Ottawa Foodies

Went to Oz Kafe with a couple of people for drinks 'n' snacks, and can mirror the experience of several past reviewers.

Decor somehow is all three of comfortable, elegant, and fun. I enjoyed the artwork on the walls. Reminds me a bit of The Alex P. Keaton, one of my favourite watering holes in London (Ontario).

The beer was great. Had a couple Wellingtons and was not disappointed. Price isn't too bad, either, at $5.03 a pint.

The edamame were fantastic. Five dollars for a good number of pods, tossed in butter and three sea salts. Great price.

We also ordered a large sharing platter, which came with baguette, two kinds of cheese (Morbier and what I *think* was Rassembleu? They didn't tell us what they were), pickled daikon, some sort of rhubarb/cranberry compote (I think?), spiced almonds, and some pear cut in little batonettes. The cheese was delicious, but I don't think that it was worth the $21 price tag for the amount we got. For that price I'd have liked at least a third type of cheese.

It was nice to see a menu that was only two pages long. I'm definitely coming back and trying some of the bar-snacky things on the menu that we didn't have (mushroom bruschetta? Cheese on toast with bacon? Yes please!) But, yeah, I'm not sure if I feel compelled to try the dinners there.

As this is my first review, I'll try my best to keep up to the standards of detail and objectivity that you Ottawa foodies always do (I've been lurking for a while and figured it was time to start contributing!).

A friend and I dined at Oz Kafe this evening and sat on the patio. Pretty much your generic patio, but nice as it's hidden away from the sidewalk/street which makes it a little more quiet and intimate. I still think I'd prefer inside next time as the interior has a really mellow, cozy feel. The service was excellent; our server was very friendly and helpful and we did not wait particularly long for our food as some others have noted.

I ordered the daily fish special, which was (pan-fried, I think, as it was a bit greasy) perch, with potato and halibut hash, and an arugula, basil, and pine nut salad. My potatoes were cooked properly, unlike what some of the other diners experienced, but the dish overall I would say was just OK.

My friend ordered the daily meat special, which was a mixed plate of three different meats (I can't remember exactly what they were). He enjoyed it, but said that the meat was a little cool, like it had been sitting a bit before service.

With 3 beers and a cappuccino, our bill was $77 after tax and before tip.

I would definitely return, but probably just for late night drinks and appetizers.

We went here on Saturday night for a friend's birthday party. After reading the comments here, I decided to prepare myself for the slow service and eat a meat (Brussels sprouts and fava bean risotto YUM!) about 30 minutes before the reservation time. (ok and I'm pregnant and get hungry really often!)

I'm glad I did it though. The server did not take our order until about 30 minutes after everyone had arrived, the starters took about another 45 minutes... you get the idea.

I ordered the spring roll (without duck) to start and the Vegetarian Wild Rice Stirfry as my main.

The spring roll was HUGE and not in a good way. It was about 4" in diameter and incredibly difficult to eat. It was also very poorly rolled which did not help things.

Everyone else seemed to enjoy their starters though I was the only one with this particular dish. However several people ordered steaks and were given butter knives and one or two people commented that their roasted potatoes were raw in the center.

Unfortunately, the spring roll was the highlight of my meal. The stirfry was supposed to be an assortment of seasonable vegetables, wild rice, crispy noodles and a soy and chile sauce.

What I got was mostly shredded cabbage, 3 fiddle heads, 2 little piece of baby bok choy, about 7 strips of carrot all with about 1/8th of a cup of rice and some crispy noodles. It was so drenched in sauce I could taste nothing else. Maybe if the sauce actually tasted good... it tasted like an AWFUL Chinese-Canadian hot and sour sauce, easy on the hot.

Seeing as the people who chose the restaurant were really enjoying their meal (and to be honest, the meat dishes did look like they were well prepared) and that the celebrant was one of them, I kept my comments to myself. I was surprised that when the server took away my completely full plate, that he did not ask why it was so. I left a long note about this on my bill. I suppose I could have brought it up with the staff at the time but I didn't want to be a party downer.

One other person ordered the same main as me and had the same comments but was so ravenous he ate it anyway. We were there over 3 hours, which seems to be the standard according to the comments here.

If I were to go back here, it wouldn't be my choice and I would stick to a salad or something.

[edit] I realize after looking over some of the comments that were weren't even offered desserts after our meal! Only the bill!

Oz Cafe -- what can I say?
Sometimes, well, too often, I find myself alone and craving a decent meal in a place I can feel comfortable on my own. And I don't mean "stick me in a corner and I'll haul out my book" comfortable.

Oz is a community place; like a neighbourhood pub, but with much better than average food. I can go there alone or in a group, and be guaranteed that if I so desire, a conversation with my neighbour is highly likely.

Some truly memorable evenings have been spent at Oz, and yes, the service is slow, but all the better to chat with your fellow diners, especially if you chose to sit at one of the few stools at the bar to nosh and gab with the owner, Oz. It is her warmth that is reflected in the food choices (comfort food really, as in the Bubble, Squeak and Quack -- mashed potatoes and duck), and the laid back atmosphere.

Thanks Oz. You're the mother I wish I'd had. I'll be back for more.

I went with three friends to Oz Kafé last Friday night (with a very uncool 6:00 p.m reservation). Quite empty when we arrived (no surprise) and packed when we left ~ over 3 hours later. Everyone chose different dishes and we all agreed the food was delicious. I had the BC salad (mesclun, avocado, nori paper squares, and wasabi peas) and the seared tuna (prepared perfectly). But did you catch that over 3 hours part? As others have mentioned, seriously slow getting our food (stomachs growling, we had to ask for bread) though our server was knowledgeable and friendly.
Besides this issue, a nice evening with really good food...and they're open until 2 a.m. (to accommodate those diners that arrive at 9 p.m.).

I had been putting off visiting Oz for awhile because of mixed reviews I've received from friends and colleagues, but now that I've made my first trip I can confidently say that it will not be my last.
It's not because I was wowed by anything in particular; the food was quite good, (we shared the "bubble, squeak & quack" for an app and both had the "bison striploin special" for mains) although it took slightly longer than I'd have expected during an almost empty (one other table...not eating) friday at 5 o'clock. The atmosphere was trendy without being overbearing, the service was average and the price was on par with what you'd expect when ordering this type of fare from such an establishment. Like I said: nothing to amaze, yet done well enough to earn a return visit in the future. Because despite limited flair, they have a solid base to build on, which could result in a major destination for chow in the not-too-distant future.
So, if you're looking for a nice evening out with the girlfriend, or perhaps an after work dinner with some friends, Oz is definitly worth trying out. The food is delivered hot and cooked wonderfully; albeit a little tardy, the service is friendly and informed, and the cheque is affordable enough that you can buy a round for some friends afterwards.

After reading FF comments, I felt I had to add as well. I too have been procrastinating my review. I was very excited to come here as I have been reading all the great reviews. We all started with Martinis, which I agree with FF, are well done here. Upon recieving our food we were all disappointed. Small portions, tough meat, I could hardly cut my pork even when finally given a steak knife. The service was also poor. Missed orders (Food and drinks), below average wine list and they gave me a butter knife to cut pork???

I may return for Martinis one night, but never again for dinner. Too bad I was so disappointed.

I apologize for the quality of these photos. We were in a dark corner at the rear of the restaurant so available light was scarce.

I had the Duck special. It was decent, although I really had to saw away at some of the duck. The roasted parsnips were very tasty except for the woody bits that I couldn't chew. The cheeky thing about this dish was that most of the entrees in the menu go for around $17, but this special goes for $24. The server did not make us aware of the price when telling us about the special. Caveat emptor

I think our desserts were good, but for the life of me I can't remember what I had. I do remember asking for an espresso and getting a rather long shot (i.e. quite watered down). It was served with a twist of lemon on the off-chance that I would want to bastardize my espresso and make it a "Romano." Thankfully, I was able to just ignore the lemon peel as it sat primly on the edge of my saucer.

All in all, I think I'd rather spend a mere 20% more and enjoy superior food somewhere like the Wellington Gastropub. Oz Kafe is not bad at all but we didn't find it to be amazing.

I've been procrastinating on posting a review of Oz for more than 2 weeks now but I figure I have to bite the bullet. I'm going to be the first nay-sayer here. It wasn't bad, but it didn't live up to our (perhaps overblown) expectations.

The atmosphere is extremely casual. I regretted changing out of my jeans and t-shirt to come here. I say this for the information of future patrons -- not because I see anything wrong with it.

The photo shows the Large Mezze platter ($22). We did not get any of the Dolmas that everyone else is raving about. The hummus was uninspiring and the pita was toasted to a crisp. Pita chips that crumble in your hand do not go with hummus. The feta was surprisingly good (I'm not usually a fan). The caramelized onions were yummo. Overall, we thought this platter was a bit overpriced for what it is.

At the bottom of the picture you can see my delicious Cosmopolitan. They do a very very good job of these here!

My appetizer choice was the Seoul Food bulgogi beef with kimchi. The beef came sizzling and was nicely browned and flavourful. The kimchi was a little disappointing but after all this is not a Korean restaurant.

Like so many places in our city, the menu is hit and miss but the drinks are awesome. I like good drinks but sometimes you have to eat something! ;-)

We ate at Oz Kafe on Friday Jan 18th before going to a show at the Arts Centre.
We started with our usual which was the small size Mezze Platter. It's always a little different depending on what they have in the kitchen that night. This time we had olive tapenade, tatziki and hummus with warm pita on one plate and on the other was feta and cucumbers drizzled with balsamic, olives and grilled veggies (portobello, sweet potato and zucchini).
As usual all fresh, homemade and delicious.

For our main we shared the large Vietnamese lettuce wraps (forget the exact name).
Basically it's lettuce which you use to wrap marinated steak strips, soya paste and a bowl with sprouts and enoki mushrooms in a yummy sauce. You roll it all up in the lettuce leaves and make "fajitas". Very delicious. If I had one complaint it would be that the lettuce leaves were still really wet from being washed so it made the insides very runny. They really need to spin the lettuce before serving.

For dessert I had the molten chocolate cake and Mr KSW had the pecan/maple ice cream cookie sandwich. YUM!!

I had a martini (super full) and a glass of Pinot Grigio and Mr KSW had two beers.
The whole bill came to about $80 including taxes and tip. Amazing!! Love this place:)