Ottawa Foodies

Had a very good Father's Day Brunch at the Manx. Just the regular brunch, but it was Father's Day.

Enjoyed my eggs benedict thoroughly. Nice egg on top of peameal bacon. Mmm peameal. Picked at my daughter's cowboy beans. She thought it was too spicy, but she thinks ketchup is too spicy. Not home on the range, but a good side. Coffee could use a taste punch.

Overall a tasty brunch and kid friendly.

I always get the same thing when we go to the Manx for brunch (the one vegan option), the tofu scramble wrap. It's served with a side salad and is an enormous portion size. Very tasty, and I love the salad dressing. My one complaint is that the wrap can be a bit spicy for the first meal of the day. They pre-mix the spices, so you can't get them to tone down the heat, unfortunately. I also love the orange and mango juice and the limitless supply of yummy coffee.

Haven't been in 3 years, but they had the most sensuous, satisfying garlic mashed potatoes accompanying your original benny. They would poke a couple of little garlic sprouts into the top of the pile of mash; it just made me giggle. Plus its so cozy and informal, you just want to have a game of checkers after brunch so that you can get around to ordering a pint from their ample bar. This place is one of the bigger reasons I want to move back to Ottawa.

Had Sunday brunch with a few friends, and we were all very satisfied!! We started with the large anti pasti plate, and that was more than enough for three people.

I had the poached eggs with chicken sausage and potatoes, and absolutely loved it. The sauce was a nice portabello broth with nasturtium aioli. Very flavorful and definitely recommended.

My favorite was their french toast with bacon and cheese wedged in between. It was topped with a berry compote, and the salty mixed with the sweet was a great combo.

Brunch may seem pricey at first, but once you try the food, you'll quickly realize that it is well worth the money.

Went here on Sunday with 3 other people for an 11:30am reservation. The place was mostly full, and the wall of windows along one side made for a nice sunny interior which displayed the original artwork on the walls very nicely (the artwork is for sale). Service was very casual and friendly.

We each had a different dish for breakfast: omelette with onions, chipotle, and other stuff ($12.99); french toast with bacon, maple syrup, and cream ($13.99); frittata with twice-smoked bacon and others ($12.99); and an open faced sandwich with fried eggs, some sort of meat, and others ($12.99). Each (except for french toast) came with assorted greens in a light vinaigrette.

I had the omelette and it was amazing. The eggs were perfectly fluffy all the way through, the chipotles were noticeable but didn't take over the flavour of the eggs, and other fillings were cooked to a perfect texture for an omelette (no crunch at all, but no mushiness). The french toast was also very well done and I gathered that the other diners were very happy with their choices as well.

Portions weren't massive, but were definitely satisfactory (I am a notoriously big eater).

Overall, you're definitely paying well above average for breakfast, but the kitchen really makes it feel worthwhile.

The Urban Pear is listed in the Entertainment book.

Love, love, love Benny's for brunch! Went there today with friends, and the French toast with aged cheddar, oat crumble with brown butter and salted caramel was amazing. The portion was just perfect, I was completely full after I was done. Complete with that came a frothy cappuccino with Illy coffee. I also tasted their orange juice and it was very fresh (I'm pretty sure if was freshly pressed). My partner asked that the egg be removed from his plate, since he doesn't eat them. The cook compensated by adding a lot of salmon. Service was very nice, everyone was smiling, it was awesome. Would definitely, definitely go back!

My Pan-seared gnocchi, crispy lardons, spinach, poached eggs and chipotle mayo were just amazing. Again, the photo makes it look like a puny portion but it was right for me (and I eat well).

The poached eggs were top-notch aside from a slight tang of vinegar noticeable when eating just the white (I know you need some vinegar in poaching water to keep things together but I think they use a lot). Perfectly cooked, though. The crispy lardons were delectable and married perfectly with the pile of spinach buried underneath. The gnocchi were pleasantly chewy and very nice to eat. All in all a delicious feast!

Wifey's Croque Madame with green salad was phenomenal (she let me try some)! Everyone should try this. Our dishes, and also those we saw delivered to other tables, were delightfully presented and extremely tantalizing.

This photo doesn't do justice to the generous size of this plate!

I always saw Stonefaced Dolly's as being the best breakfast in town, no competition. However, as the months got warmer, I noticed an increasingly large line out their door (despite construction), and an increasingly short temper on their wait staff (whom I love dearly).

As a result, my partner and I tried Jak's a few weeks ago, and we are hooked. Not only is there no wait (though about half to 3/4 of the tables are full) to get in, the food is downright incredible, and the three times that we've been in the last two months, we have been impressed with the service.

The double standard breakfast (3 eggs, two meats, roasted potatoes, double order of toast, and fruit) is a good value and their other specialities breakfasts (omlettes with ridiculously amazing cheese, veggies and meats, or macs--fried eggs on your choice of bread with equally amazing toppings) are equally good in value and down right wonderful.

The only thing that this place is lacking is some good pancakes (found at Stonefaced Dolly's), otherwise I see them succeeding in the long run on account of word of mouth.

Did brunch here again last weekend, and it was pretty darn good. Service was fast and attentive, and the food was tasty.

I got a croque monsieur, since I was in the mood for a brunch-that-was-more-like-lunch. While the sandwich itself was really delicious, I didn't have my socks knocked off by the sides I got with my dish. The fries were good and crisp but (as FF says down below) pretty salty. I think part of the reason why is because they use kosher salt instead of table salt? It makes the salting a bit uneven. Also, the sauce they served on the side for my sandwich was odd. I wasn't sure what it was, and it didn't taste like much.

Didn't see how much the bill was, because we were being treated by friends of ours. Maybe one of these days we'll even do dinner here!

A friend of mine was in town from London (Ontario, sadly!), so a bunch of us (7) went out to the Metropolitain Brasserie for brunch.

Service was great: our server was knowledgable, attentive, and fun. A little bit scatterbrainted, but not a dealbreaker in any way, shape, or form.

Among the dishes we had:

- Eggs en cocotte forestière (two eggs baked in demiglace with cubes of double-smoked bacon; delicious)
- Crèpe of the day (duck, asparagus, sauce Mornay with smoked Gruyère; really good, but the asparagus was a bit icky, since it's obviously not from here)
- Daily special (a vol-au-vent filled with wilted spinach, sautéed oyster mushrooms, lobster (a whole claw and some other delicious bits), and sauce Mornay; definitely a hit.)

Plus an assortment of mimosas, cafés au lait, and crèmes brûlée.

We will definitely be returning; it's a nice change from the greasy spoon breakfasts, though I love them so.

Went with a group of 8 people for Sunday brunch. We had actually intended to go to Baker Street Cafe, but it was full. Service was generally good with one or two minor exceptions for small things that were forgotten (cream for coffee, extra bacon). Most people ordered either the eggs benedict or the mediterranean omelette, with one person getting the pancakes.

Everyone was happy with their food, but I didn't hear anyone blown away by the flavours. I only say this because for $12 eggs benedict I would normally expect a little more than just standard eggs benny done well. For quantity, everyone but me seems to have been satisfied, but I'm a notoriously big eater so I think the general population would be happy with what they get.

All in all, a good breakfast with good service, but I'm not sure if it's worth the slightly inflated prices.

A filled crepe.

Surprising (mild) complaint: "too much meat."

From the same diner who had the platter-o'-animal here ottawafoodies.com/vendor/620 , hence "surprising"...

A 'mediterranean' omelette.

Top marks for a good combination of veg.

Deductions for the tiny amount of feta.

And no toast to the toast. It was so dry as to be melba, and no butter ever showed up (neither did anybody to ask until the end).

Strawberry juice was great, though -- not the bottled sugar water most places with "strawberry juice" on the menu are flogging.

We went to Scone Witch this past Saturday and were very pleased. My gf and I both got the scrambled eggs special (she went with the one with goat cheese (and the goat cheese was plentiful), and I got the mushroom rague). We both got salads on the side, 2 glasses of orange juice, a scone each (she got the onion and herb scone and I got the vanilla one - though we shared), I got a coffee and she got a hot chocolate. All together, the meal cost $32 and we left a $5 tip which is reasonably generous given that you place your order at the counter (though they do bring it to you.

For our money, we were very pleased. Some more upscale brunch places should come here to see how food should be cooked. The scones were incredible as was the rest of the food. I particularly loved my coffee and she was very happy with her hot chocolate.

The downside (if its important to you) is that its pretty informal place and you place your order at the counters. Having said that, I found them to be polite and quick to bring it to our table. I am fine with a relaxed atmosphere and ordering at the counter but if its not your thing...

We went to the Metropolitan about 5-6 weeks back for brunch and this was easily better in terms of the food and the service - and it was cheaper. I wasn't disappointed in the Metropolitan (it was what I expected - it was ok) but it was not that memorable. Scone Witch left me feeling impressed and thinking this is the place to go for a nice little brunch. As Mr. Schwarzenegger once said, I'll be back.

Cheers

New favourite! A selection of plates available for a flat $12. I had the "Sausage" - description from their menu is - Grilled in-house sausage, garlic maple syrup, true loaf apple bread & cheddar French toast, poached egg.

Just about the best brunch I've had in Ottawa. Service was awesome too. Will have to try Murray St for lunch or dinner one of these days.

My french toast.

I had no idea that Play does brunch, but there you go. Went on Sunday with a friend and was really impressed! The prices are reasonable, great atmosphere in the middle of the Market, and the food was amazing. I spent $30 with tax and tip and got:

a large pot of tea
fruit & yoghurt parfait with homemade (delicious cinnamon-honey) granola
banana bread french toast with homemade nutella
SIX cookies

Everything was amazing, but I have to say my friend's pancakes won the morning hands down. I don't normally eat pancakes (find them mushy and tasteless), but these were crisp on the outside and had the most amazing buttery flavour.

Attached - picture of the omgyum pancakes.

A lot has been said about this place so I will keep it short. I was thrilled with my experience at Fraser cafe this past weekend, the service was pleasant and attentive (even with an energetic one year old at the table!), the atmosphere at the new location was warm and the food was great as usual.

I also had the burger and I totally second nickfoodies comments, in addition, I will add that even the bun is made fresh in house (being totally blown away after finishing I had to know all about it and the server was happy to inform me that absolutely everything was made in house, two big thumbs up!) My only comment would be that the fries could have been salted a bit more, but other than that a really great meal.

For Dessert we tried the doughnuts and ice cream as well as the lemon cake and both arrived piping hot, a nice treat on a cold winter morning!

Excellent bacon cheeseburger on the Brunch menu. Delicious, perfectly fried double-smoked bacon and pretty aged cheddar, with a sweet mayo sauce, garnished with tomato and greens. Great fries too, fresh, thick cut. Nice salad with a variety of greens. At $13 a great deal, very filling. Washed down with a pint of Beau's and I'm a happy man.

This is my favourite burger in town

Todric's is a lovely little place that you're unlikely to find unless you work for the government on McArthur or are egged on by your trusty GPS. Only meters away did we finally realize we were in the vicinity of gastronomic potential.

But it was worth it!

The brunch menu was filled with choices including omelets, poached eggs, pancakes, quiche, and more. The food was presented simply, but it was definitely tasty (for the record, I had a chef's omelet – cheese and asparagus - with toasts and a cappuccino).

The decor is unassuming, warm, and cozy. We got service at the table, but it seems the place can also metamorphose itself into an order-at-the-counter establishment (perhaps on weekdays for lunch?).

Food there is also very affordable.

Service was friendly, and we had a nice chat with the cook, Eric Patenaude, who's engaging and very enthusiastic about his cooking. He showed us around the frozen take-home entrees and emphasized value for the money. We made off with a lamb curry that we polished off tonight ... mmmm.

Went to Todric's on a weekend (it's on McArthur...just a few blocks west of Vanier Parkway...I know the location seems odd)...this place is FABULOUS!! One of the best brunches I have had in Ottawa. Their focus is on catering...but I will definitely come back for brunch/lunch. Fresh, delicious food! Omelettes and french toast were great. So was the quiche! The chicken club was to die for! Great ambience!!

I am very impressed by Todric's (the only thing that might seem weird is that the cutlery and condiments are self-serve...other than that, everything else is served to your table). The owner and staff are very friendly. Oh and they also carry quite a few take-home dishes, marinades, rubs and preserves.

You've got to give a place credit when they put pizza and burgers on their Brunch menu. I had the Texas Pizza, which had a sweet BBQ sauce in lieu of pizza sauce, and chicken breast pieces. The pizza was pretty large for a single-serving, and I did think the thin-crust was a bit soggy. But overall, it was a good pizza. My gf had the bagel and lox (cured salmon fillet), and I'm told it was excellent. They didn't skimp on the salmon.

Service was attentive, and the atmosphere is great. They have a front and back patio, as well as a decent-sized interior.

Worth a visit, in my opinion. I know I'll be going back to see more of the menu.

I decided to stop here on a whim on Saturday morning for brunch. I had a water and eggs benedict ($13), while my friend ordered a caesar ($8.50) and eggs benedict. She was impressed at the preserved beans in the drink, but felt that the price was steep.

The eggs benedict was quite good. It came traditional style, with a salad, home fries and a fruit salad garnished with mint. The ham wasn't your deli sliced ham, but rather as if they'd cut it off a freshly cooked ham. The egg whites looked as though they'd been whipped and tasted a little watery- maybe it's just a different style that I have yet to encounter, as most times it's just hollandaise sauce on top of poached eggs. Anyhow, the eggs were good and runny and the hollandaise sauce was just right. My friend thought it could've been more rich, but I suppose that's more of a subjective opinion!

Service was attentive in the first half, though it dropped off around halfway through the meal. I'd go back... the food was good and the ambiance was nice.

Last Sunday morning after the snowstorm
this was one of the few places on Somerset/Wellington/Richmond that had parking spots (city did plow) & sidewalk was done also. So at 10:05am we were the first customers for brunch.
Coffee was hot and fresh and replenished nicely (after the server ran back from Herb&Spice across the street--fruit was very fresh!) Very reasonable prices. Vegetarian fritta platter was excellent, incredibly good homefries, oven baked veggie frittata, small side of fruit. Nice fruit cup with granola. French toast in triple sec with fruit and bacon or sausages was the most expensive item ($9),was huge and good. None of the 3 of us ordered benedict (there were 2 choices) but prices were about the best I've seen $8 or$9 and given how good the rest of the stuff was it seems like a great place for brunch. Friendly service, good food, hot coffee as needed. Love the friendly service here!

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I went to Vittoria for brunch with my girlfriend last weekend. I had "Siena" Brunch: Bacon and Fontina cheese omelet served with seasoned potatoes and nine grain toast. My girlfriend had "Francesca" Brunch: Poached eggs, smoked salmon, mascarpone cheese and dill sauce served on grilled toast with seasoned potatoes. Everything was tasty and fresh. My seasoned potatoes were excellent. Good service. Impressive wine list. It's cosy!

My parents have been taking us here for Saturday brunch for as long as I can remember (guesstimate 8 years).As creatures of habit we always order the same thing:
Dad: eggs Benedict (I'm pretty sure this is on back bacon)
Mom: omelet special of the day. I always sneak a bite and they usually use a good cheese, though they are never good enough for me to think to order them the next weekend
Myself and sister: eggs Portuguese. poached eggs on potato pancakes with sliced tomatoes and basil hollandaise sauce. Notably absent is basil, but it is still our fave!
The benedicts are always delicious and even the portugaise which comes on potato pancakes still comes with amazing home fries. It comes with a selection of somewhat to overly ripe fruit (slices of melon, orange, grapefruit, strawberry, pineapple and kiwi)oh and a small chocolate
(the kind they sell at costco, maybe even the kirkland brand I cant remember for sure)
the coffee is decent at best, but free refills are aplenty. To give everyone a heads up, the later you go the more likely you will wait at the tiny crowded entrance.

We went for Father's Day brunch around 10:30 am, expecting a line-up but it was actually very quiet, probably due to all the construction on Bank St.

They had three choices for brunch, all of which are served with a grilled tomato "provencal", fried mushrooms, home fries and grilled toast.

Traditional: 2 eggs done as you like, double-smoked bacon, house sausage and ham. Vegetarian: Sweet potato, leek and ricotta fritatta. Vegan: Blueberry pancakes with coconut cream filling.

We tried the first two, and ordered toast for our toddler (who ate our homefries instead).

All the food was yummy and done well, the bacon was particularly delicious, and we all went away stuffed. The variety of sides was so nice, and made the meal feel very complete.

It's a locale with a touch of local history, built in the home of the old Imperial Theatre. It's actually a totally cute place, with art deco touches (check out the gorgeous wallpaper on the back wall) and cheesy old movie posters for a bit of visual entertainment. There are a video projector and a screen set in the ceiling, and a promise to start showing movies some time soon.

The husband and I came here for brunch today, because our standard (Jak's, right now) was doing repairs.

I had been here once before, a few years ago, and remember it being fairly good. The impression that we left with was that they took great care in some things, but didn't seem to care at all about others.

The service was really unattentive. We waited quite a while without being acknowledged, and when there was finally a table ready, we weren't seated so much as shooed into the seats. It was very strange. When ordering, the waiter was mumbling a lot. He didn't ask what my husband wanted for sides, homefries or salad, or what kind of bread. I don't think those things should have to be prompted from the customer.

They brought us banana bread and butter to start, which was a nice touch. This is one of those things that they clearly thought through, and I appreciated it.

I ordered the French Toast, with a side of bacon. It was a good portion and very tasty. I might say the best french toast I've had. The "season fruit salad" annoyed me, because it was a lot of berries that were not ripe and not in season. The bacon was a good portion, though crisper than it ought to have been.

My husband ordered the Western omlette. The homefries were a really, really small portion, albeit nicely seasoned. We talked about how the portion was smaller than you get in most restaurants, and had their been a second side (beans, salad?) it would have been a bit more explicable. He said the omlette was good, but nothing that he couldn't have gotten at a diner.
He asked for white toast, but got brown (there was no third option, which was a bit odd)

The orange juice was alright, though marked up as it is everywhere. The cafe au lait was quite good as well, though more milk than coffee. I asked three times for a glass of water, before it was finally brought.

The french toast was really good, but it would be the only thing that I would consider worthy of revisiting for. The bill was $28 for two drinks, two meals and my side, before tip. Not a bad price, but not worth such inattentive service.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE brunch at The Buzz. They serve real maple syrup (surprisingly a rarity in Ottawa, unless you hit a foodie joint like most of those listed here). The menu is brief yet varied, the food fantastic and chef-like (as opposed to 'line'-cooked) and the service is delightful...always. Crepes, home-made sausages/banana bread/granola...

I had brunch here several weeks ago. They do a table d'hote brunch menu.
The day I was there the options were:

Black Bean Soup OR
House Made Granola

Breakfast Burrito OR
French Toast with Bananas and Chocolate Sauce

Choice of Dessert

I opted for the Granola, followed by the French toast.

I had a latte to start, and the granola which was really good, and fortunately in a small portion because it's pretty heavy as a starter. It was nicely carmelized and really tasty.

The french toast was unusual...it was a large wedge of brioche type bread that had been coated in oats before frying. It came with sliced bananas and chocolate sauce, 2 large pieces of thick cut bacon that were a little too crunchy for my taste and 2 sausages that were slightly longer and thinner than the standard breakfast sausage, and a lot less greasy. I wish I knew where they get them. There was also a nice salad on the plate, and fried potatoes (not deep fried, either!).

Upside: The latte was included in the price, which was about $17 so there was a lot of food for the price. And almost everything was tasty. I had to have them box my dessert (Peanut Butter Pie) to go, as there was no way I could eat it after all that.

Downside: This is not the place to go if you have plans after. I was seated shortly after 12:00 and had my bill dropped at 1:40. Also, it is a lot of food, so go hungry, or with someone who has a bigger appetite than you. Also, I liked the table d'hote format, but probably wouldn't have if they'd offered choices that didn't appeal to me.

All in all, I'd go again.

My friend ordered the home-style omelet souffle style.

Had brunch here,and it was really good. Basicly their breakfast is eggs cooked in the oven on an iron skillet prepared 3 ways, Israeli style. You get some really good side salads, hot bread with different spreads, olives and coffee for around 10 bucks.

I went with the Mediterranean style prepared with peppers and tomatoes, could have used more spice but it was really good. I'm definitely going back!