Ottawa Foodies

4

We usually eat here once every other month and I can't recommend it enough if you are looking for a good meal for a great value. I believe the four course dinner is $19.99 (mon-wed) or $24.99 (thurs-sat). Menu usually posted online the day of. We've never had a bad meal here, and would say that several dishes are better than those we've had at many reputable restaurants in the city. Definitely worth a visit if you want to eat out but don't have a fortune to spend.

Tried lunch here on Monday September 17 - the first day they opened for the semester. The person I dined with told me that it is much better to go later in the semester as the chefs have more practice under their belts.

I started with a salad, then went onto maple-glazed salmon as my main and finally had the pears poached in red-wine for dessert.

The salad was a weird mix of flavours. Pesto dressing, mandarin oranges, and broccolini. It was alright.

The salmon was wonderful. It was moist and a very generous portion. The sides that came with the main dish were less impressive. The vegetables included yellow beans and brussel sprouts. The brussel sprouts were tasty but the beans tasted like they had been boiled too long. The rice was also very plain and did not compliment the dish at all. I felt that there was nothing to tie the three types of food together on my plate.

The dessert was a disappointment. The presentation was terrible. The chocolate drizzle was all over the place (except for on the pear) and the mint attached to the pear was wilted. I could only eat about two bites.

On the plus side: The service was wonderful, friendly and prompt. You could tell our server was on the nervous side but he was not overbearing in that nervous way.

I had the opportunity as well to dine at Restaurant International last week, and I found the meal to be quite enjoyable.

My starting course was the tomato risotto. The tomato flavour was very evident, almost as if they had used a tomato juice as the risotto liquid.

The second course of the vegetable broth soup was a good filler, albeit very bland. The soup had hints of vegetable taste, but the primary taste on the palate was simply that of water.

My main course was the chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese and a cream sauce. Despite being slightly overdone, I found the chicken to be quite good, with the goat cheese providing a nice sharpness. I had a small piece of my friend's deer as well. I found it overcooked slightly (he had asked for rare), but the subtle gameyness from the deer still was quite evident, and I think it would make a very delicious main course meal.

For dessert, I had the passion fruit torte. It was good, I noticed a very sharp, almost citrus-like taste to the torte, with a passion fruit sauce provided as well giving a tart contrast. I also had a taste of my friend's grand marnier souffle; I almost think I made the wrong choice for my dessert! I will have to make sure to have the souffle if it is offered again.

Our server was prompt and attentive, although it felt a bit rushed, as it seemed that following courses were being brought out almost immediately after the prior course was cleared. With that exception, otherwise the service was very good, and proof that the student servers are definitely learning how to properly attend to clients. The manager even made sure to come over to ensure that everything was to our satisfaction.

All in all, a very good value for a good quality meal in a friendly atmosphere!

I went to the Restaurant International last night with a friend and the meal was pretty good.

The first course i had was a Duck paté, but i also tried some of my friend's tomato risotto, and both were very good.

Second course was a Fennel cream soup, which i thought was "ok", but nothing special.

Third course i took the Deer loin. I asked for it to be cooked RARE, but it was cooked medium rare and even close to medium, there was just a little bit of pink. Still, it was good, and the wine sauce with it was excellent. The potatoes and veggies on the plate were also very good and cooked well.
My friend had the chicken breast, and i tried a piece of it and thought it was OK.. but i was glad i took the meat (i'm a big meat eater) :)

Finally for dessert i had a Grand marnier soufflé. It was very good, but VERY sweet. I tried the passion fruit torte that my friend had ordered and it was ok.. but the soufflé was definitely the better of the 2 IMO.

All in all, the experience was good, especially considering the cheap price (24.99$ for those 4 courses). The service was also good.

I'll probably go back again sometime.

My boyfriend's company used to do Christmas dinner here and after three years, they revolted and demanded a new venue. The dishes are hit and miss at best.

The last time that we were there (Dec 2005), we had to evacuate before dinner because the fire alarm went off. I called a couple of weeks in advance to make sure that they would be able to accomodate me (vegan meal) and was told that it would be a great opportunity for the students. When we arrived, I told the head waitress/teacher that I had requested the vegan meal. I was then given a reservation sign that had been covered with a paper "vegetarian" sign. I didn't know my boyfriend's colleagues particularly well and was embarassed at being made the center of attention. At every single course (even with the head waitress standing behind me for at least one and the sign in front of my place), the students placed or tried to place a non-vegan meal in front of me. The appetizer for the others was a fresh spring roll, and I took a bite full of shrimp. I had to excuse myself to the bathroom to spit it out. I learned quickly to question what they were putting in front of me after that. My boyfriend was more irritated by the whole evening than I was in the end.

I also found that portions were definitely on the small side.

Went here for our group's Xmas lunch (2nd time). The menu for the day includes:
- soup: Cream of Butternut Squash
- Main course: Smoked salmon wrapped in halibut filet with a red pepper sauce (or Turkey)
- Dessert: cup of baked fruits
- coffee/tea

The place was full of customers (with many group lunch events). For the lunch, I gave a rating of 7.5 out of 10. (If I have chocolate mousse cake or cheese cake, I would give 8.5/10.)

Price: $21 (after tax and tips, prepaid) - very good price!

This is the "Cream of Butternut Squash". Very delicious. I like it. This is my first time to try out Butternut Squash. According to Wikipedia, Butternut Squash has fiber, vitamin C, manganese, magnesium, and potassium. It is a common vegetable in South Africa, it makes a very tasty soup and can be cooked on a barbeque wrapped in foil with spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon. For more details, see en.wikipedia.org

This is my dish "Smoked salmon wrapped in halibut filet with a red pepper sauce". Taste was okay and I like the mashed sweet potato and potato mixture below the fish. Eating the fish with the mashed potato was delicious!

This is the "Turkey Breast with Stuffing & Summer Savory Sauce". Some of my colleagues ordered this dish. I was told it was good.

Here is the dessert. I don't know what it was. A cup of sweet fruits (I tasted berry, pear, apple) with creamy caramel nuts on top. Don't touch the cup. It was HOT! I found it too sweet for me. Other colleagues like it though!