Gulf from their menu. They’re almost certainly serving cheaper imported shrimp from India, Vietnam, or Ecuador—perfectly edible but not what anyone imagines when they picture Gulf Coast seafood.

The new law is good for consumer protection, but it exposed an uncomfortable truth. For actual Gulf seafood in San Antonio, one must seek out higher end spots like Boudro’s6 where price points justify sustainable domestic sourcing. The mid-range restaurants that tourists frequent all serve imported products. Lesson learned for next time.

Let’s Get Political

The start of my trip included a worldwide sigh of relief as Ecuadorian five-year old Liam Ramos and his father were released from an ICE 🧊 detention facility in Dilley—not far from San Antonio—and returned to their home in Minnesota.

The political advertising war playing on my hotel TV was fascinatingly lopsided. I counted five well-funded Republican campaign ads for every low-budget Democrat spot.

Republican ads leaned heavily into anger and fear. Border invasion rhetoric, claims of Democrat-enabled crime waves, the familiar genre of political messaging that treats governance as permanent crisis management. I wanted to ask the ad creators, “Why so much anger? Why not make the case with facts and proposals?” Of course I know the answer: anger is a strong emotion, and combined with fear and hate it can be leveraged to make people do or think just about anything.

Despite the Republican advertising advantage and messaging intensity, I was heartened to see that Bexar County voted 55% Democrat in the last presidential election. Texas may not be the monolithic MAGA stronghold I thought it was, at least in counties with 60% Latino representation…

Gift shops covered the political dichotomy well. Trump and Biden toilet paper rolls7 sat prominently displayed for maximum comic offense, while the “We don’t dial 911” gun signs emphasized a worldview that positions self-reliance over state authority. Before we read too much into these offerings though, let’s acknowledge that shop owners stock what sells, and culture war merchandise appeals to tourists seeking performative souvenirs.

I disagree deeply with politicians who promote anger, resentment, and manufacture fear, particularly when those strategies target vulnerable communities or erode democratic norms. But I can tell you that every single person I encountered throughout this trip was friendly, polite, and helpful and I’m absolutely sure some of them were Trump voters. Whatever their voting rationale, let them not be defined by their leader’s rhetoric. That distinction feels important to maintain, even when the political moment tempts us toward tribal thinking. We are all far more similar than we are different.

If you prefer a less generous perspective, you might enjoy this enthusiastic rant (warning: language):

Amber (Eevie) Bateman

Oh, So Now You Want to Talk.

Now that the bottom is falling out. Now that the thing you built is eating itself and taking the rest of us with it. Now that your grocery bill is a horror show, hundreds of thousands of jobs lost, oil is projected to be over $150 per barrel by mid-week this week, your retirement account is bleeding and the strongman you slobbered over for a decade is l…

Read more

3 months ago · 2740 likes · 532 comments · A. Eevie Bateman

Promiscuous Affability

San Antonio won me over with its genuine warmth. By day five, I’d abandoned my Canadian reserve and found myself chatting easily with strangers about whatever situation we found ourselves in.

Promiscuous affability remains America’s most endearing cultural export. The casual willingness to engage with strangers, to treat brief encounters as opportunities for connection rather than obligations to endure, creates an atmosphere that feels genuinely welcoming and strengthens the bonds of society.

Homeward

Airline schedules prevented me from leaving Thursday afternoon, and my reluctance to awake unnecessarily early on Friday meant I was likely the last of my coworkers to check out of the hotel at 11am after a successful week of company camaraderie.

As you can see in the video above (01:39), the San Antonio departure provided a brief glimpse of the city center—at least after I realized I should probably track the scenery instead of the wing. 🫠

The journey back to icy 🧊 Ottawa granted me another brief Chicago layover, this time with a longer 20-minute walk between gates. I grabbed carrot and cream cheese salad cake and a cheese pizza from the Eli’s kiosk to bring aboard, hoping to continue O’Hare’s winning streak after my inbound hot dog success.

Both disappointed spectacularly. The pizza suffered from a frozen pastry-style crust and sauce that tasted like it came from a can, produced in a factory, based on someone's vague memory of how tomatoes should taste. I shared it with my seat neighbour, a friendly first time visitor to Canada who seemed quite grateful for something to eat. The carrot cake fared marginally better but still felt like airport food masquerading as Chicago tradition: sweet, dense, and (thankfully) forgettable.

Afterthoughts

I was in San Antonio for 4.5 days, almost 3 of which were spent in company meetings. This gave me just enough spare hours to get a taste of the area without exhausting its possibilities. The River Walk works well, the food is interesting and often delicious, and the people genuinely charm. Next time I’ll skip the chain seafood, budget for Boudro’s, and maybe even stay long enough to develop some breakfast taco opinions.

Until then, I have photos to revisit, history boards to finally read, and a new appreciation for the state of Texas. Not bad for a brief conference trip!

How did you find this travel blog? Too long? Not enough food content? Too balanced in its handling of politics? 😄 Drop a comment below and let me know!

The selection has changed slightly over the years and the dimensions have remained small, “So you can have one of each.” ❤️

After I moved to Ottawa, Mom continued to include my family in her loving tradition by mailing a tin of cleverly packaged cookies every year. I mean, just look at this most recent example! The treats are packed tightly together to minimize jostling, with the most delicate specimens placed safely in the center.

The only Canada Post casualty in this tin was a tiny point of a single star, but even that is anomalous since the zero-breakage years have outnumbered the crumby ones.

As Mom vaults gracefully into her mid 80s, she still insists on baking an impressive 12 variations of 10 recipes. We asked her to consider cutting the variety in half to lighten the effort but she replied that then she’d just have to make twice as many of each kind. Can’t argue with Swiss logic! 😄

I’ve been sharing an annual photo of Mom’s Christmas cookies on Instagram, but this year I thought it might be fun to leverage Substack’s more verbose format to give these morsels the detailed writeup they deserve. I will fawn over them in alphabetical order to discourage any charge of favouritism. Conveniently, I only have recipes for the last two, so let that be your reward if you make it to the end!

Basler Brunsli

Translating to the peculiar sounding, “little brown thing from Basel2,” this lovely morsel is the softest cookie of the lot. Entirely flourless, it consists of ground almonds, chocolate, sugar, egg white, cinnamon, cloves, and a tiny bit of Kirsch (cherry schnapps). The end result is reminiscent of a nutty Black Forest cake in cookie form, which is as delicious as it sounds and makes this the only chocolate confection on today’s agenda.

Basler Läckerli

Also hailing from the northern Swiss region of Basel, these chewy frosted squares offer a blend of warming spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg) layered with sliced almonds and sweetened with honey. Appropriately, the name derives from lecker, the German word that best describes something good to eat.

Perhaps less of a cookie and more of a confection, these squares capture the essence of a European Christmas efficiently and effectively. Their light chew when fresh matures to a more leathery texture as they age, so either gobble them up quick or be prepared to dip them in your favourite hot beverage!

Chräbeli

Perhaps the most contentious cookie of the lot, these licorice/anise flavoured “little claws” have no fat added and make for a pretty hard bite even when fresh. They hail from the town of Baden in the same canton—Aargau—where my mom is from, so these might also be the most regional cookie on the plate. I enjoy licorice in small quantities and I would say the same for these cookies.

Haselnussstängeli

Carrying a name that just might be the biggest mouthful on this page, these crunchy “hazelnut little sticks” are the ultimate nut lovers cookie. The taste is 100% hazelnut, roasted and sweetened to remove any inappropriate bitterness. The perfect hazelnut biscuit!

They are similar to what people in the canton of Graubünden would call Totenbeinli (“dead little legs”) but—understandably—Mom doesn’t love the idea of skeletal remains on her cookie plate. Might be good for Halloween though!

Kokosmakrönli

Light and chewy, these coconut macaroons were my favourite as a child, when anything with coconut was an exotic and welcome treat. Their clean and straightforward taste position them as the perfect palate cleanser, to be enjoyed between biscuits of a more robust disposition.

Mailänderli

One of the most popular Swiss Christmas cookies, these tender shortbread “little things from Milan” are a delicious tribute to northern Italy’s famous fashion hub. Rich with butter and egg yolks, and scented with a hint of lemon, they are crowd pleasing and easy to love—just like Mom.

Italian is Switzerland’s third official language, and it’s no surprise that the Italiano region of the country borrows heavily from the cuisine of adjoining (and sometimes overlapping3) northern Italy. Risotto and polenta appear on menus throughout Switzerland and the air-dried beef from Graubünden (called Bündnerfleisch) is rather similar to Italy’s famous bresaola.

Mandelmakrönli

These transparently named “nut macaroons” are tender and chewy, with the mild nuttiness of ground almonds enhanced by a tiny spark of citrus. The almond sliver helps distinguish them visually from their marginally more alabaster Kokosmakrönli counterparts.

Spitzbuben

Toothsome and sweet, with a slight tang from the jam, these “mischievous boys” are a favourite with kids and adults alike. Mom makes the sugar cookies thin and delicate, so they aren’t too thick after sandwiching with seedless raspberry preserves. What’s not to love?

Here’s her recipe, translated to my preferred concise format:

Spitzbuben

• 500 g White flour

• 4 tsp Baking powder

• 250 g Butter (cold), cut into small cubes

• 200 g Sugar

• 2 tsp Vanilla extract

• pinch of Salt

• zest of 1 Lemon or 1 tsp extract

• 2 Eggs, lightly beaten

• 6 tbsp Red jam (seedless raspberry is best)

• Icing sugar

1. SIFT flour and baking powder into a bowl.

2. CUT the butter into the flour mixture and RUB with fingers until no lumps are left. Or use a food processor.

3. MIX in sugar, vanilla, salt, lemon, and eggs.

4. WORK into a smooth dough. If sticky, wrap and refrigerate for a bit.

5. ROLL out dough 3mm thick and cut rounds, half of them with a hole in the middle to form a ring. Recombine and reuse scraps.

6. BAKE at 375ºF for 8-10 minutes or until very lightly browned.

7. COOL on a rack.

8. SPREAD jam on bottom rounds, place rings on top, then sprinkle with icing sugar to finish.

Trumpf-As

Another shortbread style cookie, these almond-studded nut flowers are eminently crushable. They differ from Mailänderli in subtle ways: no lemon, fewer (and whole) eggs, and ever so slightly more crunch. They have a beautiful buttery taste and the lone almond provides welcome variety as one nibbles one’s way around the treat. Neither flourless nor—indeed—flowerless, these unassuming hexapetal blooms are the quiet champions of the cookie tin. Mom favours the floral form factor over the original Trumpf-As recipe’s more quadrilateral playing card contours.

Vanillekipferl

Hailing from Vienna4 and popular throughout Central and Eastern Europe, these “vanilla crescents” win the prize for sheer deliciousness. Imagine vanilla shortbread made with a generous amount of nut flour and you’ll quickly understand why they are a favourite in my family. They’re also quite easy to make so I’d recommend trying this recipe first if you’re so inclined. Definitely let me know if you do!

Vanillekipferl

• 500 g Flour

• 400 g Butter

• 200 g Almonds or hazelnuts, ground (Mom uses 100g of each)

• 160 g Icing sugar

• 2 tsp Vanilla extract

• 1 tsp Salt (if using unsalted butter)

• 1 Egg, lightly beaten

• 120 g Icing sugar

• 3 pkg Vanilla sugar

1. SIFT flour into a bowl.

2. Cut butter into flour; ADD nuts, 160 g icing sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. RUB together until combined.

3. Mix egg into dough, and PRESS lightly together to form a loose ball.

4. Make breakfast sausage sized rolls, CUT these into 2 cm logs, then ROLL again into smaller “sausages.” BEND these into crescents.

5. BAKE at 375°F for 10-15 minutes until barely browned.

6. Mix remaining sugars and DIP Kipferl into powder while still hot.

7. Place on wax paper until cool. Makes 50-200 cookies, depending on size.

Epilogue

I can’t remember all the different cookies Mom has made over the years, but two I recall having fallen off the wagon are:

• Pfeffernüsse — round gingerbread-like balls in the same flavour family as Basler Läckerli, only more crunchy than chewy. These are classic German Christmas cookies, easily found in North American grocery stores.

• Zimtsterne — flourless almond-and-cinnamon stars, glazed with icing sugar and lemon juice, they are closest to the Basler Brunsli, but without chocolate and with a slight tang of lemon.

Due to my Mom’s dedication to the craft, and a familial focus on food, cookies are at the heart of our year end traditions. Do you have a culinary tradition that helps keep you grounded to what matters? I’d love to hear about it!

Leave a comment

Thank you for taking the time to read what I write in my little corner of the internet. Wishing you and yours the very best for the festive season, and good health, happiness, and prosperity in 2026! 🎄

If you appreciate carefully crafted, tasty treats and live in the Ottawa area then pull your chair a little closer and lend me your ear because this place is going to rocket to the front of your To Try list!

You do have a To Try list, right? If not, now’s the perfect time to start one! I use Google Maps for mine and I simply add places to the “Want to go” list along with a short note explaining why I want to try it, what’s recommended there, and who recommended it. Here’s the note you can add for Elina Patisserie:

I first enjoyed Elina Olefirenko’s desserts in the summer of 2017 at Mantovani 1946 (RIP), where she worked while completing her Diplôme de Pâtisserie at Ottawa’s elite Le Cordon Bleu cooking school1. For a short time, she also supplied Le Moulin de Provence (aka the Obama Cookie shop) with treats that were the best products by far to ever grace their display cases.

In late 2022, following a number of years teaching her craft at Algonquin College and C’est Bon Cooking school, Elina opened her very own tiny pastry shop on Sussex Street. Three years later, it remains our best source for delicious, authentically rendered classic confections and upscale desserts.

A Recent Visit — 2025

Early October saw us seeking sweet sustenance superior to pumpkin spice everything, so we made our way to Elina one sunny afternoon.

Round one (no judgment, this was most of our lunch and dinner) saw us trying the Apple Tart Tatin ($12.75) and the Acorn Dessert ($14). As you can see in the photo, the former was elegant and carefully constructed, featuring a puff pastry shell filled with a concentrated apple jelly, three piped quenelles of vanilla cremeux joined by stripes of caramel, and topped with crumbled sablé Breton. Everything was well done but I felt this particular item was missing the usual Elina flavor magic. That said, I’m not a fruity dessert person in general so YMMV.

The Acorn Dessert more than made up for any disappointment with the apple one. Wow, wow, wow! Okay, I may be a bit biased because I LOVE hazelnut desserts and this one mentioned hazelnut three times in the description:

Hazelnut praline filling
Hazelnut coffee mousse
Vanilla crème brûlée layer
Hazelnut crunch
Sablé

Smashed treats never look great but I just had to share this photo so you can appreciate the internal components and that impossibly delicate shell.

This acorn-themed confection was a seasonal offering but there’s always something hazelnutty on the menu. And that should always be your first choice because nobody upholds the hazelnut’s holiness quite like Elina.

Round two saw me tasting the Honey Cake ($12). I was very happy with it, even though it felt a little excessive following a decadent first dessert course. Honey and walnut flavours were perfectly balanced along with alternating creamy and crumbly layers. This is a flawlessly executed cake that your honey will love. Its lengthwise uniformity makes it ideal for sharing, so it opens the door to sampling multiple treats with your sweets.

My wife’s Black Currant Twist Soft Serve (~$10) was similarly ideal. The price may seem a little high for ice cream, but not when compared to low quality (but so Instagrammable) “gourmet” milkshakes that have popped up elsewhere for the same price and more. And you will absolutely NOT mistake this for something you might find at your favourite soft serve milk bar. The bright cassis flavour paid authentic tribute to this dark, tangy-sweet berry, while the ultra creamy soft serve mellowed the whole thing out in a decadently delicious way. And how about those perfectly paired purple-polished nails!

An Earlier Visit — 2023

Another nutty dessert of course! This time one of my all time favourites, the Paris-Brest2. Still on the menu most of the time and for good reason! Of course all the components are perfect and it keeps you coming back bite after bite. My daughter ordered the same and I ended up eating half of hers as well. 🫃

Ancient History — 2018

I have to share this because it was a cool experience. For a number of years beginning in 2017, I had the pleasure of working in the ByWard Market for a small startup building a mobile health app. In 2018, our thoughtful and admirably foodie-credentialed CTO (hi Tony! 👋) arranged a holiday dessert class at the C’est Bon Cooking school. I’ll give you one guess as to who was teaching this class…

That’s right, we were schooled by the already legendary Elina! Unsurprisingly, her tutelage was pure competence and precision, covering everything from blooming gelatine, to tempering chocolate, to preparing and applying a glaze. She peppered instructions with helpful insider tips, such as rolling sablé dough between sheets of parchment to avoid adding more flour, and catching excess glaze on plastic wrap to then reuse it by rolling it up and squeezing it back into the pitcher.

I was happy with the imperfect but tasty end result of my attempt at preparing a fancy dessert and I thank Elina and Tony for making this unforgettable event happen. ❤️ After all, what is life but a string of memorable occasions?

Controversially, given their proven lifesaving effects, the government of Ontario has mandated that all municipalities must eliminate speed cameras by November 14, 2025.

This is arguably a step backward in a province that should really be enforcing license plate obstruction laws rather than turning a blind eye to speeding in school zones. At least they aren’t taking away red light cameras, although given that the fine for driving with heavily tinted plate covers is a paltry $110 while the fine for running a red light is a more impactful $325, I expect obstructed plates will continue to be trendy.

What’s so bad about speed cameras?

I believe that speed enforcement makes our streets safer and don’t personally subscribe to the “cash grab” rhetoric. That said, there are problems with speed cams and I think everyone can agree that at least these first two are objectively bad:

• Punishment is delayed until the fine is received in the mail, often several weeks after the infraction.

• The fine must be paid by the registered owner of the vehicle, who may not have been driving at the time of the infraction.

• Those who violate plate obstruction laws are likely to also get away with violating speeding laws.

Portugal’s clever compromise

A recent news article described how Europeans generally support speed cameras, although the attitude may be shifting and apparently “Europe” means Italy and France. Since that article unfortunately ignored Portugal’s ingenious and effective approach I was inspired to write about it here.

The concept is simple: speeding is immediately punished with a red light. No cash grab and none of the cons listed above.

Here’s how it works…

As you enter a controlled speed zone, you encounter a warning sign indicating there’s a traffic light ahead and labelled with velocidade controlada meaning “controlled speed1.” Alternately flashing yellow lights tell you that they aren’t messing around. It couldn’t be more clear.

A very short distance later you might see a second sign, restating the warning but now also reminding you of the current speed limit. This is your last chance to slow down!

Finally, if you — like this Google Street View driver — fail to reduce your speed adequately, the light turns red as you approach. Your natural reaction to a red light kicks in and you brake to a full stop with your tail between your legs. The immediate slap on the wrist is effective and you promise yourself to be more careful next time.

If I recall correctly, the light stays red for around 30 seconds. Just long enough for it to feel like a real inconvenience and, more importantly, to give the drivers behind you an opportunity to judge you, curse you, and lob you the odd stink eye.

That second aspect is critical and may be somewhat less effective in Canada than in Portugal, given the latter’s stronger sense of collectivism (and greater social accountability) as indicated by their significantly lower individualism score:

Incidentally, if you find cultural differences between countries even half as interesting as I do, Hofstede’s entire page makes for a fascinating read.

Conclusion

I for one will be sorry to see speed cameras removed from school and community safety zones in Ottawa. The point of this article is to demonstrate how one alternative can keep everyone happy. So if you’re reading this and you have some sway with an Ontario policymaker, let them know there’s a way to save lives and votes. Nothing beats a win-win solution!

The brunchy bunch, in alphabetical order:

• The Belmont

• Cantina Gia

• Chesterfield’s Gastro Diner

• Cocotte Bistro

• Dessert First

• Gezellig

• Grounded Scratch Kitchen

• The Third

• Yolks

The Belmont

The Full Belmont ($23) now features three eggs rather than the two pictured here. This riff on a full English breakfast straddles the fence between breakfast and brunch, but the salad greens, biscuit, and poached eggs all got together and asked me to include it in my brunch list.

The sausage and bacon were premium and the fingerling breakfast potatoes added a nice touch. With thin slices of watermelon radish topping a lovely salad, this might just be the most photogenic brunch in town.

Cantina Gia

What is it with Bank Street and watermelon radish? No matter, I heartily approve of using esthetic veggies to jazz up a plate!

Smoked Trout Rosti ($30) is excellent, featuring a generous and flavourful fillet of smoked trout. This is a good example of someone taking a nice lunch and slapping a poached egg on it so they can call it brunch. No complaints here!

The Rösti presented more like a latke or potato pancake than anything I’ve had in Rösti-loving parts of the world, but fried potatoes are delicious in any form and this was no exception. A gratuitous dollop of crème fraiche kicked the plate up nicely.

Cantina Gia seems to be hit or miss though. I enjoyed an umamilicious Mushroom Mafaldine for lunch one time but followed it with a pricy and half frozen Tiramisu that I would not seek to repeat.

Chesterfield’s Gastro Diner

By far the most popular venue on this list, I want to love Chesterfield’s. And I do love them — for the menu variety and flexibility in choosing sides, their social and environmental stance, the cool vibe, the genuinely friendly service. The food can be excellent. The blueberry pancakes are really, really good. So is the coffee.

What I do not like is the Hollandaise sauce! Chesterfield’s version tastes like vinegar with no hint of lemon, a style that apparently is a thing but seems closer to a Béarnaise sauce, better paired with strong meats and vegetables than delicate poached eggs. To their credit, they refer to the sauce as holly exclusively in their menu, maybe to acknowledge a deviation from the norm. Kind of like Chick’n and Turk’y.

My partner and I originally visited in 2024. She had the Classic Benny with Buffalo Cauliflower and Apple Cinnamon French Toast ($25). Her meal was somewhat of a disaster, with the aforementioned holly, weirdly vinegary and soggy buffalo cauliflower (think warm pickled cauliflower tossed in chili powder), and French toast that was both bland and dry.

I fared better on my side of the table, opting for the Bird’s Nest with Blueberry Pancake ($25). The skillet was satisfying, featuring a cheese curd stuffed potato pancake topped with bacon and crisp hickory sticks, such that the disappointing holly played a less prominent role. Plump, pretty, and perfect, the egg-forward pancake was the star of that meal and I look forward to enjoying it again!

After a number of Reddit conversations with die hard fans of Chesterfield’s, I visited a second time, accompanied by my Benedict loving daughter. Redditor /u/Sabawoonoz25 had recommended the Jerk Benny with Breakfast Poutine as one of their favourite meals ever. And by the way they especially love the holly! So that’s what I chose: the Jerk Benny, Breakfast Poutine, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts ($27). With regular holly on my poutine and jerk holly on my benny, I really went all in! And there was smoky maple lime holly on my daughter’s Veggie Benny with Roasted Spuds and Apple Cinnamon French Toast ($25). That’s three different hollies between two people more accustomed to follies. Talk about a hollyday! 🌴

This time I really focused on the sauces. As before, I found them to be vinegary and missing the lemon that makes Hollandaise pop for me. The underlying food was all good though: sliced jerk chicken thigh, perfectly ripe avocado, decent cornbread, good home fries. My poached eggs came a little more “snotty” than I like but I’m sensitive to uncooked whites, to the point where I’ve never enjoyed sous-vide poached eggs. Poutine purists might be horrified to see grated cheese on the breakfast poutine but I didn’t mind at all.

The disappointment of my meal was vinegary and under seasoned Brussels sprouts. Between these sprouts and the Buffalo cauliflower from my previous visit, not to mention the now infamous holly, I think someone in this kitchen really loves vinegar.

The letdown for my daughter was the apple cinnamon French toast. I had warned her to get the pancake instead but when has a kid ever followed sound parental advice? Consistent with her mom’s experience last year, it was sad and dry. She took at least half her meal home and enjoyed it all later — including the French toast, after smothering it in syrup.

My second visit prompted me to move Chesterfield’s significantly higher on my list of places to visit again, because there is a lot to like. Service was absolutely fantastic: fast, friendly, and fabulous. Drip Coffee ($4) commanded a steep price but was one of the best tasting mugs1 I’ve had, came accompanied by a cute pitcher of cream, and was refilled 3 or 4 times over the hour. Their new digs in the spot formerly occupied by Wonton House are bright and cheery. So the strong points are notable but not worth crossing town for.

Cocotte Bistro

It’s appropriate that Cocotte follows my holly-haranguing homily, because this is where I enjoyed the best Hollandaise sauce in recent years and perhaps my entire life. Perfectly buttery, with a hint of lemon, it elevated the entire dish in the best way possible. The rest of the meal was fine enough, but wow that Hollandaise really made an impression!

I enjoyed the Eggs Benedict plate pictured here in 2024, but I notice the latest version ($24) adds a generous salad and replaces the English muffin with a herb and cheddar biscuit. Not sure how I feel about a herby biscuit displacing a nicely toasted English muffin, but if they’re still making the same Hollandaise then it will be great no matter the substrate.

Dessert First

One of the more modest looking plates on this page, but absolutely one of the best! The Eggs Benedict ($24) recruited spectacularly crisp and fluffy spuds that hoisted the perfectly medium (by request) Benedictine eggs onto their potatoey shoulders and marched this dish to the front of the pack. Shaved ham presented an increased surface area to help catch all that yolky sauce.

The service was really nice here too, with the only downside being that the tables are quite close together. But we’re there for the food and don’t mind a bit of conversation bleed-through, right?

Psst… if you haven’t seen it already, check out the review of Dessert First’s Big Breakfast in my breakfast article.

Gezellig

Brunch at Gezellig has you choosing any two small plates for $28, savoury or sweet as you like. It’s a nice way to sample the menu, although if you’ve tried the Butterfinger dessert you already know there’s only one choice to make.

The Breakfast Poutine was good enough. It’s effectively an egg Benedict with beans and cheese taking the place of ham, and potatoes replacing the English muffin. Nothing wrong but also nothing to justify a higher end price. Gezellig might be resting on its laurels after many successful years but that’s speculation fueled by an admittedly small sample size.

For many of us, Gezellig brunch is all about the Butterfinger! I’m certain there’d be an uprising if they ever pulled it from the menu. This dessert features an addictive peanut butter layer sandwiched between a wonderfully dense chocolate graham base and a rich but fluffy chocolate mousse top. The garnishes of dulce de leche, toasted marshmallow, graham crumbs, and ground cherry take something amazing and knock it right out of the park. Truly one of the best desserts in town.

Grounded Scratch Kitchen

Grounded’s BBQ and Eggs ($26) arrived on an impressively crowded plate but I found the brisket burnt ends to be on the dry and chewy side when they should have been the stars of the show. I’m always happy to get good toast and generous tater tots though, and the half-hearted salad was cheered up by a juicy orange slice and a single proud blackberry.

So you should visit, but opt for their regular breakfast plate (top of image) that replaces the brisket and greens with bacon and sausage for almost ten bucks less.

The Third

Unsurprisingly, The Third dishes up what must be Ottawa’s most affordable Eggs Benedict ($12), achieving alimentary admiration and accompanied by a springy salad topped with sunflower seeds. Home fries will burn a further $3 from your wallet but at least you have a say in the matter.

If you’re planning a brunchy visit to the friendly folks at The Third, don’t miss my recent notes on their Classic Breakfast.

Yolks

Added on November 8, 2025.

Yolks is a Vancouver-based breakfast chain that opened its first Ottawa location on Bank Street early this year. We first noticed it because of the lineup on weekends, when they shun reservations in favour of the free publicity a queue affords.

The gold standard for brunch is always eggs Benedict, and the Maple-Smoked Ham Perfectly Poached Benny ($20) delivered with flying colours. Nicely toasted English muffin, really tasty ham, and an above average Hollandaise. The house made Dijon mustard drizzled on top paired well with the underlying ham. You can choose from a few sides but the Yolks Tots are well seasoned and quite addictive. The only downside was that we asked for medium poached eggs and they arrived as runny as can be, with almost all of the white cooked — so definitely less than medium.

I had read rave reviews about the Cinammon Roll Pancakes ($22) so I resisted my better judgment and got these instead of one of the fried chicken and waffle dishes. The sauces were quite good but the (five!) pancakes were not tasty at all and left our mouths feeling strangely fuzzy, likely from all the baking powder needed to achieve such levitation. Yet another reminder to always take Google (and Reddit) recommendations with a generous pinch of dehydrated brine.

Much like the food, the coffee news here is both good and bad. Good is that they have a proper espresso machine and offer an array of barista beverages. Bad is that the drip coffee cost a very cheeky $4.25 and I didn’t love whatever bean they were using from Vancouver’s Agro Roasters. No worries, I added cream and that helped smooth it out. Worse is that the menu promised “bottomless brewed coffee” but nobody offered me a refill during the hour we were there.

So go for the Bennies and get those delicious tater tots. Skip the beignets, which, like the pancakes, were not flavourful and relied on condiments to prop them up. I do intend to go back one day to try the chicken and waffles but I won’t stand in line for it.

Conclusion

Ottawa has become a bit of a brunch lovers paradise and this list is far from complete. As for all my list-style posts, my plan is to update it along with future experiences and then republish it once it has changed substantially — and definitely no more than once a year, I promise.

Please drop a comment below and tell us about your favourite brunch place, all details appreciated!

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What’s a full breakfast? For me, it’s a platter with eggs, potatoes, and toast. Bacon, sausages, and pancakes are optional but always welcome. I don’t drink coffee every morning at home but I enjoy a cup when I’m out.

Here are the breakfast places I’ve visited over the last couple years, with my favourites listed first. I look at reviews when choosing places to try so most of these are pretty solid even as we move down the list.

1. Kal’s Place

2. Dessert First (Bank)

3. Ralph & Sons Diner

4. Al’s Diner

5. Art-Is-In Bakery

6. Allô mon Coco (College Square)

7. DUKES

8. Stacked Pancake House (Kanata and Carlingwood)

9. The Third

10. Merivale Station

11. Wilf & Ada’s

12. Perspectives (Brookstreet Hotel)

13. Mellos Coffee Shop

👀 Coming up: a separate article focusing on brunch places since this one is already too long. Expect some overlap of establishments but not of content. How does brunch differ from breakfast? Well, it’s similar of course, but dressed up more and leaning lunchward — think eggs Benedict and salad greens.

Kal’s Place

I started going to Kal’s for breakfast when I worked nearby at MMIST1 in the early 2010s, and their Two Egg Breakfast ($15) has become my definition of the ideal diner breakfast: nicely seasoned home fries, eggs cooked perfectly to order, tasty sausages, decent coffee, and a quality rye toast option. This price includes coffee but no pancake.

You can walk out of Kal’s happily stuffed for around $20, which isn’t the case for other places near the top of this list. By the way, definitely pay the 75¢ for onions with your home fries and thank me later! Most mornings, you’ll find the amiable Amanda handling the entire dining area alone, effortlessly serving, bussing, chatting with the regulars, and making everyone feel welcome.

Dessert First

With an eye watering Glebe-calibrated price tag, Dessert First’s Big Breakfast ($26) is the priciest option on this page. Accordingly, it stands out for its quality meats and addictive fried potatoes. A nice dollop of butter and real maple syrup complement the excellent buttermilk pancake, smartly served on its own plate. The house multigrain turned out to be a solid default for toast.

Ironically, we’ve not been impressed by sweet baked goods at Dessert First but their breakfast and brunch offerings get a gold star. And of course — total rebel that I am — I ate my pancake dessert last! 😛

Ralph & Sons Diner

I have a soft spot for this gas station-cum-diner since it’s one of the few restaurants I can easily walk to. In theory that is, as I always end up driving there. This is a lovely family run business that has been a cornerstone of Crystal Beach for many years.

Pictured here is the Lumberjack Special ($18), which is effectively their Classic but removes one slice of bacon in favour of including both home fries and beans. The top notch bacon and unique wavy cut home fries are the standouts at Ralph & Sons. Coffee is included but rye toast incurs a small surcharge.

One bit of weirdness to watch out for is that you pay your bill at the counter of the adjoined gas station but the payment terminal doesn’t have a tip option. So if you don’t have cash, you must tell the cashier that you’d like to add a tip and he will hand you a cash tip to take back to your table.

Like other places, prices here have jumped and are easily twice what they were 15 years ago, even though Canada’s Consumer Price Index took more than 30 years to double. Ralph & Sons breakfast prices have risen so much that I rarely visit anymore. Bummer!

Al’s Diner

We’ve been coming to Al’s for years specifically because their Big Hit ($15) is the most affordable option in town that includes a pancake. When we started going here about ten years ago, it was half this price. But Al’s is always full and $15 seems like a good deal these days so more power to them.

I like that you can choose an English muffin for toast, the sausages are good, the included coffee is dinerlicious, and the pancake makes for a wonderful way to cap off the meal without breaking the bank.

Art-Is-In Bakery

Food quality at Art-Is-In is reliable with their Breakfast Plate ($23) being no exception. In line with the price, the components are elevated: you can choose between several excellent bakery breads, upscale proteins, and potato options including a nice crispy potato cake.

Art-Is-In flavours tend toward the sweet end of the spectrum and their “candied bacon” is exactly what it sounds like. I found the beans terribly sweet too. I don’t like to leave food on my plate so I force it all down, but the joke’s on me and I should really stop doing that.

Allô mon Coco

This Quebec based chain delivered a surprise hit with their Special Allô mon Coco ($20.55). Peeking out from behind the pancake in this picture are a tiny cup of baked beans and another of crétons. This dish comes with a banana pancake but I asked for it to be plain so I could sample its unadulterated form. Nobody wants pancakes to touch runny egg yolks, so of course I swapped them with the toast to correct the situation. Toast with eggs, pancakes with syrup. The rules of life are simple!

Is it worth the price? Coffee was $3 extra (boo) but I had breakfast at 9am and couldn’t even think of eating until dinnertime (yay?). I could do without the salty ham, but everything else was pretty good and the variety on this plate is impressive. Worthy of note: service at the College Square location was exceptionally friendly.

Here’s a bonus pic of my daughter’s smoked salmon Copenhagen Benedict ($23.55), showing off the generous fruit bowl that seems to define Quebec breakfast chains. I won’t include this in my upcoming brunches article since I didn’t taste the whole thing, but she said it was really good and I sampled enough of the Hollandaise to concur!

DUKES

Undeniably the hippest place on this list, DUKES delivered in some areas and fell short in others. It has a lot of potential and I’m eager to go back and try their lunch menu one day.

The Mish Mash Hash ($19) was tasty but for a dish described as containing “pork, turkey, corn, kale, red peppers, onions, cheddar, potato” we counted six wee bacon bit-sized morsels of meat. We asked our server if that was normal and she promised to check with the kitchen but never got back to us. Of course we imagined back of house throwing shade at the salty boomers2 who had the nerve to question the food. 😁 Positives: the hash was well seasoned, eggs were a perfect over-medium, and the small sourdough slice was superb.

Best bite of this meal was the Sourdough Pancake Stack ($16), featuring three hearty cottage cheese pancakes topped with generous pats of butter and served with maple syrup. The cottage cheese adds a uniquely addictive characteristic to these pancakes and they’re definitely worth trying! I found two of these surprisingly substantial slabs was my limit, so I was relieved to be sharing our plates.

Hashbrowns & Sour Cream ($13) were the big disappointment. With such a cool shape and presentation, these should be incredible but they turned out bland and unenjoyable. Fresh chives added a nice touch but the unseasoned sour cream did little to rescue the dry potato. Checking google review photos, they run a wide spectrum from beautiful golden brown to the dark, chocolate brownie shade you can see in my photo. I can only imagine the golden ones are amazing! Looks like you might be rolling the dice when you order these.

Stacked Pancake House

Stacked is a breakfast chain that originated in Barrie, Ontario in 2017. You just know that a place with “pancake house” in its name will offer my favourite splurge: a full breakfast platter plus pancake.

This is the Pancake Stack ($17) and it was all good. Standouts were the marble rye (no upcharge) and the home made style strawberry jam. Coffee was $3 extra. They have a special from 7am-9am on weekdays, with 2 eggs, choice of meat, home fries, and toast for $7. That’s $10 with coffee, so not bad at all!

The Third

On the basis of pure value, The Third wins. Available on the weekend brunch menu, the Classic Breakfast ($9) includes a choice of meat along with beans and potato. Nothing stood out as exceptional and the portion was modest but it was generally good and it hits that sweet single digit price point. Coffee was extra but reasonable.

Merivale Station

Like most dishes at Merivale Station, this one stands out for its sheer magnitude. The Supreme Breakfast ($16) is a sight to behold, with three of each meat, generous home fries, and a pancake with fruit. Cooking here is more brute force than art but the results are always palatable and downright incredible for the price.

Coffee is not included but can be had for a reasonable $2 with unlimited refills. This is a mom-and-pop diner with a small number of tables so be prepared for a wait, especially on weekends.

P.S. The legendary fish and chips here recently jumped in price from a jaw-dropping $11 up to $15 but it’s still a deal, considering you get six pieces! I couldn’t finish my plate, and that just about never happens.

Wilf & Ada’s

I have mixed feelings about Wilf & Ada’s. I love that they’re a scratch diner and even the ketchup is house made but I feel like it should just taste better. This is the Classic ($20) and it comes with beans, home fries, and a side. Bonus points for letting you go half-half on the sides, meaning I was able to enjoy both the bacon and the sausage.

The end result is an okay breakfast platter, not obviously worthy of the price tag or any potential wait in line for a table. I didn’t like that the generous heap of beans tasted super sweet, like onion jam, but that’s a personal preference thing and you might love them.

Perspectives (Brookstreet Hotel)

Very much a typical hotel breakfast, the Build Your Omelette ($21) filled my belly without fanfare. I chose sausage, peppers, and onions. The “fresh fruit” promised by the menu turned out to be two dried out orange slices. 😝 Coffee cost extra but this was a work event and I wasn’t paying so who knows what that added to the bill. Overall, not the worst breakfast but overpriced and imperfect. The high point: they sure didn’t skimp on home fries.

Mellos Coffee Shop

Founded in 1964, Mellos is a true blast from the past that’s worth visiting just for the experience. This was the 1 Egg Any Style ($7.50), with choice of meat and a perfect over-easy egg. Coffee included! Unfortunately, the sausages, home fries, coffee, and toast were all substandard compared to anywhere else listed on this page. I prefer whole wheat toast but should have chosen white since these squishy slices tasted like they came from an ignored section of the pantry. The uneven browning makes me wonder if their toaster might be quiet quitting.

Unlike everywhere else, Mellos’ prices have risen only slightly since pre-Covid times, which probably explains their dedicated clientele. Google shows this same meal went for $6.70 in 2018. So if you’re super cost conscious — either by habit or necessity — this place surely wins the prize for Ottawa’s cheapest breakfast with table service.

Conclusion

When it comes to going out for breakfast, we in Ottawa are spoiled for choice and this list only scratches the surface of what’s out there. Drop a comment below and tell us about your favourite place, all details appreciated.

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Anthony’s keeps popping up when people asked for pizza recommendations but we had a disappointing experience there 10+ years ago and there are always so many new places to try. We finally made our way back in mid-June and as of September we’ve already been four times!

Pizza Margherita

In the world of pizza, the Neapolitan style is my true love, with its tasty aged dough, gooey center, puffy crown, and reliance on simple, good quality ingredients. The Margherita is always my choice when it’s done well: tangy-sweet tomato sauce marrying mozzarella’s milky saltiness and balanced by the barely bitter brown bits of a leopard-spotted crust.

All the parts are done well at Anthony’s. The dough is complex and chewy, although you should accept the offer of chili oil, if only for variety as you gleefully romp around the quintessential quadrants. Sauce quality is critical and this one is the best. Similarly, the fior di latte cheese is perfect and they don’t skimp like some of the competition. Lastly, the basil leaves are generous and effective, lending their herbal complexity to random bites.

Every second matters when roasting a pie at the blistering 500°C required for Napoli’s gift to the world, so one must allow for some variation across bakes. This second pizza was still excellent, although I wouldn’t want to see the darkest crust carried around the full perimeter.

For a $4 premium, they offer a Margherita made with buffalo mozzarella, which is slightly more authentic and has higher hydration and fat content than fior di latte. While still delicious, I found the Margherita la Bufala to be less enjoyable than the straightforward Margherita. Definitely let me know in the comments if you’ve tried both and have a preference.

Focaccia

On our first visit, we were extra hungry so we ordered the Mixed Olives appetizer. The olives were great but the focaccia stole the show. It was so good we couldn’t help but order it on each return visit. A side of bread with your pizza? It sounds terribly decadent (and it is) but once you try it you’ll understand.

This is absolutely the best focaccia I’ve ever had. The crisp upper surface is dusted with salt, pepper, and rosemary, while the interior is chewy-moist perfection with the slightest tang of a well handled high hydration dough. So addictive it might make you forget all about your pending pizza!

Like many American-Italian restaurants (and admittedly, a handful in Italy), they serve bread with a dip of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. We don’t generally love balsamic and always ask for our focaccia without it, so they bring us a bowl containing nothing but the golden-green gift of the olive gods. If you do the same, don’t forget to keep it for later—it makes an excellent dip for pizza crusts.

Other Dishes

Being a Margherita lover, I don’t have eyes for anything else. My son keeps ordering the Carbonara pizza, with white sauce, prosciutto, romano and mozzarella cheeses, and an egg in the middle. It’s appropriately sliced into nine pieces—tic-tac-toe (octothorpe?) style—such that the egg remains uncloven.

My wife tried the Lasagna recently. It takes 25 minutes to prepare, so I gave her a piece of my Margherita while she waited. We knew the lasagne would be big but when it arrived we were still surprised at just how big it was. This thing was at least 7 inches square and could easily feed 2 hungry people. It’s a quality lasagne but we all found the sauce a little too acidic for our taste. That said, we routinely add baking soda to jarred passata to bring down the acidity, so YMMV. Worth a try if you like lasagne or if you just have greedy eyes! 👀

We tried the “Anthony’s Chop” salad on our first visit and decided it was high on price ($20) and low on flavour. We haven’t had the nerve to try a salad since but I saw a Caesar salad at a neighbouring table that looked pretty awesome.

Our first visit went so well that I chose Anthony’s for a weekday birthday meal just 12 days later. It being my birthday, we splashed out the big bucks and ordered dessert! 🎈 I’m no Tiramisu aficionado but this one was enjoyable and it was nicely served in a small mason jar. The dual savoiardi bunny ears make this perfect for sharing after you’ve filled your belly with pizza.

Service — and a watery warning

Anthony’s has a busy dining area because enough people know it’s good. Yet somehow the staff manage to provide excellent service in spite of the bustle. You can tell a restaurant is managed well when the servers are enthusiastic and cheerful. We mentioned one time that the focaccia was inferior to that of our previous visit and they quickly diagnosed the problem and removed it from our bill. The focaccia has been spectacular again in both visits since.

There is one thing they’ve started doing that I do not like. I do not like this, Sam-I-Am. Like many restaurants, they offer a choice of sparkling water or still. But unlike other restaurants, if you choose the still water they bring you a bottled brand at a premium price. This happened to my daughter and a friend, who were horrified to see $9 added to their bill for water. A significant extra cost for university students with no income!

My daughter came home unhappy that day but thought she had made a mistake since she’s new to dining out without her parents. But then the same thing happened to us. Our server mentioned the brand name of the still water, so I realized what was happening and asked for tap water, which was happily provided.

Charging for flat water is common in Europe, but in Canada we are accustomed to getting free tap water while we pay significantly more than Italians do for pizza, alcoholic beverages, and tips.

Conclusion

Watergate drama aside, Anthony’s remains our favourite pizza restaurant1. For my beloved Neapolitan style, only The Grand provides real competition. And nowhere else can touch that focaccia!

Jimmy’s Waffle World has everything a gourmet food truck should: exceptional quality, cheerful service, and prices notably lower than a more comfortable sit down restaurant would charge for the same food.

I’ve known about Jimmy’s Waffle World for some time but never prioritized a visit until I came across someone’s comment that said Jimmy’s was so good it made them laugh and cry at the same time. I don’t know if this happened on Reddit or Google Maps or somewhere else, but such an emotional reaction resonated with me.

An opportunity to drop by appeared while my son was getting his wisdom teeth extracted in August. I opted for the “Winner Winner Chicken Dinner,” featuring crunchy (and gluten free) boneless chicken thighs, a hunk of waffle, spicy maple dipping sauce, a little cup of coleslaw, and a heap of the most incredibly delicious waffle fries I’ve ever tasted.

I wolfed down the whole platter caveman style — because I was hungry, because it was delicious, and because I had promised the dental surgery clinic that I could arrive within 10 minutes if they called. Jimmy’s was 9 minutes away. 😅

I waddled into the clinic with a full belly and eager anticipation for my next visit to Jimmy’s. My drugged up son, with walrus tusks of rolled up gauze, stared blankly as I gushed about waffle fries. For dinner that day I made a puréed broccoli and lentil soup. Balance is always the objective!

Now let me rave about these waffle fries a little more, because they deserve it! Nicely seasoned, crispy on the outside, wonderfully fluffy on the inside, and toothsome as all hell. Sure, waffles and fried chicken are some of my favourite foods but hand me a bag of these waffle fries and I’ll turn my back on those other two in a heartbeat.

Okay, so now that Jimmy’s waffle fries are snuggling up to the waffles and fried chicken on my list of favourite foods, wanna know what else is on that sacred list? CHURROS, that’s what. Well, it turns out Jimmy’s “Sandy Cinnamon” waffle is made with churros style batter, fried and tossed in vanilla & cinnamon sugar. Oh lawd, sign me up!

So I dragged my wife and son along for a second visit in early September. The parental units shared an order of those life changing waffle fries (with gravy) and my son opted for the “Wavy Fried Chicken Club.” He was quick and I was slow so there is no photo evidence, but he enjoyed it very much and I look forward to trying it myself the minute my bathroom scale stops giving me the stink eye.

Unsurprisingly, the gravy was excellent. Did I mention Jimmy’s has poutine? That’s right, regular poutine but also waffle fry poutine. But we wanted to try the sweet waffles and so the poutines had to wait for a future visit.

Given my previous experiences I knew the “Sandy Cinnamon” waffle would be a hit. And yet it still managed to soar higher than my lofty expectations. Crunchy with cinnamon sugar and fried churro batter, it was somehow better than the sum of its parts. Jimmy’s genius interpretation of churros might be right up there with top shelf baklava as my favourite sweet treat ever.

Beware though, this thing has a sugar kick like some kind of maltose mule. My pancreas cried uncle halfway through but thankfully there were other eager mouths (and pancreases) at my table.

We also tried the “Forbidden Apple Strudel” waffle and it too was impressive. I preferred the cinnamon one but others in my group favoured this one. Aren’t we fortunate to live in a world where people love different things?

Okay, now back to Jimmy himself. The hits here are no accident. You can read his bio for yourself on the About page. TLDR: he is Cordon Bleu trained and worked at Chateaus Montebello and Laurier, Club Med, Playboy Mansion, etc.

Jimmy welcomes each customer into his World with a cheerful smile that belies his credentials. One important lesson life has taught me is that the very best in their field are often the most humble. There is no arrogance here, only excellence. And of course gratitude, dad joke style: “Thanks a waffle lot!” 😄

The only imperfection at Jimmy’s Waffle World is the location in a corner of a parking lot shared with a number of businesses on Hazeldean Road. There were wasps in early September and a gusty wind threatened to blow our dishes off the patio tables. There is traffic noise too but that is only a minor concern.

The food makes it absolutely worth weathering these outdoor inconveniences! If you find yourself visiting Jimmy on a windy or waspy day, you can always eat in your car or take the food home. That way nobody will watch you laugh and cry at the same time. ❤️

Leave a comment if anything here particularly shocks you or if you have any suggestions! Don’t worry too much about exact positioning—any cluster of ten is basically the same level.

1. Le Mien - Craft Noodle — hand pulled Lanzhou noodles in delicious soup

2. Adam Bakes — top notch Viennoiseries (croissants, etc)

3. Mama Mai — authentic, diverse, and excellent Vietnamese dishes!

4. Elina Patisserie — expertly crafted and delicious pâtisserie

5. Anthony’s — excellent Neapolitan style pizza; focaccia is a must try

6. Maison Oddo — incredible breads and good pastries

7. Jimmy’s Waffle World — gourmet waffle dishes; waffle fries are so good

8. Baklava King — top notch baklava; faves are cashew, almond, walnut

9. Khao Thai Street Food — favourite Thai option in town

10. Mr Samoona Grill & Bakery — awesome Iraqi grilled meat and breads

11. Kanata Noodle House — delicious and generous Vietnamese dishes

12. Ottawa Shawarma (Clyde) — best shawarma in town!

13. Golden Ox Noodles — superb Southeast Asian dishes

14. Gitanes — best date night spot, exceptional steak frites

15. Ng’s Kitchen — best Cantonese and dim sum since the big places closed

16. Jadeland — best General Tso’s chicken in town

17. Pili Pili Charcoal Grilled Chicken — mind blowing charcoal chicken

18. Citizen — fantastic focaccia, yummy mains, delicious desserts

19. LA LA Noodles — very good hand pulled Lanzhou noodles

20. Sheikh Almandi — amazing aromatic mandi rice, good chicken

21. Authentic Vietnamese — authentic isn’t just a name, tasty dishes

22. Lollo — tasty meal sized salads

23. Meet Noodle — very good hand pulled Lanzhou noodles

24. Nagi Sushi — best sushi around, priced accordingly

25. Lexington Smokehouse — good fried chicken, amazing cornbread

26. The Clarendon Tavern — tasty bistro food, nice patio

27. Sapporo Sushi — best sushi for the price (esp. lunch specials)

28. The Grand Pizzeria — very good Neapolitan style pizza; hot sauce is yum

29. Allô mon Coco — best chain breakfast, lots of options

30. Heartbreaker’s — top notch North American style pizza and cake

31. Bread By Us — awesome breads and Viennoiseries, intense sourdough

32. Little German Bakery — authentic pretzels, excellent doughnuts

33. Pho K Fusion — cheerful and diverse Vietnamese and fusion dishes

34. Happy Lamb Hot Pot — tasty broths and generous selection AYCE

35. Umbrella Bar — good chicken burger and amazing calamari

36. Pita Bell Kabab — really good grilled meat feasts

37. Chopp Chop Thai — really enjoyed my pad kee mao and hat yai wings

38. The Cheshire Cat Pub — great pizza, fish & chips, and beer

39. Dosa King — best spot for masala dosa!

40. SuzyQ Doughnuts — best yeast doughnuts in town

41. Mezbaan — tasty Afghan spicy chicken on aromatic rice

42. Kal’s Place (breakfast) — best bacon, sausage, and home fries

43. Feifung Kitchen — good Vietnamese food

44. Taj Indian Cuisine — good Indian food but expensive

45. Dessert First (brunch) — really nice brunch and breakfast plates

46. The Glen Scottish Pub — excellent Scottish dishes; yorkie bowl

47. Pong’s Poutine — best thin-fry style poutine

48. Siam Bistro — very good Thai food

49. Turkish Kebab House — pretty good grilled meats and very good bread

50. Gezellig (brunch) — pretty tasty, elevated brunch

51. Machboos — super delicious chicken, good rice, plates and cutlery optional

52. Amandine Pâtisserie — authentic French café

53. The Belmont (brunch) — good brunch plates

54. The Brew Table — pub fare, better than the Irish chains

55. Edo Japan — best super affordable sushi and stirfries

56. Thai Lanna — decent Thai food

57. Uncle Carmine’s — excellent sandwiches, if your tastes lean sweet

58. Heart & Crown Pub (Preston) — very good fish and chips

59. Mi Amor Tacos — tasty tacos, lots of meat, good salsa, bad churros

60. Halibut House — best chain fish and chips

61. Bite & Bite Shanghai Fried Bun — tasty fried buns and dumplings

62. Grounded Scratch Kitchen (breakfast) — solid breakfast plates

63. Art-Is-In Bakery — unique and good brunch plates, pricey treats

64. Mati (brunch) — decent brunch plates, good mushroom toast

65. DAO Cafe — interesting and pricey treats; some great, some not

66. Pizza Nerds — good tasty craft pizza but I prefer traditional Neapolitan

67. Lusa Bakery — best Portuguese pastries and food, but the bar is set low

68. Mill Street Brewpub — good beer, nice patio

69. Gyubee Japanese Grill — too much meat but cool experience

70. DUKES (brunch) — decent brunch if you want something different

71. My Thai Village — affordable Thai food

72. Merivale Station — stunning value and portion sizes

73. Chesterfield’s Gastro Diner — nice place, good skillets, vinegary holly

74. Persis Grill — okay Persian food, disappointing rice, nice spot

75. 3 Brasseurs — good beef stew, mediocre pub food

76. Taters — good poutine, bad fish and chips

77. Shawarma Palace — okay but nothing like it used to be

78. Noodle House 79 — decent Vietnamese, but quality has gone down

79. Ralph & Sons — good breakfast but crazy expensive

80. Sansotei Ramen — probably the best ramen but I don’t love ramen

81. Rayon Poissonerie — interesting seafood place, brute force cooking

82. Markie’s Smoked Meat — okay smoked meat, bad fish and chips

83. Fratelli (Westboro) — pizza is okay but there is much better available

84. Wolf Down — tasty enough but a shawarma is better

85. Al’s Diner (breakfast) — good standard breakfast, but prices jumped recently

86. Farinella — pizza is only good if you order a whole one; great gelato

87. Fairouz Cafe — okay Lebanese food

88. Cantina Gia — okay Italian food

89. Sea King Seafood — okay Chinese food

90. Yolks — good breakfasts and Benedicts but skip beignets and pancakes

91. Shawarma Al Mouna — good but not the best; excellent lentil soup

92. Saffron Kabab — okay Persian food, disappointing rice

93. Kuidaore — okay ramen; very good karaage (fried chicken)

94. Phở Tuan — people love it but I thought it lacked herbs and flavour

95. Bar Lupulus — pretty tasty, small portions

96. Cocotte Bistro (brunch) — amazing Hollandaise sauce, the rest was meh

97. The Third (breakfast) — decent food, best value in town

98. Stacked Pancake House — solid chain breakfast

99. Lorenzo’s Pizza (Carling) — good thick Ottawa-style pizza

100. 168 Sushi Japanese Buffet — pretty bad but it’s okay for AYCE

101. Tavern at the Gallery — pretty bad pizza but amazing atmosphere

102. Chez Lucien — overrated burgers, bonus points for fries + salad though

103. El Furniture Warehouse — affordable food that’s decent enough

104. Wilf & Ada’s (breakfast) — scratch is cool but the result isn’t the tastiest

105. Thai Flame — okay Thai dishes but pad see ew was mostly cabbage?

106. Pi Squared Pizzeria — unique rectangular pizza, good cheese, sad crust

107. Charm Thai — just okay Thai food

108. Digby’s — family size fish and chips is super generous but greasy

109. Lone Star Texas Grill — expensive shell of its former self

110. EVOO Greek Kitchen — super disappointing octopus, excellent chicken

111. TAKSIM Sweets & Bakes — disappointing and expensive baklava

112. Mandarin Buffet — you get full just as you find the one dish worth eating

113. The Burger’s Priest — you had one job; the burger wasn’t good

114. strEATS Kanata Kitchen — used to be good, now awful; freezer burnt fish

115. Mellos Coffee Shop — breakfast: low price but even lower quality

116. Rang De Indian Cuisine — mid dosa, poor service, solicit google reviews

117. Zoe’s (afternoon tea) — refrigerated food, sadness for the price

Like all of my list style posts, this one is subject to revision as I learn and try new things. My plan is to continue to make changes here and then republish once the modifications are sufficient to make it worth reading again (not more than once per year).

What is this?

In service to my fellow Ottawa Foodies, I aim to share:

• Reliable firsthand accounts of food experiences backed up by juicy pics

• Ranked recommendations, updated as needed

• Random (mostly) food related articles: recipes, revelations, rants

Why now?

After shuttering the old Ottawa Foodies website, I expected Google Reviews and Instagram to neatly fill the void. But instead the trustworthiness of these platforms has degraded over the past five years. And now there’s a vacuum, which (of course) sucks!

Google Reviews are almost meaningless as most restaurants crowd into the narrow range from 4.2 to 4.8 stars. A restaurant with 4.5 stars has an equal chance of being impressive or disappointing. Scores are pumped up by friends or family, or hacked down by unreasonable customers. Worse still, bad actors, funded by an establishment or their competitor can skew scores significantly in either direction.

Instagram and its unapologetically addictive counterpart, TikTok, provide endless entertainment and content. Influencers tout their finds, peddling praise and leaving us unsure about what we can trust. Many of us want less short-form video in our lives, and returning to this quieter, more thoughtful medium feels like the perfect antidote.

Why Substack?

For the past 5 years, I parked the ottawafoodies.com domain on a bare bones WordPress site along with a static snapshot of Ottawa Foodies, circa 2020. I didn’t like WordPress at all and that snapshot was so out of date that I was happy to take it offline. You can still access the old site via the incredible Wayback Machine if you like.

Substack offers a pleasing combination of magazine-style articles and basic social media features without the nasty commercialization rampant on other platforms. It feels somehow more genuine and it embodies the original internet dream of giving everyone a voice. I hope you love it here!

How will it go?

I aim to treat readers, supporters, restaurants, and even detractors with respect. I believe in giving the benefit of the doubt, and I understand that businesses are doing the best they can in a difficult industry. Respect for my readers means making an effort to write and edit in a way that maximizes their benefit and minimizes my own self-gratification. This will be an ongoing process of self-improvement. 😊

I value honesty and accuracy. I can guarantee honesty and will strive for accuracy but there will surely be mistakes. I appreciate your understanding and any corrections you may offer when that happens.

These are early days so let me know if you like what you see here, and please leave a comment if you have any questions or suggestions!

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Articles and reviews about induction ranges always mention they’re faster, safer, cleaner, and more efficient than either gas or traditional electric ranges. While true, this doesn’t tell the whole story. The closest they come to warning about any functional difference is when they state induction “heats the pan, not the cooktop.” But what does this really mean? How will it affect your day to day cooking? I am sharing my own experiences and lessons learned in the hopes that other home cooks will be better able to transition to the exciting world of induction cooking!

How is induction cooking different?

Understanding heat transfer is the key to differentiating induction cooking from traditional electric and gas cooktops. Here’s how they get heat into your pan:

• Induction: the range produces little to no heat outside of the pan itself.

• Electric: the element conducts heat into the bottom of the pan while moderately heating the air that rises around the pan. And yes, we all know induction is electric too but you know what I mean here.

• Gas: the flames radiate heat onto and around the bottom and sides of the pan while significantly heating the air that rises around the pan.

With induction cooking, the bottom of the pan behaves like an electric element.

You read that right! Since an induction burner heats the pan directly, it turns the pan into an element that then goes on to conduct heat into the food or cooking liquid. Unlike with a traditional electric range, there’s no hot air heating the sides of the pan. And unlike gas, there’s no radiation and hot air heating the sides of the pan nor the air above it. This explains the primary differentiating characteristic of induction cooking: all of the heat comes from the bottom of the pan.

How does this affect my cooking?

In a nutshell: an induction range will blow your mind when it comes to cooking with liquids but you’ll need to approach thicker foods with caution. In the following sections, I break down what you need to watch out for with each cooking method.

Boiling, poaching, deep frying

No adjustment needed, other than being in awe. This is where induction shines the brightest! Boiling performance of induction is legendary for good reason. When heating a pot of water on maximum power, it boils from the bottom first, churning and swirling in a dramatic way never seen with gas or electric. I’ve actually had pasta water come to a boil before I had time to choose which pasta shape I wanted to pull out of my pantry!

• GOOD: Everything! Incredible speed for high heat. Amazing control for low heat.

• BAD: You may need to be more careful to avoid having the pot boil over when your back is turned.

  • FIX: restrict maximum power to times when you can give the range your full attention.

Pan frying, stir frying

Small changes to technique are required. If you’re accustomed to using the sides of your pan to help cook food, like when cooking with gas, then you’ll have to adjust to the sides being much cooler. A wok is pretty much impossible to use on an induction cooktop by virtue of its small or non-existent base, so use a deep skillet for stir frying instead.

• GOOD: Intense heat means you can brown and sear even with an overcrowded pan BUT watch out for scorching if you set the (legendary) power too high.

• GOOD: Cool pan sides mean you can often rest a cooking utensil on the rim without it getting hot. I’m not endorsing this practice... just saying it’s possible. 😄

• BAD: Takes a little longer to cook food through because the heat really does come just from the bottom.

  • FIX: add a little liquid to help distribute the heat around the food.

Breakfast foods

These are tricky. Even with a good nonstick pan, I need a certain amount of oil to prevent eggs from fusing to the surface. Unlike gas or electric, induction cooks the center of an omelette or pancake before the edges are fully set, which can make food harder to flip and more likely to stick in the middle. It doesn’t help that many pans are slightly domed, causing oil and food to pool at the cooler edges instead of the hot middle.

• BAD: Eggs and batters cook from the middle outwards.

  • FIX: reduce heat and increase cooking time to allow the sides of the pan to warm up before adding food.

  • FIX: use more fat to help distribute heat and reduce sticking.

Thick sauces and soups — Tomato sauce, béchamel sauce, chili, pea soup, etc.

Approach with caution! You will need to either use lower heat or stir the food sooner to avoid having it burn to the bottom of the pan. The surface can be deceptively cool while the bottom layer quietly fuses to the base. Even without actually burning, I recall a dramatic moment after a barrier layer of pea soup formed at the bottom of my pan, forming a dryish blanket that allowed the metal below to heat up much more than it would when exposed to water. When I scraped the bottom of the pan the more liquid soup above was instantly exposed to the hot metal, causing glorpy lava blorps to shoot up from the pan as superheated bubbles made their escape through the thick soup. The resulting mini geysers splattered pea soup all over my (delightfully easy to clean) induction cooktop!

• GOOD: Induction enables control at very low temperatures, which you can use to avoid burning your food.

• BAD: Thick foods can easily burn to the bottom of the pan.

  • FIX: stir often to distribute the heat throughout the food.

  • FIX: reduce heat and increase cooking time to allow the heat to propagate through the food.

Pressure cooking

Also approach with caution! Pressure cooking is a superb way to speed up the preparation of traditionally slow-cooked foods like soup, beans, and affordable meats. The entire sealed vessel becomes a cooking chamber, so it’s really no surprise that heating it just from the bottom will change its performance. If you’re cooking something like broth on high power, the pot can reach pressure while the top and sides are still cool, resulting in a lower than expected cooking temperature and a surprising reduction in pressure when the power is reduced even by a small amount. If you’re cooking something thick like beans then it can take forever to reach sealing pressure, increasing the risk of burning.

• GOOD: Instant power control allows you to maintain pressure safely.

• BAD: Intense boiling near the bottom can cause the valve to seal while the overall temperature remains relatively low.

  • FIX: reduce power level and increase cooking time to allow the food and vessel to warm up before the valve seals.

  • FIX: delay closing the lid until contents are boiling, stirring often while coming up to temperature.

  • FIX: try preheating the entire pot before closing the lid — place the lid loosely on top so it can warm up.

  • FIX: try preheating the entire pot before using it — steam a little water and then discard it before adding the heavier ingredients.

Conclusion

After plenty of mistakes while adjusting to induction following 20 years of cooking with gas, I can say I enjoy cooking with induction now. The wipability of the cooktop, the responsiveness of the pot, and the efficient use of energy are all real benefits. Using the tips I’ve shared here, I can cook everything as well or better than I could before. Do I miss my gas cooktop sometimes? Yes, especially when cooking breakfast foods and stir fries! But I recognize that burning fossil fuels is not the way forward for humanity and I fully believe induction cooktops will be the only option at some point in our future. Might as well do the right thing today!

I didn’t write this for myself, since I’ve already made the mistakes and learned from them. I wrote it for you, with the sincere intent that my tips and explanations will help soften the learning curve as you adjust to cooking with induction. I wish you the very best and hope you enjoy adapting to this new way of cooking!

It is with mixed feelings of nostalgia, pride, and some relief that I’m announcing the end of this website.

Nostalgia from a 14-year legacy of enthusiastic food discoveries, made as we all witnessed and participated in Ottawa’s coming of age as a culinary powerhouse.

Pride from having seen a modest vision bloom into a thriving community and trusted resource covering all aspects of Ottawa’s food scene.

Relief from seeing an end to maintaining now-outdated technologies and having to deal with increasingly persistent spam content and accounts.

I just noticed that Ottawa Foodies and Facebook launched to the public on exactly the same day! On September 26, 2006, Google reviews didn’t even exist and Yelp/TripAdvisor weren’t yet available in Canada. Our only resource for crowdsourced restaurant reviews was a site called The Restaurant Thing, offering limited posting capabilities and no photos. At the time, I was active in a food section of LiveJournal, home to many of the early Ottawa foodies who helped get things rolling here. ❤️

Fast forward to late 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has run Ottawa’s established restaurant scene through a wood chipper, accelerating what was already a dizzying amount of churn. The rapid shift from in-restaurant dining to takeout invalidated most of our historical restaurant review content while restaurants found ways to reinvent themselves or, sadly, closed their doors completely.

From a technology perspective, the unique value proposition of Ottawa Foodies has always been the way we connect Foods to Vendors. It is still the only resource I know that directly answers questions like, “Where can I find cabbage rolls?” and, “What’s the best thing to order at Appetites R Us?” Even so, the energy of the site shifted toward the discussion forum as the food/vendor sections grew slowly out of date.

Photos and reviews are now better served by Instagram and Google—at least in terms of esthetics and accessibility if not trustworthiness. For those who enjoy sharing food pics Instagram, with its larger audiences and more polished experience, was an obvious choice. I would know!

Discussion forums are implemented with better threading and spam controls on Reddit. I encourage fans of the Ottawa Foodies discussion forum to explore the beleaguered r/OttawaFood subreddit.

I can’t write a post like this without sharing my gratitude. Thanks so very kindly to all of you who made this community a tangible force in the Ottawa food world. It’s been a true pleasure getting to know many of you and sharing in your food discoveries and experiences.

Much love and best wishes to you all.
Mark (aka warby, aka Fresh Foodie)