ottawa foodies

Anybody know which of the bigger shops carry this? I did find one on ikea site(which i found odd) but don't know how good it is.

www.ikea.com

actually, not for sale in ottawa location.

I bought this mortar and pestle from Lee Valley. Usually I find their products useful, but this one doesn't work that well.
It leaves quite a bit of the seeds or whatever whole.

Check out Homesense, I bought a great, heavy one there a few years ago, and see them there regularly for fairly decent prices.

I picked up a great heavy stone one at loblaws (pc brand) for cheap

I have a mortar and pestle like the one illustrated on the right but I bought it in the US. Maybe some of the stores in Chinatown might have them?

I have one like Pasta Lover's but my favorite one is the cast iron one my wife got at Kitchenalia in Westboro

I was given one as a present. It is a Jamie Oliver model. I think it was purchased at CA Paradise. Works pretty good. You can always order online.
www.amazon.com

all kitchen stores have them. if you are near the glebe go to glebe emporium or jp adams, ca paradise or grace in the kitchen in ottawa south, in the market there are tons of kitchen shops - domus and ma cuisine would have them. kitchenalia in westboro. it should be very easy to find a mortar and pestle!

I have had several and the ones I would recommend need to be made of stone or cast iron. I've broken 2 ceramic types when pounding vigourously. I currently have a granite one by Jamie Oliver and love it. It was bought at Kitchenalia but I have seen many at most kitchen stores, the Bay and even the bigger Canadian Tires.

I often go to cook's illustrated for equipment reviews. They seem to like the marble model.Here is a link to their review of mortars/pestles. Wish I had read it before I bought the le creuset model, although it has worked well for what I've had to do with it - never tried to pulverize rice.

www.cooksillustrated.com

Recommended with Reservations
SCI/Scandicrafts, Inc. Mortar and Pestle

If you want to save kitchen space, this small marble model is your best choice. Peppercorns, toasted rice, and tapioca turned to fine powder in 50 strokes. Among the smaller models tested, its handle was slightly more comfortable, albeit slippery. The heavy weight steadied the base, and high sides kept ingredients inside.
$15.95
Recommended with Reservations
Temple of Thai Large Mortar and Pestle

Grandiose in size and weight, this mortar and pestle looks like an ancient artifact, but the rough surface was able to grind toasted rice in 50 strokes. However, it struggled to break down tapioca, which flew out of the bowl, and even after washing, the smell of peppercorns lingered in the stone.
$32.95
Recommended with Reservations
Typhoon 2 in 1 Mortar and Pestle

With the roughest surface of any of the small models tested, this cast- iron model was able to break down tapioca, peppercorns, and toasted rice in 50 strokes. The pour spout on the side was convenient, but the small pestle was uncomfortable and hurt testers’ hands within the first few grinds.
$29.95
Not Recommended
Le Creuset Mortar and Pestle

This mortar and pestle seemed promising, with its large mortar, rough stoneware interior, and long pestle. Unfortunately, it only pushed the ingredients around the bowl. After 100 strokes, only half the rice was broken down and peppercorns remained whole.
$37.95
Not Recommended
Chef's Planet Mortar and Pestle

The only redeeming quality of this porcelain model with grooves on the tip of the pestle was the comfortable nonslip handle. Most of our toasted rice flew out of the mortar’s small, shallow basin; any that remained took more than 200 strokes to crush.
$24.95
Not Recommended
Mortar and Pestle by Amco

The smooth surface of this small mortar and slippery, lightweight pestle made it a struggle to break down any ingredients and tormented testers. After 330 strokes, we gave up: The tapered pestle was sharply digging into our palms, and more than half the rice remained whole.

I got mine at Phuoc Loi in Chinatown a few years back. Try to get a large one, you can't quite get the right heft with the small ones.

The one I got looks like the one in the picture.

Works great to make your own green curry paste: thaifood.about.com

We have both Pasta Lover's and Treqx's mortars/pestles, but that green one wins by far. I prefer the larger size, because it's more stable and fewer bits fly out of it when you're grinding.

Any supply store in Chinatown should be able to set you up for cheap.

I second Treqx and momo - (I guess I third that). Had the same as Pasta lover, but manage to break the pestle - would love a big Thai one.

This is the cast-iron one Zym mentioned above:www.amazon.com

I love it -- use it all the time. I only use the marble one when I'm using fresh herbs or wet ingredients.