Ottawa Foodies

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Just saw the comment by Sasha on their zucchini bread and the open hours and was reminded of something:

I sat across from Morning Owl Coffeehouse during the Italian Week Bike Race on Sunday, June 17. The number of people that stopped and sadly whimpered because you were closed was sizeable. Many cyclists (including this one) are powerfully drawn to espresso and all things caffeinated. If you were ever going to make an exception, that would be a great day.

I am torn writing that because I enjoyed the days when things were closed on Sunday. Everyone off to enjoy.
But that one day of the year maybe... :)

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I've stopped by a few times for the lunch sandwiches. They are pricey at $6.20, but are very filling. I have the roasted tofu with marinated artichoke hearts, on art-is-in jalapeno cheddar buns. They grill is on the panini press, then add veggies & sauce (mayo, chipotle mayo, etc). It is very filling. There is always a daily special sandwich, I'm just pleased they have an interesting vegetarian offering.

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Paradisio!

This cafe is fantastic, cafe latte are reproducibly superior, and the lunch pannini are repeatedly flavorful and high quality.

The pride of ownership is palpable and the servers are ubiquitously cheerful.

bring an extra loonie or two, you do have to pay for premium sandwiches and coffee. Do try the eggplant on the sandwiches, (i do want to know your source) and the pulled pork on white with extra sauce is well worth a try.

enjoy.

About the cookie, PD, I'm pretty sure these are the same ones found at Bottega from time to time. They come from Art-is-In, like some of the other goodies at Morning Owl.

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OK OK, due to emails of people wanting more pics, here's another. the power of positive feedback. now leave me be to drink this sucker.

every foodies wet dream COME true with this WICKED killer retro fridge @ The Owl. ain't this the coolest & stylin' showpiece in the city? i dare you to park your hot cadillac in front of the store.

ZOMG! banana chocolate chip mini loafs @ The Owl. cool treats today. god please help me.

jordan @ The Owl with serious focus teaching me how to put the art in coffee. tried it and i can't do it. man do i suck just as much as most people. be nice to jordan!

signature latte @ the owl. in keeping with my direction to support cottage industry + ma & pa operations that put earnest effort behind what they serve, i value the extra mile these kids put into my latte. the talent with frothy milk in coffee requires serious concentration so don't distract the barista! BABY!

wow, popped in The Owl and saw gluten-free massive chocolate cookies. picked up these to be considerate of a good friend with a health issue.

looks like baking selection changes everyday!

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And just so you can rest assured that some good did come of our little Flat White 'dust-up', I am now more determined than ever to get back to Morning Owl and try one out. I love the Morning Owl and now at least one more Flat White will be sold.

Plus, LWB's introduction of the Flat White topic to me has me cranking them out of the espresso machine like it's a Pez dispenser, trying to perfect what I think I have learned a Flat White to be! More good. Plus my friends and acquaintances are dropping by with more frequency just to catch the act. They think I have lost it! It really has been pure comedy.

Life DOES work in mysterious ways.

Bottoms up!

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I appreciate Jordan and Sarah posting details about the preparation of the flat whites, because I inquired with them and that was not the answer that I was given.

I absolutely think that a barista-in -training should be given the chance to make and remake drinks. Having been one myself, I know it can be a stressful position and my goal wasn't to berate her or Morning Owl, but rather to generate discussion in hopes of answering the question: How is a flat white made?

And thankfully, that question has finally been answered. So, now we can all go back to enjoying our coffee, right?

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At the Morning Owl we use a small amount of 10% cream added to 2% milk and steam it. A little less than half of what is steamed is 10% cream. We use about 4 or 5oz of milk all together to make a 16oz beverage, therefore we only use about 2oz of 10% cream in a large latte. The thickness of a Flat White IS from the steaming and stretching of the milk and IS NOT from the percentage of cream used. Yes the added 10% gives a bit of a thicker texture to the Flat White in hopes of mimicking Australia and New Zeeland's rich milk. There is barely any foam on the top of the Flat White, even less than a latte, creating a "flat" surface.

Our newest Barista in training is feeling quite bad for making a mistake and is now a lot more equipped for answering Flat White questions. She deserves a break we think ;).

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i really don't want to keep talking about flat whites. i've never tried one before and it doesn't sound like something i'd like. now that you are better informed, the next time a different barista makes you one, you can remind her before hand that it is 5% cream and milk. problem solved.

the issue seems to be a confused or new or untrained barista made you a bad drink and it was yucky so you didn't drink it.

also, just to be nitpicky, let's clear up the "So to clarify, these tasty treats don't taste rich because of how the milk is steamed (which is what I initially thought), but rather because they're made with half and half cream." that isn't correct, since you now say they were made with 5% cream & milk all of the other times you have had them. the richness comes from 5% cream + milk.

still. it was one bad coffee and all of your other visits they were good. i think the barista needs a second chance now that you have brought up the issue with management.

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HFF, let me clarify: The barista stated that the Flat White was made entirely with cream. Sarah said in her email that it's made with a mixture of cream and milk.

My understanding is that Flat Whites in NZ are made with milk, but the milk there is richer(?). If you apply a process to a different product, the outcome will inevitably be different. My expectation on was that the FW would be made with the same percentage of milk as had been used the first 6 times. Making a drink with 10% cream instead of 5%(what I imagine it works out to be as a mixture of cream and milk...but I don't know, and I wish they would just flat out tell you) is akin to using whipping cream instead of table scream in scones. It results in a different product.

So, if the product that I purchased the first six times was made with 5%, how is my mistake that what I got the seventh time was made with 10%?

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lady - i agree, that drinking that much cream is gross, but it has nothing to do with the flat white at morning owl. it was your mistake - not theirs. they didn't mess up or change things. maybe the barista's version of a flat white wasn't up to the standards of jordan or sarah, but that is a different complaint. you can't hate the cream version too much if you've already had it at least 6 times previously.

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I've been waiting until I heard back from Sarah or Jordan to relay my last flat white at Morning Owl...so, here goes.

I went two weeks ago to pick up a flat white on my way to campus, quite excited about the treat that it'd be. Neither Sarah nor Jordan were working, but that didn't bother me, until I got my drink. I took a sip and nearly spit it out: It tasted like cream.

I asked the barista, who confirmed for me that it was made with cream. And thus began the great debacle over what flat whites are made of. I told her that the texture wasn't right and maybe she hadn't aerated it enough. She said that "it's made with cream, like always" and offered to make it with a "higher percentage of cream". I was really, really skeptical about both of those statements. Not to mention confused, given that I was under the impression that a flat white was made with milk.

Anyway, I didn't take the drink with me, because the idea of drinking two cups of cream is bit gross to me. But, I did e-mail Sarah, who replied this evening to let me know that there is 10% cream in the flat whites.

So to clarify, these tasty treats don't taste rich because of how the milk is steamed (which is what I initially thought), but rather because they're made with half and half cream.

I'm a bit miffed about this, even still, as this is entirely different than what I thought was the case, based on my previous half-dozen visits...

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SO, so happy to find these in Ottawa. They're just like I remember from my trip to New Zealand!

"he [jordan] MUST be crazy... he's so nice!"
myself + 1 popped over and realised the shop was closed on weekends... today (sunday) we were just hoping for the best.
lucky for us, jordan was there and let us in to grab some coffee, then sent us away with it on the house!

they are beyond expectations, service is so very personable and sincere; plus great sandwiches!

oh, and the cappuccino was solid.

they're very good at getting customer loyalty ^^

Best Americano I've had at a commercial establishment in Ottawa.

You'll notice that it takes a little longer for the barista to prepare your beverage than you might be used to. If you pay attention you can see how careful she is with her craft. And the results are definitely a step above!