Ottawa Foodies

I went here with a friend for lunch today. Both the service and the food were great.

I ordered a set of smaller items: mushroom soup, broccoli with chili and a side of french fries. My friend ordered the smoked chicken sandwich.

The service was fast and friendly and the food was great. The mushroom soup was unexpectedly thick, much like a potato & leek soup maybe even thicker, and very good. It had croutons embedded in it and they added nicely to the flavour. It might have been nice to have a couple of dry ones on top or on the side to mix in and consume while still crisp. The broccoli with chili first impressed me as being a bit bland but I think that's because started by just grabbing pieces with a fork. Instead, swishing the florets around in the sauce really made a difference and it picked up a semi-sweet onion or shallot flavour that complimented the broccoli and chili very well. French fries were very good as usual.

My companion enjoyed the smoked chicken sandwich very much and also had high praise for the salad that came with it.

I've been to the HPH a number of times now and the food has always been excellent. My only complaint might be that in the evening, when it is busiest, it's sometimes so loud that some lip reading is necessary to follow conversation at your own table. The minimalist decor, rectangular space and hardwood flooring probably contribute to that significantly. But at lunch today today the restaurant was not quite so bustling and it was a great.

2

Very good place. Had the fish and chips twice in a couple of weeks. Nice and light crisp, and flaky and juicy on the inside. The fries are good, fresh cut, not greasy at all. Generous portion of fries, too. The fish: two decent size pieces, each about 5" in length and 2" around

The homemade ketchup is a nice touch, not sweet and tangy like the industrial kind. More subtle tasting.

I had the burger, and I have to say, it's probably the best burger I've ever had that didn't have cheese or bacon on it. It's served slightly pink, with caramelized onion, pickles, and a Russian dressing and lettuce. Pretty sure the dressing contained small bits of corn which added a nice sweetness.

The bun was something, too. Really great texture and taste, with an egg wash on top. Beautiful, fresh, delicious burger.

Not the biggest fan of the Muskoka Mad Tom IPA, so next time I'll stick to the St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout which is giving Guinness a run for its money for my tastebuds, or some of the other good draft offerings, among them Kichesippi, and I think Beau's.

The ambience of this resto and the service are great, too. Parking around here is usually easy

2

This is the succulent chunk of pork that was served to me at yesterday's lunch at Hintonburg Public House. It was perfectly moist and fork tender, and had a lovely crisp crust and a sweet and tangy glaze. They really know how to do justice to pork here. It was served with a smoky potato mash and a sweet creamed cabbage.

My friend had the confit of chicken sandwich, which was served on thick homemade style bread and she pronounced it "perfect".

Also loved the Calendos with a particularly caramelly apple butter.

Perfect lunch for an overcast day, and kudos to the server for suggesting the pork.

And they made me some unsweetened ice tea. Extra points for that.

1

We hit up the HPH this Saturday around 6:30 for dinner and some drinks. They are definitely doing steady business as the restuarant was full when we arrived but only had to wait 10 minutes for a seat at the bar and another 10 for a table of 4 to open up.

It was quite enjoyable sitting at the bar and getting a feel for the place. Great beer on tap, good music, good vibe and the friendly service didn't hurt.

For drinks I went with the Mad Tom IPA(Muskoka) and my partner had Beau's. Both delicious. For eats I choose the fish and chips which I saw some people get and looked to be pretty good. I have to say I was little disappointed. The fish simply lacked flavor. Obviously too 'fishy' isn't good either but the lack of flavor in the fish meant the only real taste was from the batter. The was a bit of a turn off. Other than that, great fresh cut fries.

My partner had the beef burger and it was definitely a winner. The burger was cooked medium and the toppings of sauteed onions and blue cheese dressing worked well without the blue cheese flavor being overpowering. Same delicious fries as well with the burger. One thing that was a little different was that when we asked for ketchup they brought us shot sized glasses of a homemade curry ketchup type sauce. Call me old fashioned but I'll take Heinz over that any day.

Our meal was good and some friends joined us for a drink. For my money this type of place is good but falls short of Chez's which is my favorite beer/burger/bustle place in the city. That being said I will definitely return to drink and eat in that order.

2

Had a very interesting visit here a couple of Fridays ago around 9pm. The place was very, very busy and we had to wait at the door with a number of other couples for a place to sit (several other groups left when they were told it would be over a 1/2hr wait). The hostess took our drink orders and let us squish up against the wall on two stools by the door while we waited. There seemed to be a lot of very large groups taking up several of the tables and not in a particular rush to leave, however, after a pretty short amount of time we were seated at the bar and then moved really quickly to a table.

The décor is an eclectic mix of styles which I really liked but may not be to everyone’s taste.

The wine list is not extensive but mostly from Ontario which I commend them for. We ordered two glasses of wine and two mains (they have a selection of bar snacks and appetizers too):

- a flatbread with a topping of a mixture of kale, chickpeas (which were kinda hard and therefore difficult to pierce) and melted cheese with a very tasty side bibb lettuce salad
- vegetable stew with the addition of chicken which had a biscuit dumpling topping, this was quite sweet tasting as there was a maple flavouring to the sauce

We saw several orders of fish and chips coming out of the kitchen which looked really good (but I had already indulged myself at Five Guys that week….). There seemed to be a lot of “just drinking” going on at several of the tables and the bar was full which might explain the noise level – very high.

I would have to say that we were in the minority as we did not have our handhelds out constantly texting others (call me old-fashioned but I just can’t seem to comprehend this phenomenon – you are out with friends, presumably people you want to be with, but you spend all your time writing to other people that are not with you), despite this there was obviously lots of talking too because it was very difficult to chat (more like yelling).

Overall the food was OK and I’m positive that the atmosphere is much different for brunch and lunch, however, my experience at night completely tired me out – I just don’t think this is the place for me - I’m not sure I will be back.

3

A late morning scramble through the neighbourhood brought me to the front door of The Hintonburg Public House where I found myself drawn by their brunch menu. I hadn't set out looking for brunch per se, but the notice in window of The Back Lane Cafe stated that their brunch service was temporarily discontinued so I think subconsciously I was now craving brunch. (Not that I had the audacity to think I could just saunter into the Back Lane without making a reservation 3 months ahead...)

After stepping inside the Public House I caught an earful of alt-garage-grunge and wondered if we weren't making a mistake. It was already a gray day, and I was already dressed and feeling pretty grungy, so wasn't sure if I needed any more of that West coast vibe. My partner led the way by stating (again) how good the menu looked, and I was forced to agree.

While I can often ignore a less than ideal musical selection, as others have pointed out this is a big and airy room of pretty colourless walls, so the music really fills up the space, making us all the more thankful that our meals came out so very (very) promptly. I opted for the French toast with sweet cream, sour cherries, double smoked bacon and side order of a poached egg (because it just doesn't seem like morning food without the egg, you know?) My husband ordered the poached egg on pulled duck hash which came in a crockpot and was served with a side of cranberry chutney.

I have to say that whatever personal angst and musical irritation I was feeling by this point (which was considerable btw) completely dissipated somewhere around the third bite. For the next several minutes neither of us spoke or looked up, other than to hand off a fork to exchange samples. The duck hash was rich, toothsome and nicely seasoned, made even richer and more decadent by the yolk of the egg.

My French toast seemed to be a homemade sourdough well dunked in a sweet cream, and the sour cherries both sweet and tart, providing just the right burst of flavour; I really miss the juice and sweetness of fruit at this time of year and these little morsels provided a nice mid-winter pick-me-up. The bacon, although cooked a bit drier than I would have liked, was still flavourful and contrasted nicely with the cream and maple syrup pooling in the middle of the plate. While the portions didn't seem substantial at first glance, with coffee and tea we were both left feeling nicely satiated for mid-day.

Service was casual, laid back and friendly. No charge for the side of maple syrup for my French toast, and the small bit of honey they could manage was brought with a smile. While the dishware (pictured above) showed off some kitschy fun (St Vincent de Paul, I'm guessing?), the decor was a just little too minimalist and bare for the openness of the space. While the good food and warm service made us want to linger and possibly order a dessert, the music ended up driving us out, and we literally fled to the wailing of Stompin' Tom Connors.

Despite the musical dirge and somewhat bleak decor, I'm inclined to like this place based on the friendly feel and great brunch we had. My final impression was that I'd drop in again if I was wandering by, but likely not make specific plans to go back. My hope is that management will eventually brighten up both the space and music. Either way the Public House is a nice addition to the neighbourhood and a most welcome alternative to places like the Royal Oak or The Wood.

2

Weekend Brunch 2: French toast with sweet cream, sour cherries, a side of double smoked bacon and a poached egg ($10 + $2 = $12)

1

Weekend Brunch 1: Poached egg on pulled duck hash with a side of cranberry chutney ($14)

Yumm medium burgers. Smaller burger than HintonBurger D-Lux sure you didn't order a slider?

1

The beer selection is not huge but it is very good - clearly there was some thought put into it and they made some good choices that include 2 local micros on tap and other Ontario micros in bottles. Well done.

@zym: Could you provide more detail on where you heard that they grind their own meat on site? I was in for a beer last weekend and when I asked if they grind their own meat in-house I was told no, it is ground by their butcher.

1

I always try the burgers whereever I go because it is the mark of a truly good establishment if they can make a good one. And wow, they sure have done that here - one of the best burgers I've had in years, hands down. They grind their own meat on site which must have something to do with it.

1

Thought we would give HPH another try, this time for brunch (we had first tried it at supper and found the food average and the restaurant to be very loud). Arriving around 11am on a Saturday, there were only a few patrons so the loudness factor didn't come into play.

The morning we were there, there were eight different brunch options ranging from breakfast-y things to more lunch-y things. We both chose from the breakfast offerings (each $10):
- A plate with scrambled eggs, 2 pieces of toasted white baguette with two (smallish) sausage rounds on top, and a very large mound of fried grated onions. It came with a little dish of jam and I was offered ketchup which the server was quick to point out was house made and therefore would not taste like bottled ketchup (actually tasted more like bar-b-q sauce - not really to my liking)
- Four large pieces of French toast covered with a raspberry sauce with pieces of bacon balanced on top – the comment on this dish was that it was quite sweet but still tasty

By the time we left there were only a few empty tables left. This experience has changed my mind about this place, at least for a meal earlier in the day. I would definitely return to eat brunch here again.