Ottawa Foodies

1

Went for lunch for the first time today(have been previously for dinner). Great value for lunch, had the steak frites and 2 scoops of pascales as well as a Limonata.

The steak was quite thin(though I expected that for lunch so not a bad thing), but still very good, the simple salad it came with was the perfect plain side on what was a rich lunch. The spicy aioli goes great with both the steak and the fries.

Was hoping to be able to try a bit of variety on the Pascales but ordered the 2 I have already bought. Dark Chocolate w. sea salt(my all time favourite, and we buy it regularly) and salted caramel(ok but a bit too sweet and not salty enough for me!)

The presentation on the ice cream was lovely, came very hard, in what seemed to be a previously frozen dish, with a small but delicious cookie which crumbled perfectly. Husband prefers his ice cream soft, but I want it as frozen as possible so this was perfect.

However... it was probably the most expensive lunch I've ever had... As I was leaving, I tripped on the construction housing nearby and smashed my ipad. $280.00 later.... I'm glad I at least got a good lunch out of the deal!

Our 5 year anniversary is coming up in a few weeks and I can't wait to go back!

1

I hate to bring attention to Monday tapas nights at Allium because it is already busy enough and you often cannot get in without a reservation but I had such a lovely evening that I cannot keep it to myself.

An innovative idea for what is normally a slow restaurant night, chef/owner Arup Jana offers tapas night on Mondays. Patrons can choose from a fairly large selection of small plates which allows you to order as few or as many as you want, depending on your appetite (prices range from approx. $6 to $15).

We have visited several Mondays and this last visit did not disappoint, we enjoyed:
- Greens with dried cranberries and a delish dressing
- Duck breast on top of a mixture of mushrooms
- Large shrimps in an amazing cilantro coconut sauce
- Flat iron steak perfectly cooked
- Wonderfully flavoured tuna tartar with crosini
- Fries, thinly cut and with a chipotle mayo
- Bonoffie pie – fantastic crumbled biscuit pie base topped with a mixture of bananas and caramel and topped with whipped cream – I cannot get enough of this!

Looking forward to returning!

3

Allium Steak Frites - Flat Iron

Steak was a little more cooked than I wanted given that I asked for raw but it was still very tasty and I am glad I added the sautéed mushrooms.

I had their Caesar mix to begin and loved the roasted green onion and bacon that was served as garnish.

I also loved the fact that they had Crozes-Hermitage on their red wine list (and by the glass too).

This was my 5th trip to Allium and I think this was the best. The first time when I had the duck with foie gras was also very memorable.

A place I absolutely recommend for a fairly casual gathering with friends or on a date. it's very good but with reasonable place and a relaxed ambience.

I go here fairly frequently for lunch with a few mates. One of them loves the burger, which I have yet to try.

The other fellow and I like to try the newer items we always see on the lunch menu. Friday I had the mac&cheese which has replaced their mushroom risotto dish. First let me say that the mushroom risotto was awesome. I don't know what kind of onions (alliums) they were using, but it had the most amazingly oniony taste. The m&c was made with some lovely gruyere cheese and the macaroni was perfectly tender. Just a nice bit of chew. Both dishes used porcini mushrooms which are sometimes hard to keep from getting tough, but have always been nice and tender.

Both times I've had the creme brulee for dessert and it is really good as well. A lot of vanilla in the custard and the top was nicely burnt with just a thin crust to punch through. The coffee is quite good as well.

They have Steamwhistle, Beau's Lugtread and a Kitchessipi blonde and few others on tap as well as a good looking wine list. Good whiskey sours, too. The caesar with a strip of skewered bacon was interesting.

1

Hubby and I go here every year on our anniversary, and as often as we can(very rare) in between. We always get the steak frites(with blue cheese<-- which we both hate on it's own, oddly) and then we play with desserts and appetizers.

Last time we were there we had the cheese plate, which was absolutely incredible, and the soups and salads are always delish.

I just can't wait till we go back!

Hubby and I went for lunch this past Friday. The place was quite noisy. Though it was quite crowded, I think the noise has more to do with the acoustic of the room rather than the people.

I ordered a cup of potato soup to start. It was very good. Steak frites was quite good too, especially the steak (not so much the frites). The steak goes very well with my glass of Valpolicella Ripasso. Yum!

My husband ordered calamari to start. It was okay. The scallop is okay but not great either. We shared the flourless chocolate cake as dessert. It was quite satisfying.

I am going back to try the tapa on Monday with my girl friends.

2

Came here for lunch for a going-away party being throw for people at work. Pretty much the entire office came out, which put the group at approximately 30 people.

Ordered the calamari, the steak frites and two scoops of Pascale's ice cream. The calamari was ok. The squid wasn't covered in batter but the batter kept on falling off. Regardless, it was tasty but I thought it was really expensive for the price.

I asked for the steak to be cooked medium and medium was what I got. This was a really tender piece of steak. Each bite was flavourful and so so juicy. I was really happy with this and trying to savour every bite. The frites were very good too. I probably would have ordered the basket of fries as an app instead of the calamari if I knew how good they were beforehand.

I ordered one scoop each of Pascale's blueberry-lavender and the strawberry-maple vinegar (the maple vinegar may be something else as I didn't hear the server very clearly) ice cream. I believe that Allium did not temper the ice cream like Pascale suggests on her web site as I found the initial bites to be hard and icy. As the ice cream warmed up, the flavours of the ice cream bloomed a lot more. I smelled the lavender more than I tasted it. And I definitely didn't taste the maple vinegar. My friend said she tasted the lavender but didn't taste the maple vinegar. Overall, I enjoyed both flavours but I have a stronger preference for the strawberry-maple vinegar.

Considering that this was a group of 30, service at the start was extremely well done. Plates came out extremely quickly. However, getting the server's attention to find out Pascale's flavours (there were 9 different flavours!) was definitely a hassle but I believe there were only two servers covering the entire restaurant and by that point, the restaurant was entirely full. So my advice would be to know what you're ordering at the start so you aren't trying to get your server afterwards.

Overall, extremely satisfying and great value at lunch for the price point if you know what you're ordering.

2

Been there twice now. I intend to return whenever I'm in Ottawa. Excellent food yet completely unpretentious...a perfect mix. Why can't there be more like it? I hope Ottawans recognize what a gem they've got here.

1

For a place that otherwise seemed happy to emphasize local and seasonal items, it was surprising to see only a few Canadian wines (2 red, 4 white, all from Niagara). Otherwise, the wine list seemed concise (like the menu) and well-balanced -- something for everyone.

I had the vegetarian lasagne currently on the menu (without the cheese). I was layers of grilled veggies, wild rice pancake, tomato sauce and something crispy (pasta perhaps?). That night, the butternut squash and apple soup was vegan, so I had that to start. I certainly didn't have the problem that I sometimes have when there aren't many veggie options on the menu where I come away hungry! I was offered a fruit plate for dessert (since none of the desserts were vegan). It was definitely plentiful and interesting in presentation with lots of variety of fruit. The raspberries were incredibly fresh and flavourful for this time of year.

In the two different menus I've seen, Allium has had at least one creative vegetarian main; I tried one (with tofu served like a risotto layered with various vegetables). Appetizers, however, showed less creativity -- last time I went, only the soup and salad were vegetarian.

7

Enjoyed the lunch burger yesterday. Thick, juicy, tasty seasoned patty, generous ingredients. Their little brown fries are pretty addictive too. A most hearty lunch for $14!

1

Had an amazing salad here the other night for a light supper. There are many places that serve an upscale salad, several of which fall short. This one is stellar.

Referred to as “Lettuces” on the new spring menu, the large bowl was brimming with bibb lettuce with cucumbers, carrots and tomatoes but the flavours came from the mixture of cranberries, candied quinoa and carrot‐lemon puree and then lightly covered with a mint‐lemon dressing. To top it off it was beautifully presented with a smear of cranberry puree which looked like it had been painted onto the bowl.