Category: Living in Ottawa-Gatineau

South Indian Cuisine In Downtown Ottawa At Thali!

I haven’t had a Thali (round platter) in a long time! I think the last time I ever had Thali was when I was a kid maybe more than 2 decades back and I still remember how good the stuff was! Recently I found out about an Indian restaurant in downtown Ottawa that offers Thali so really wanted to try it out!

When you are walking by Thali, you wouldn’t really feel like it is a South Indian restaurant, the place has a really big patio and when you enter inside they have a very modern decor. It looks very different than many other Indian restaurants that I have been to that usually have decor that relates to India (with pictures/indoor design/statues) or sometimes look a bit dated.

Thali restaurant Ottawa

I got myself a Thali plate (with Lamb) at the restaurant. You can choose a variety of meat options – chicken, lamb, beef but the place also have vegetarian options for those who don’t eat meat. My Thali had a variety of dishes made of lamb, cauliflower, potatoes, peas, beetroots, carrots and more! You also get rice and flatbread that go along well with your dishes.

If you don’t like spicy food, then you should definitely let your server know as some of the dishes in your platter might be very spicy! Also if you have any allergies, you should mention that as the restaurant will be able to replace those dishes for you with something else on the plate.

I think the service at this place is much better than other Indian restaurants however I think the food might need some improvement. I was expecting that there would be a variety of lamb dishes in my thali however it was a very small portion. I think for the price, I was expecting atleast 2-3 meat based dishes in my meal. Personally, I think this is the smallest amount of meat I have ever had in my meal.

Address: 136 R. O’Connor St, Ottawa, ON K2P 2G7

Business website: https://thaliottawa.ca/

Rating – 7.5/10

Good Shawarma In Gatineau At La Casbah Shawarma!

Even though Gatineau has a ton of Shawarma restaurants, I have rarely been to any Shawarma spots in the city despite being here for almost two years now! I think part of the reason might be that I went to another Shawarma restaurant a while back and the food didn’t really meet my expectation. But that doesn’t mean that all spots are like that!

My recent visit at La Casbah was actually quite pleasant. The place looks very clean and immediately upon entering, I was welcomed by a friendly person working there. I ended up ordering a Beef Shawarma which had spicy garlic sauce and a bunch of veggies in it. I also ended up ordering a fruity drink called Kodisos. While paying at the Cashier counter, I was offered a free sample of their falafel to try out.

Casbah Shawarma

I was actually surprised as to how good this Beef Shawarma was! If you haven’t tried Shawarma before, it basically has meat and veggies in a flatbread. There was enough meat in and I enjoyed the spicy taste of the garlic sauce which went quite well with it. The portion of the Shawarma is decent enough to fill you up.

I don’t like mango drinks usually because a lot of what you get in the stores is quite sour. However this drink called Kodisos was actually really good. It is probably one of the better Mango juices I have tried so far.

Great customer service and great Shawarmas at La Casbah!

Rating – 8.5/10

Business website: https://www.instagram.com/lacasbahshawarma

Address: 35 Allée de Hambourg Unit 101, Gatineau, Quebec J9J 0G5

Fine Sushi Dining At Kato Japanese Fusion Restaurant!

This is prolly one of the best looking Sushi restaurants that I have been so far! As soon as you enter, you can see that they have put a decent amount of effort into the fine dining experience. KaTO Fusion Japonaise Restaurant is located right beside the Hilton Hotel Gatineau-Ottawa and Koena Spa!

I started with the starter – Beef Tacos and Kimchi! The Beef Tacos consisted of a crunchy taco shell, short rib beef (shredded), green onions and parsley! It also had some sauce which I think was spicy mayo! I found it to be flavorful!

Next I ordered two different types of Maki Rolls – Dragon Rolls and Spicy Yellow Tails! I must say that the food items served do have a visual appeal compared to other sushi places that you would usually go around the Ottawa-Gatineau area.

Tacos and Sushi at Kato Gatineau

The Dragon Roll consisted of Spicy Salmon, Crab, Avocado and Mayo. Each sushi on the roll had a layer of rice ball. I found it a little hard to eat though as the pieces were a little bigger and wasn’t really impressed with the taste much.

The Spicy Yellow Tails roll consisted of Spicy Yellow Tail, Kizami Wasabi, Serrano, Tempura. I wasn’t really impressed by it’s flavor either.

Conclusion

I think the food tastes alright, does look visually appealing but is not as impressive to many other places in the city. The pricing is a little higher but that is what you would end up paying for dining at a fine dining restaurant. If you are looking to mainly have drinks and some sushi to go with it maybe this would be a nice go to spot!

Address: 1170 Chem. d’Aylmer Suite 100, Gatineau, Quebec J9H 7L3

Business website: https://restaurantkato.com/

Rating: 7/10

Trying Out Momos For First Time In Ottawa At The Momo Spot!

I like to call myself a Momo Connoisseur! There was actually a time when I would eat momos on daily basis when I was living in India. But unlike Delhi where you could find street food joints serving momos in less than a minutes walk, there are not a lot of Momo restaurants in the Ottawa area. Only recently I noticed that there is a place called The Momo Spot and decided to give it a try.

If you haven’t had momos before, they are dumplings from Nepal (and also Tibet). The Momo Spot is a Nepali restaurant serving a limited menu of basic as well as specialty dumplings.

Chili Stir Fried and Jhol Momos at the Momo Spot!

Their steamed momos are similar to what you would see on the streets however I would recommend that you go for their signature dishes instead which is something I found as a unique experience and not something that you usually see at other restaurants. I also ended up trying their – Chili Stir Fried Momos and Jhol Momos off their menu.

While the Jhol Momos in Nepal are actually served with Buffalo’s meat in Nepal, at the Momo Spot they are actually served with a vegetarian sauce. The dumplings tasted good enough, and the flavor of sauce reminded me of sambar (lentil based vegetable soup). However, I felt that it was not spicy enough for me.

The next item that I had was the Chilli Stir Fried momos and not only they looked red hot, but actually I really enjoyed the flavor as well. They were quite delicious.

The service is alright, the portions are a little smaller so you might feel that you are actually having appetizers. This is probably one of the cheaper restaurants I have been so far in Ottawa! I think on my next visit, I would like to try their steamed momos as well with the different variety of sauces that they offer.

Address: 79 Holland Ave, Ottawa, ON K1Y 0Y1

Business website: https://iwantmomos.com/

Rating: 8/10

Works Burger And Red Sangria At Patty’s Pub Ottawa!

Patty’s Pub has one of the nice and spacious patios that I have seen in Ottawa so far! While the outdoor looks modern; their in-house dining is a different experience and takes you decades back (in a good way lol)! The owners have tried to create the perfect pub experience and they have done it very well! Not only that but the place has a large collection of lagers from the Ashton Brewing Company.

I got myself Their Works Burger with Fries! And for my drink I got myself a glass of Red Sangria! Both my meal and drink tasted quite good! Works Burger consisted of – Beef patty, cheese, mushroom, lettuce, onion, pickle, and bacon!

Patty’s Pub is quite popular among University students from Carleton as well as Ottawa. You will often end up seeing graduate parties as well at the place!

Overall, I think it’s a really well rounded place to hangout! and I would like to check it out again sometime during night time! Didn’t run into any issues, service was good and atmosphere is great as well!

Address: 1186 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K1S 3X9

Rating: 8/10

Walmart Sells Sushi And It’s Not That Bad!

As soon I entered the Walmart Supercentre in Plateau, I noticed that they are actually selling Sushi! Eating out at a restaurant has gotten more expensive recently, so instead of heading out to a dining restaurant for the day, I thought it would be good to try out Walmart’s Sushi as the price seemed reasonable.

I was able to get the Crispy California Spicy Roll for about 8 bucks. The box included Ginger, Sushi Sauce, and Wasabi. At 470 Calories, it can be a nice lunch for 1 person.

Crispy California Spicy Roll by Naoki

Once I opened up the box, there are a couple of things I noticed. The sushi sauce tasted quite different than the usual soy sauce that I have at home, and so did the Wasabi. I think that they might be using a lighter version of the soy sauce which has less sodium or maybe have some other formulation. For the Wasabi package I noticed that it actually is ‘Wasabi Flavored Horseradish’. I only noticed this because it was taking some time for the Wasabi to get dissolved in the sushi sauce.

The Crispy California Rolls actually tasted alright though. The main noticeable ingredients in the sushi roll were imitation crab meat and cream cheese (or perhaps mayo). It actually was quite flavorful and much better than what I expected from Walmart.

I think the quality is a lit lower because of the cost cutting but if you are looking for a quick meal or just want sushi on budget, it might be worth just picking up sushi from Walmart!

Address: 35 Boulevard du Plateau, Gatineau, Quebec J9A 3G1

Rating: 7/10

Fancy Cocktails In Ottawa At Montgomery Lounge!

I have been to Montgomery Scotch Lounge a couple of times and whenever I go there, I find something new! Turns out the place has some really nice specialty drinks so I decided to try them out this time!

Cocktails at Montgomery Scotch Lounge

The first drink I ordered was called the Cruising Altitude which is made of Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Amaro Nonino, Aperol and Lemon. If you like sweet flavor then this would be the drink for you.

The second drink was a bit of a different experience though – it was the Pompatus of Love which is part of their Enlightment Series. This drink consisted of Aberfeldy Scotch Single Malt, Aperol and Amaro Averna! What’s unique about this drink as you actually get a Smoke Bubble on top of your drink! Blow it up before you sip your drink!

Both drinks had a strong flavor and I had to drink them out sip by sip. It is really hard to chug these drinks even if you are thirsty.

Whenever I have been there, there is always a band performing! I was thinking that the lounge always plays country music but that is not the case. They were actually playing a blend of soul, funk, jazz, reggae and latin music this time and the performance was great!

Mecca of Stank band

I have enjoyed all my visits at this place and recommend it! However there wwere two things that I noticed about this place that I didn’t like. While I have been to the place before when they perform live music, I have never been charged a cover before. But during this visit, there was a cover charge ($10). While it’s okay to charge a cover, none of us were told upon entering the venue that there would be a cover charge.

The other issue was that one of the persons in the group got a sample of the drink and was charged for it. I think it’s important to let the customers know about such charges especially when other bars do not charge for trying out a drink.

Address: 1154 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K1S 3X6

Business website: http://montgomeryscotchlounge.com/

Rating: 8/10

Is Parle By Viet Fresh The Best Pho Restaurant In Ottawa?

Parle By VietFresh claims to have the Best pho in Ottawa and has really rave reviews on Google Maps with a rating of 4.8! So I decided to head there and see what it was all about!

When you enter the place, it does look nice and is quite spacious compared to other Vietnamese restaurants I have been to which have a more outdated look. I could see a lot of umbrellas upside down hanging on the ceiling and a sign saying “FEED ME BANH MI AND TELL ME IM pretty”. Apparently the sign has become quite popular among locals who come to the venue just to take pictures with it!

The place doesn’t serve alcohol so my friend ended up ordering Blue Butterfly Peaflower Tea which I had never tried before or even heard about it, but apparently it’s a caffeine-free tea derived from flowers. It didn’t have a strong flavor or smell, and felt only a little bit sweet.

Parle By VietFresh

For my pho, I had the VietFresh Special which had a variety of meats. All of the ingredients were definitely fresh, which is very important when you are having Pho! and I had to add Sriracha into my Pho to make it more spicy. I had ordered medium sized bowl (the place only offers medium and large) and found that my pho had a decent quantity of meat in it. Surprisingly I was able to finish my meal!

Trying out the Pho at Viet Fresh, I am not sure if I was impressed much by it as the place claims to be the best pho in Ottawa. It does taste good but I wouldn’t say that it was excellent. Service at the place is good and I did felt that the server was checking on us quite often.

Address: 313 Dalhousie St, Ottawa, ON K1N 5T4

Rating: 7.5/10

Jenga Night At Chateau Lafayette In Byward Market!

After visiting Chateau Lafayette, I feel like this bar has a really good potential to become my favorite bar in the city! While the lafayette is a dive bar, it’s one of the few bars in the downtown area that plays country music!

There is limited seating in the patio however their indoor is quite spacious and is suitable for large groups. I didn’t knew this but the bar also has some games that are available to be played for free. My group was able to get a hold of the Jenga, which we played through the night and what made it even awesome was that each piece of Jenga had a dare written on it so it was fun playing them out at the bar.

Chateau Lafayette

Apart from Jenga, the bar also has Pacman arcade and some other games that are available on request. You might have to just look around as there does seem to be some interesting stuff in the bar.

Since this bar actually plays country music, even though the dance floor is quite limited, you will end up seeing people do line dancing sometimes! They do have a DJ playing music on the weekends but also you have the option to play your own music using the touchtunes machines on other days.

Chateau Lafayette promises to be a really good spot for group hangouts. Drinks are priced a little higher than what the other dive bars like Dominion Tavern charge but this one offers a very different experience.

Address: 42 York St, Ottawa, ON K1N 5S6

Rating: 8/10

Good Vibes And Elk Burger At The Works Ottawa!

As soon as I entered The Works @ 580 Bank Street, even though the place was empty, it does appear to have a really good atmosphere! The place is all well lit up, clean and quite spacious! Also I didn’t knew this but I have been told that the Works is really well known among the locals for its burgers.

The way how things work at The Works is you decide one of the burgers off their menu, and depending on your preference you can customize it a bit more than what other restaurants offer. So you can decide on a variety of patty’s that they have (chicken, wagyu beef, elk, plant-based). Also you can go for a number of sides that they have – fries, chips, broccoli, weeds, poutine, salad, onion rings and more! They also give you an option to what type of bun you want – White, Bunless, Lettuce Bun and Multi Grain.

Elk Burger and Sangria at The Works Ottawa

Most of the times, when I am out, I go for the beef patty. However I saw that they had Elk Burger on their menu so decided to go with the Elk on the Beech (with multigrain bun). For my side item, I ordered their spicy die-cut chips. I also ended up ordering Sangria on the side.

I found the Elk Burger quite flavorful! It’s one of the few times I have had an Elk Burger and I think I did enjoy eating it! But I found their spicy die-cut chips quite delicious! I wasn’t expecting the chips to be that good! For me, the portion of the meal were good enough. By the time I had finished the burger, I was feeling stuffed.

The Sangria that I ordered, tasted a little off but it appears that I just to stir it a little bit to get the flavors right.

Service at The Works is good, our drinks came up at our table real quick and the server tended to us often checking if we needed anything. I would definitely recommend this place.

Address: 580 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K1S 3T3

Rating – 8/10