Ottawa Foodies

one of my best vegetarian experiences in Ottawa. Took the missus out for her b-day, she of the never met an ocean dweller she wouldn't try once ilk (but also v. discriminating on its preparation), and me half-hoping to get an ok-ish pasta dish out of the deal. One doesn't, after all, necessarily go to an oyster bar looking for vegetarian nirvana.

Our server listened attentively to my preferences, communicated those to the kitchen, and what the chef(s) delivered far exceeded expectations. My main consisted of three "constructions" of different vegetables, a green-bean concoction in the middle, flanked by a potato mound on the other and something else to the left (can't remember, except it was great!). Each was enhanced w/ their own sweet/salty drizzles, garnishings (e.g., sprigs of shiso), and further augmented w/ savoury nuts / cheeses--think 2 yr old cheddar on one, sauted walnuts on another, thinly sliced almonds on the third. The range and blend of tastes was amazing, but best of all, these served to accent rather than overwhelm the vegetables, which were themselves perfectly cooked and obviously fresh. Further, it was a substantial portioned main: even with the b-day girl poaching liberally from my plate (it was her day, afterall), the nutritional complexity of the nuts and cheeses made for a very satisfying meal. I felt like it was my birthday!

echoing comments made by others, the ambience at WB is also noteworthy: attentive but laid-back staff, diverse in patronage (suits at one table, black t-shirts at another), music playing from a turn-table.

A splurge (for us), but well worth it and that's without even needing to say anything about their mainstays, the oysters / fish! (They were great, she assured me.)

My dining companion and I had a very enjoyable meal here on Saturday night.

We had made reservations for 8:00 and it's a good thing we did. The place is tiny! But it's also a great atmosphere. It's loud and convivial and very laid back. It may be a bit too casual for some of the 'finer' diners, but we liked it a lot.

The service was friendly and efficient. The food took an appropriate amount of time and our water glasses were well tended to.

I was impressed with the food. We ordered 2 appetizers and 2 mains. Apps were the tuna tartare (good, but maybe a bit bland) and the foie gras (very nice flavour and came with a really neat rhubarb compote). Mains were the perch and the 1/2 loster and pork belly combo. We each sampled each other's dishes and concluded that everything was very good. Nice presentation too, as an extra touch.

The drinks were good too. I had an oyster caesar and they actually put a good amount of spice in it!

The price was a bit steep: about $115 + tip for 2 apps, 2 mains and 2 drinks, but we did leave feeling good about the experience, so no complaints!

I'd go back (especially since it's about 2 blocks from where I live) and try the scallop sashimi appetizer (looked really good on another table) and get the lobster for myself!

A lovely place for people wanting a new and different dining experience. Me and my boyfriend had never done the oyster thing and this was a perfect introduction. We decided to try the Whalesbone because the Ottawa magazine ranked it ‘one to watch’ with the new chef (Steve Wall), and as well they participated in a prix fixe for Winterlude. This included (each) 3 fresh oysters with sauces, an Appetizer, Entrée and dessert for $45! This place has immediately been put in my top 3 because of the great food and food knowledge and the interesting staff. I must say, the sauces that accompany the oysters are brilliant. It makes me want to have a different oyster with a different sauce to taste each and every aspect. I ended up buying their Red Wine and Peppercorn sauce to try at home. So much fun!
Such an amazing oyster bar.
look for our review later at www.harringtons.ca

Visited tonight with my Mum and was really, really impressed. My first experience with oysters, and the passionate staff made it a fun introduction. I also had the crusted salmon, with mini gnocchi and some squash puree. The presentation was beautiful, and the many flavours really complimented each other in nice, and interesting ways. Cool, unpretentious atmosphere, relaxed staff.. wicked all 'round.

We went here on Thurs. for my birthday which happened to be the last night of Stephen Vardy in Ottawa! Now I know why everyone loves him so much...his food is amazing! I adore the decor and rustic look of Whalesbone, albeit small and a little cramped. More cramped for the servers than cramped for the diners. I ordered a couple fresh shucked oysters to try which were $2 each. See review above/below.
Then my bf and I shared the Custom Organic Greens salad to share which is described as "hand selected from Bryson farms greenhouse, soft goat cheese, crunchy oatmeal granola, yuzu, organic olive oil". It was really yummy and simple. I tried taking a picture but my camera was running low on battery and I definitely wanted to take pics of the mains, which I did. See my review on what we ate.
For dessert we both had the chocolate brownie which came with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on top with dots on the plate of strawberry (or cherry?) sauce and vanilla cream. Very good!

I can't wait to go back to this place and try out the next chef. I love how the rustic look and feeling makes you relaxed and you still get top notch food without feeling 'stuffy and pretentious' which sometimes unfortunately accustoms other high end food restaurants. LOVED IT!

We went down to the Whalesbone tonight to see how the Steven Vardy's food fit into an oyster house. The place is an entirely different animal from Beckta or par-fyum, but it all seems to work.

I ate at the Whalesbone in the pre-Vardy days and it was pretty good. There was a wide selection of oysters and they were shucked by pros, but I was left with the feeling that the rest of the food was a tad overpriced for what I got. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

The oysters were fab as expected. The food was great too. We opted for two rounds of oysters, followed by apps and desserts. We tried the salt cod tongue cakes (salty, savoury and excellent) and the (perfectly cooked) caramelized Lunenburg scallops with tuna tartare. The latter were tarted up with Vardy's usual Asian hints (tobiko and wasabi mustard sauce). Both apps were in the $10-$12 range, which is cheaper than they were before.

They've kept the relaxing, casual atmosphere which was nice. We sat by the opened window and had a view of the passersby on Bank Street. It felt hell of bourgeois to sit eating $4 oysters while street folk walked past. We upped the bougie ante and asked our server to put the Ramones on while we ate our desserts. The only letdown was the lack of an espresso to round things out. Hardly even worth mentioning in an otherwise great meal.

I have not been since Vardy joined either, but have to agree with the Citizen food critic, Anne Desbrisay, on this place. They are way too expensive for the decor.

Did notice earlier this year that they were renovating the restaurant though. Still, it's an awfully small place. And if they put in plusher seats and bring in Vardy, does that mean that they are going to be even more expensive!? I think they would price themselves out of the market then.

And the service was no hell the last couple of times I have been there, back in 2005/6.

They were originally themed after the Rodney Oyster House in Toronto, which was significantly more impressive. The variety of oysters there was significant. I think I counted 60 the last time I went back in the late ‘90s. Whalebone should not call itself an oyster house at all. It’s more of a bistro restaurant that wants to sell oysters. Trying to compete with Big Daddy’s on Elgin, which was more interesting than Whalebone, for oysters.

I have always thought that the chef makes or breaks a restaurant, so it would be interesting, consider Vardy's nomadic nature, whether he really makes a difference.

I still haven’t been to Par-Fyum either…. Slipping…

I have not been since Vardy joined, but I have enjoyed eating here on two other occasions. I liked the crab cakes, and of course the oysters. The freshly grated horseradish was a nice surprise.

Review: www.ottawaxpress.ca

FINALLY went and tried not only oysters for the first time, but caught Vardy on his last night in Ottawa!
I asked the server which oysters I should try being my first time and she suggested one from the east coast (PEI) and one from the west. The bigger one on the left in the pic is west and the smaller east. I tried the east first and it was smooth and the texture creamy almost. Then I tried the west and it was completely different than the PEI oyster. West was 'fishy' tasting and had a grainy texture. Both were good but I definitely preferred the east coast oyster.

This was my main dish. "Hot filicetti sausage, organic king eryngii mushrooms, pickled ramps and warm crushed heirloom tomatoes"
This was absolutely delicious!! The sauce, heirloom tomatoes, was so perfectly flavoured I wished I had some bread at the end of it so I could soak it up! I did find the scallops to be a touch overdone but nonetheless was still very good. The little sausages added a nice texture to every bite.

My bf ordered the Potato Crusted Red Spring Salmon which was described as "Organic young beets, pea shoots, "broken" soy-chevre-truffle sauce". The server asked how he would like it done and suggested that it should be medium rare but my bf not eating fish/seafood alot opted to have it done medium. He totally LOVED it! He couldn't stop saying how good it was and him being a lover of beets just couldn't get over how delicious it all was. I tried a bite of the salmon and yes, delciousness! The potato crust was perfect.

I can't comment on their oysters, but I had their angus steak in a pepper sauce last week. It was about $35 and fantastic. Much more flavourful than the the pepper steak at Hy's, presented in a more appealing way, and at 2/3s the price.