Ottawa Foodies

1

Stopped by Mellos last night with a group of friends - fun experience, reminiscent of dining out in Toronto, mtl or nyc. The place has a great energy, the chefs are putting out really fresh, tasty dishes. We split the shrimp/fresh water chestnut dumplings, fish taco, sashimi, spot prawn pasta and black bean steak and eggplant lettuce wraps, finished it off with two fried banana in coconut sauce desserts. Everything tasted super fresh, perfect plates for sharing with a group. The only downside, the spot prawn pasta was a little on the salty side, but entirely edible (the plate was clean after we were done with it). The highlight was probably the steak lettuce wraps, the black bean and garlic eggplant that accompanied the dish was outstanding and delicious. All that food, with a beer and tip came out to $105, fairly reasonable! Service was good, definitely recommend checking it out!

1

We were looking for somewhere to eat in The Market fairly early in the evening last week and wanted something out of the ordinary – did we ever find it here!

Lucky we walked in when we did as the ~40 seater (including counter seating) restaurant was completely full by 6pm.

The amazing food made you forget the rather unusual surroundings you were eating in (never been to Mellos for their regular menu and probably never will). The servers (top notch) and music helped too.

The menu is quite small, we shared:
- Black Tomato and Mozzarella ($10) – great basic fresh flavours and the splash of raspberry vinegar and sprinkle of basil really made it memorable
- Cod Fish Taco – much larger and more flavourful than the version at Sidedoor, love the addition of sliced radishes, a great deal for $8
- Tuna Sashimi with Yuru Ponzu ($12) – the slices of tuna sat atop a very delicious, thin, citrusy broth
- Spot Prawn Fresh Pasta ($18) – perfectly cooked thick ribbon pasta with an amazing complex creamy sauce and quite a number of prawns
- Black Cod Curry ($24) – a great mixture of fish, vegetables and chunks of potatoes, I wanted to drink the broth right out of the bowl

Although many of the items when we were there are the same as the menu photo provided by Johanna below, I noticed that some have been modified (e.g., went from Caramelized Black Cod with Peas and Morels to Black Cod Curry) as well the prices have gone up slightly – we paid $18 not $16 for our Spot Prawn Pasta.

Like FoodTravel, we sat on the stools so we could watch the “kitchen show” – it was amazing to see the team put together such incredible dishes in such a small space and without the usual equipment that would be available in an upscale restaurant. After all the orders were filled, we were able to have a quick chat with chef Carmichael and he kindly sent over a dessert on the house.

As described by others, it was served in a small jar with a coconut custard on the bottom, then a layer of crumbled meringue (we confirmed this with the server) with a lemony (rosemary maybe?) whipped cream piped on top. A 1/4 of a bruleed banana was stuck in to top it off. What I liked about it was it was not too sweet but still very yummy.

Thanks Matthew Carmichael for bringing such an edgy concept to Ottawa – I will be back again (especially for the fish taco).

1

We got in line last night about 5:30 for the 6pm opening, and the place was pretty much full as soon as the doors opened. Very close quarters, but I did see a few familiar faces, and it made for a chatty and convivial atmosphere. Began with freshly made whiskey sours which were tasty, but had an excess of ice for my taste, which tended to dilute the drinks quickly in yesterday's heat. Everyone was presented with a bowl of rosemary/caramel popcorn which was a welcome and tasty start. I had the corn on the cob (pictured) as an app. It was grilled and served with lime mayo, chopped chorizo, manchego cheese and chopped chives. I loved the flavor combinations, but the corn did not have a whole lot of flavor. I would definitely order this again when local corn is more available. Other half had the cod taco app which was really a big winner as others have noted here. Very generous portion and just the right amount of heat.

I ordered the pork shank pasta for a main, and it was very nice indeed. Braised pork was incredibly tender and the house made pasta was perfectly cooked. I felt, though, that the dish would have been better suited to a cool fall or winter evening, and I don't think it was a great choice for me to make on a day when the mercury was approaching 30 degrees. Other main was the pasta with BC spot prawns which was heavenly! 6 prawns perfectly cooked in a light white wine sauce. Definitely would order this one again.

Total bill was under $80, not including tip. Will definitely try the Mello's popup kitchen experience again. Fun, friendly, relaxed, and great food at a reasonable price.

Johanna,

I was in the inside one of the 2 counters rather than the one near the cash register. Nope I did not see the paper catching fire. Either it was at the other counter or it was after I left at 8pm. I was wearing multi-coloured sleeveless top and black pants.

OSoloMeal.. uhmmm given the choice, I will take a hard lemonade or a frozen fruit blend cocktail:D

@FoodTravel: were you the one at the counter whose newspaper caught on fire??? That was great entertainment, my husband commented that he often felt like torching The Citizen these days.

@OSoloMeal: If they are Art-is-In crumbs then pelt away, otherwise please send over a Whiskey Sour if we're at Mellos Pop Up, I really would have enjoyed a second one, the cracked black pepper on top just made it pop for me!

7

F'Travel, Johanna - you are evil evil people whose detailed reviews and pictures cause me great hunger and suffering and if i ever identify you in a restaurant i will pelt you mercilessly with crumbs from the breadbasket and/or send over drinks.

1

The steak frites with peppercorn sauce looked awesome. A lot like the French Bistro style which I love. I hope it is a long term resident on the menu since I would like to return and give that a try.

I am very happy with the meal, and I had been in a seafood frame of mind for the last week or so.

I think if I was in less of a seafood frame of mind, I would have been very happy with a cod taco and the steak frites with a few drinks, especially some of the nice cocktails.

1

My stomach was nice and happy by this time but my eyes were still hungry lol. Also desert have a seperate stomach. I had seen them bruleeing banana for the desert and putting it together so thought I will give it a try.

It was a coconut custard on the bottom of the jar, then layered with some cake or shortbread type crumbs and a lemony custard was piped in and topped with caramel sauce and 1/4 of a bruleed banana.

After the fact when my mind finally caught up with my stomach, it was a little too much food. It was nice but I tend to gravitate towards chocolate based, berry based desserts with creme brulee is my all time favourite.. So might give dessert a pass another time unless it is something I really really like.

1

Asked for the menu again and deliberated over the menu a bit more since I wanted to try more and was still a bit peckish.

Ended up ordering the Spot Prawn Pasta since I heard about Spot prawns but never had it before. Looking at it being prepared, I think it was with white wine, butter, parmasan and some chiffon cut basil. After plating, another generous grating of paramasan went on top.

It came with 4 decent sizeds prawns but I could not taste the difference between that and regular prawns.. But then I don't now what it should taste like lol.. I offered a taste and a prawn to the woman sitting next to me on the counter that I had been chatting to a little when her husband was otherwise occupied for a short period and she very kindly offered me a piece of Sashimi earlier. I asked for pepper since no seasoning is available on the tables and the server brought the pepper mill and grinded some on the pasta ... I usually ask for additional pepper on my pasta.

1

The fish taco are usually on the appetizer menu. Large piece of Cod lightly battered and fried.

Tortilla is bought and does the job but not spectacular with the fish being tasty. Would be nice to be able to have something to kick it up a notch since a few slices of jalapeno was not enough for me.