Ottawa Foodies

Hubby and I went on a date night sans bebe last week and chose The Black Cat Bistro to dine. He has been wanting to try it since it moved here so we finally got a chance.
I was pleasantly surprised. To start we had seared tuna and foie gras. Delicious tuna however the server told us he would be back with the bread for the foie gras and it never appeared :(
Mains were the scallops for me and the pork belly for him. I REALLY enjoyed the scallops. They were cooked perfectly and the candied nuts, goats cheese and beets were all fantastically paired.
Dessert was the banana bundt cake. This was glorious with te caramel gelato buut could have been a bigger piece of cake. Two bites and the cake was done but we still had a bowl full of ice cream.
We each had 2 glasses of wine and hubby had port to finish.
Bill was apporox $150.00
Over all, a good exerience.

Went for dinner here tonight with the BF for a belated anniversary dinner... and was a bit underwhelmed with the food. Decor/atmosphere was very nice, clean and upscale without being too stuffy, and service was decent. However, I was firstly a bit put off by the lack of a vegetarian main - most other places on par with the Black Cat with have at least one veg option. This wasn't a huge deal, as I'm not a true vegetarian (pescatarian, technically!) and they did have 2 seafood dishes, just a little disappointing. My experience with veg dishes at other restaurants (the Wellington, Juniper, the Urban Pear) has been very positive, they have always been excellent and a more economical choice than the meaty mains (usually 25%ish cheaper), so it would have been nice to see something similar here. I ended up getting the scallops, pan seared, served with beets, snap peas, scapes, candied walnuts and some sort of cream (may have had goat cheese). This was a solid dish - the veggies were really great - but lacked some kind of sauce or seasoning to really bring it together. Some sort of chutney or vinegrette would have gone a long way. It was also pretty small, for 28$... I know that small portions are to be expected, but as I said, either higher quality or a larger portion would have warranted the price. As was... a bit steep. BF got the burger, which was gone so quickly I didn't see what was on it - did see that it was well cooked though, just a bit pink in the middle, super thick and very moist. It came with fries (suspiciously like McDonald's fries with rosemary sprinkled on top! coincidence I'm sure... weird though!) and truffled mayonnaise - which was VERY truffle-y! So they were good if you like a lot of mayo, and the burger was the best deal for a main at 19$. For dessert, we had the banana bundt cake with caramel gelato ice cream and creme anglais. Again, it was pretty tiny, and the cake was a bit dry for my liking - could have used about three times more creme anglaise. The gelato was delicious though, better than your standard gelato store stuff. We both got the Kichessippi Natural Blonde - beer is, as at most places, more reasonably priced than wine. They also had Mill St. tankhouse ale on tap, which was nice to see.
This place was good, but I doubt I will be returning, knowing that there is better food for better prices in Ottawa, places with a similar kind of atmosphere and contemporary cuisine. It's tough to beat the Wellington, with their ever-changing menu, beer flight option and kick-ass atmosphere (gotta love the walls covered in pickled things!).

My husband and I visited Black Cat Bistro last night. We tend not to go to high end restauants often because we usually have the kids with us, so this was meant to be a treat. Unfortunatly The Black Cat did not measure up. To begin, we were not greeted nicely at the door - I don't think the guy made eye contact and he certainly didn't smile or make us feel welcome. Our server was very nice and attentive enough. We order some wine that was enjoyable and the house made bread was really good. For starters we shared the Bison Carpaccio which was very tasty. The mains however were a disappointment. My husband had Steak Frite, which he ordered medium, but it came more like well done. The steak was small for the price and the 'frites' were very salty. The asparagus was delicious. I ordered the Pork Belly with baked beans - basically glorified Pork and Beans. I have had pork belly before that practically melted in my mouth - this wasn't it. It was overcooked - dry and chewy in places. I just didn't enjoy it very much. We decided to go elsewhere for dessert.
As far as atmosphere goes the chairs at the Black Cat were really comfortable which is a big bonus but the accoustics were bad and the place was really loud.
All in all more low points than high point. I don't think we will be back.

This is probably one of my top 5 restaurants in Ottawa. Although the portions are on the small side, the taste makes up for it. Plates I and my fellow diners have had include the steak frites, which is juicy and flavourful and always cooked to a perfect medium rare with nice, salty frites on the side. I don't think they offer it anymore but there was an east-meets-west tuna tartar plate that was awesome. Many little pieces of albacore tuna with yuzu jelly (tastes very strange, by the way, almost bitter aftertaste.) The scallops, although not many, were perfectly cooked and flavourful. As for deserts, you can never go wrong with the lemon tart.

January brought us another birthday, and another trip to Black Cat. I could get used to this. Richard (the owner) commented on how nice it was to see us again so soon after our last visit. I love it when people do that!

It happens so infrequently.

We should clearly go out more.

Everybody loved what they got, but I'll focus on what my wife and I got this time (all different from last time):

- Smoked mackerel. I'm on a smoked fish kick, and there's no signs of me recovering any time soon. The big-honkin' capers and lemon creme fraiche were a great foil.

- Foie gras was luxury personified. Even with it being seared to crispy brownness on both sides, it was still, I swear, an inch thick in the middle. Nice, sweet accompaniments to go with it, and the Pineau des Charentes was a quirky pairing. The fact that they have Pineau des Charentes on the drinks list at all is reason enough to love this place. Sweet, almost apple-like, luxurious fortified concoction it is.

- Fennel-dusted sweetbreads. I agree with everything that Sourdough says below on the subject. Amazing.

- Brined, smoked chicken. The smokiness of the bird was a really nice touch, and worked really well with the Chard we had with it.

- Lemon tart was delicious. Loves me my lemon tart.

You know, the more I think about it, the more I think the portions are fine, if not generous. We weren't skimped on, that's for sure. Part of that could be that we ordered three courses each?

Went for a friends birthday on Saturday. Food was very good, and service was top notch. My app was bi-coastal tuna (or something like that) which featured yellow fin from one coast and albacore from the other. It was served with some fried shallots and yuzu jelly - fantastic. My main was the 2 bird with one stone - duck confit served with a slice of foie gras on a bed of lentil. This was quite solid, but the star of the night in my opinion was the sweet breads: Fennel Dusted Quebec Sweetbreads
Rutabega Fondue, Braised Fennel, King Mushrooms, Bacon & Masala Sauce. This blew me away and i was very happy my wife got very full and wanted to share :)

I booked a LARGE table there recently, and the staff took utmost care in making the best for everyone; considering they offer a table d'hote for 45$ (app, main + dessert), we definitely went along with this deal!

I can't comment on the wine, but the fellow who ordered (and therefore paid for it all) did say it was slightly more expensive there.

Apps (i felt they were of a good size; i have a small stomach, so i could've been done my meal after this point!):
Smoked Newfoundland Mackeral - GIANT capers, creme fraiche, DELICIOUS!#!~!!! more... "solid" than smoked salmon? Or say, less sweet.

Foamy Mushroom Bisque - every flavour melting together, really really fantastic. the best is at the bottom when you find a few bits of dried mushroom left!

Mains:
Steak Frites - i didn't order this and i don't eat meat, but the frites were crisp and very tasty! not too greasy, but no heavy-potateyness.

Roast Chicken - i couldn't eat this either, but my companion seemed to really enjoy it. the gnocchi which comes along with it was amazing though! more chewy than i'm used to, but i'm sure compared with the texture of the chicken, it would be nice.

Seared Tuna - i wasn't excited because of the mains (bok choy, squash, etc. things i usually make myself) but the yuzu really brightens it up to something i haven't done. nice crusted layer of pepper contrasted with the delicate and slightly sweet flavour of the spaghetti squash.

Desserts: (no one got the Walnut Apple Bundt =[ )
Chocolate Torte - each bite is HEAVY, but it quickly melts in your mouth so there is that initial fear that your belly will explode, but it goes down really nicely. consider this for an indulgent ending.

Creme Brulee - very creamy and light, but very rich in flavour. very nice crust; quite thin, but is just enough with the soft interior. i didn't get any lemon-flavour; our server said it comes on the side, but there was no such thing?

i really want to try to Scallops next time!

What a great review Momo! Makes me want to try it out. Thanks!

We finally made it out to Black Cat for my wife's birthday last week and, let me tell you, we were not disappointed.

For appies, we got the foamy mushroom bisque (delicious, comforting, parmesan-and-truffle goodness) and the bison carpaccio (fantastic flavour combination of lemon, olive oil, old cheddar, and just a bit of mustard).

For mains, I had the steak frites, and I'm pretty sure it was the best I've had in the city (disclaimer: I don't get steak frites at restaurants very often.) The sage-seasoned frites were fresh, crisp, and gobble-up addictive. And the steak was flavourful and cooked to perfection. But it was the bordelaise sauce that really put me over the edge: it was killer (and so shiny!)

I don't know who their saucier is, but I want to take him out for a drink. After which I'll thwack him on the back of the head with a cosh and hold him hostage until he tells me the recipe.

My wife's "rare" tuna was also oohed and aahed over. It was a great combination of flavours, with spot-on sides, and the yuzu mignonette provided just enough of a perk to really make it good.

We also had dessert (apple crumble and chocolate tart); they we felt that they were OK, but not as spectacular as our appies and mains were. I thought the pear gelato that came with my tart was really good, though.

All told, our meal set us back $200 after tax and tip, but that was for two apps, two mains, and two desserts with, err, five glasses of wine total. (It was her *birthday*! You have to celebrate!)

I liked the space: the white, exposed brick work well with the hardwood floors and the dark leather chairs. I will agree with reviewers down below that it was a bit noisy. Part of it was because it was Friday night; part of it was because there was a table full of noisy people nearby.

We'll be back. There were so many other things on the menu that we'd like to try.

This place rocks. Don't go to fill up for for value portions. Its a wine bar, no?

I had the Santa Margherita Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Doc Brut. It's a good Italian Sparkling wine from Veneto Region. It was a good choice for my appetizer, The Black Cat Dips( foie gras Torchon, slt cod pate', goose rillettes, and olive tapenade). Very clean nose, pleasantly fruity, with hints of apples and peaches blossoms. Delicate and crisp. $ 10 by the glass.