Ottawa Foodies

it hurts to write this, but i had a disappointing visit to raw sugar on sunday. the coffee was weak and the carrot cake was bland. i also had a feta pie, that was still delicious, even cold.

i realize the bake goods are most likely not fresh on sunday, the cake was moist and the icing was unoffensive - it had a nice hint of orange. i just found the cake portion lacking spice and flavour. it was ho-hum.

i had just coffee and found it bland. i think they are serving francesco's which is not my favourite brand here in town. i am not a strong coffee drinker, but even i needed more kick in my cup.

i will still go back. they have beau's on tap, st. ambroise in the bottle and you can get a shot of bailey's in your coffee if you want a late night treat on your way home.

It is a really easy going coffee/tea shop. I am sure that people have walked in expecting the Starbucks experience and were surprised to find humans (not BARISTAS) behind the counter. (I have sometimes seen the owner in slippers.)

I guess you can describe it as a meeting place that happens to serve coffee. It is like having a really big living room that can fit all of your friends at once. We were there once for a boardgame night and another time learning how to build sock monkeys. Both times it was PACKED!

And Raw Sugar definitely offers alcoholic drinks other than beer, and not just at private functions. And I do know, for sure, that they have a legal liquor license!

Came here last night for an anniversary party. Had a super time! The atmosphere and decor is right up my alley (my spouse and I spent a lot of time talking about paint colours when we got home).

The owner is super friendly, and was very into our group of about 15-20 people. There was a DJ at the event, not connected to the cafe and a handful of nibbles and bevvies were available.

What really got me about the place was its relaxed atmosphere and the friendly staff. I didn't want to go home! It was conducive to good conversation, which is always a plus. And yet, I could see getting school work done here.

We didn't have a lot of time, but a couple of weeks ago, my husband and I stopped in to check out Raw Sugar Cafe. I like the homey/quirky decorating.

We took a piece of the vegan carrot and chocolate cakes home with us. Yum, yum! I'll be back when I have more time to sit and enjoy. Too bad they close so early.

was there last night for Dharma Arts 3D
nice lil and I mean little cafe
and by the time we left it was packed like a tin of sardines

the owner was a very sweet lady who seems to mean well but looked like a deer caught in headlamps when she realized just how many people were showing up
nevertheless she made the best of it

Beau's was the only beer offered but a great choice as was the only wine offered: FuZion Shiraz-Malbec

the spoken word was pretty good
the tunes being spun by DJ CPI of thetastates.com were really setting a funkygroovy mood

realizing early that there weren't many chairs, my S/O and I grabbed a couple early

did not try any of the tasties as I am not a big fan of sweets but would go there to try a pot of tea and watch the world wild away

When I first went to Raw Sugar after it opened, I have to admit that I was less than impressed. I believe the owner/server was having a bad day. My S/O and I were served rather ungraciously, and we didn't feel particularly welcomed. This was on a Saturday afternoon.

I really want to like this place, as it's in my neighbourhood, so we went to the "my baby, she wrote me a letter" event on Thursday. What a difference some time has made. The place is very cozy in the evening, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE that the only beer they serve is Beau's Lug Tread. As it was the evening, the supper options were meagre. We had a feta and spinach pie (small but yummy) and a couple of dolmas. But I was MUCH IMPRESSED by the sugary delights: vegan brownies, amongst other things. I will definitely go back to try everything!

Oh, and a "decaf coffee" was actually a decaf Americano! Delightful!

The event was fun and was well executed. The music really fit the mood of the place, and was just loud enough to enjoy, but carry on a conversation.

i have been going to raw sugar since it opened in the fall. it is my new favourite coffee shop in the sommerset area. they offer coffee, tea, espresso, cappucino, chai, as well as organic juices. recently they received their liquor license, so you can also order beer, though that might just be for special occasions?

the food offerings are mainly sweets, with some sandwiches, delicious feta pie, and cupcakes. there are vegan options as well. i like the vegan peanut butter squares. the lemon poppyseed cake was a little dry to me.

there is a large bookshelf with lots to choose from (books are left there, but bookmarks are provided), magazines, and kids toys. the decor is very eclectic, with a mix of chairs and couches. it is a great place to order a pot of tea and read on a cold afternoon.

there are a number of neat events coming up:

Thursday Jan. 22nd--"my baby, she wrote me a letter"--we're old schoolin' it and inviting you to handwrite somebody a letter. Who doesn't love receiving fun mail?? We'll provide the stationary, envelopes, stamps, we'll even drop it in the mail for you! For $5, you get all that and coffee or tea and a treat. Just bring a pen (or quill and ink ;)) and an address.
Starts at 7 pm.

Saturday Jan. 24th--the first of many free workshops- from 2 pm to 3 pm we'll be hosting the "how to start your own business" workshop. Some basics will be delivered, followed by a Q & A. Please sign up, space is limited. If there's too many, we'll host another on Sunday.
Starts at 2 pm.

Friday Jan. 30--Dharma Arts: 3D
After two years of stealthily bringing online readers stories about art, artists, and our community, Dharma Arts is ready to get noticed. “We were waiting for a good reason to throw a bash. We wanted our party to be as much about the artists we’ve featured as it is about the website (dharmaarts.ca). With close to two years of content under our belt, we figured now’s the time,” says Kenji Toyooka, designer and producer of Dharma Arts.

dharmaarts.ca dharmaarts.ca

The event – entitled Dharma Arts: 3-D – is conceived as a living, breathing model of the online magazine, featuring musicians, poets, painters, DJs and – in keeping with its mandate to redefine what art is – put extreme hairdressing, shadow boxing, and other cultural interests under the spotlight. The idea is to keep it stimulating and interactive.
Starts at 8 pm.

The cake, one of the featured snack foods (it was a late, post-dinner party), was to-die-for (even though I'm on a cake free diet, ahem). It was super moist and had the perfect amount of chocolate in it for my liking. My only qualm with it is that it was a bit too moist and stuck to your throat if you ate too much at once.

Andrew (spouse) ordered the organic peppermint tea. He said it was quite yummy, but that this tea was more inclined to become bitter (unlike that found elsewhere)...

The hummus was quite good and was served with pita and other chips. What struck me as unique about this hummus is that it wasn't perfectly blended, so you got a bit of the texture of the chickpea in your mouth, rather than a generic dip. The hummus was defined by both the flavour and texture, instead of just the former. Very tasty.

I must have emailed when they first opened. Because they wrote to me and said they only had Beau's. I guess it makes sense that they've expanded.

Beer, wine sprtizers, house wine all listed on chalkboard menu. Regular menu items.

i always thought it was a personal decision by the owner to just serve beer. they do have lots of food choices - sandwhiches, lots of desserts, dips, dolmas, feta pies. we have often stopped in for a beer and a cupcake on a weekend afternoon.

I'm actually pretty sure they DON'T serve other alcoholic beverages (maybe at private events). I actually emailed and inquired once about this. I have wondered about their liquor license though. And I don't see why they should need to serve "more substantial food" what about nightclubs, etc? There are lots of places you can go for dessert & drinks. How is this different?

There might be some kind of loophole given that Beau's is a microbeer, local, etc. But I greatly doubt that.

To be honest, I'm not sure what other sorts of foods they serve, since this event was catered by them and it was a private party. They serve other alcoholic beverages, so a liquor license they must have...

Raw Sugar has a liquor license? Seriously? I thought there was a requirement for more substantial food before one could gain said license and thus serve beer.

They serve Beau's, as well as some stuff in bottles. I had three pints of Beau's and was one happy camper.

I always forget how much I love dolma until I'm eating one. Then, I can't stop.

Their dolma were well rolled and very tasted with the right amount of lemony zing, and a good amount (not too much) rice in the middle. I think this will be my new project, making dolma.