ottawa foodies

Does anyone know where I could find Red Boat fish sauce (preferably 40°N version) somewhere in Ottawa? Seems I can't order it online because US vendors won't ship here.

Double extra bonus points if anyone has pointers on finding the BLIS Bourbon barrel aged fish sauce either locally or somewhere that can ship to Ottawa.

I, too, am looking for Red Boat Fish Sauce. Help anyone?

After reading this :

chowhound.chow.com

I gotta try Red Boat.

Just get it shipped to ogdensburg...

... maybe setup a group buy or have something else sent to make it more economical.

Hell buy a case or two try to get a discount then start selling it off to other OF's :)

I'm always one to try to make something that few others would try, but I don't know if I want a tonne of fish rotting in my basement for a year before bottling. Maybe that's just me.

importfood.com

I could be wrong, but i may have seen it at Pelican on Bank.
Perhaps call ahead and check tho'.

I saw Red Boat at Saigon Meat & Vegetables today!
She seem surprised that I knew of it.

I bought it to try for my mom, but at 17$ a pop, she was not happy I paid so much.

ohwells, happy new year, ma!

Oh my god, I posted this so long ago! Thanks for the tip, I'll go and check that out.

Over a year ago!

They had the 40N, which is what I bought.

To clarify, the shop owner was surprised I had heard of it, my mom was just surprised at the price.

Although I think this bottle will last a very long time.
My mom said its a kind that is so pure it can only be appreciated when eaten as a dip versus being used in cooking main dishes.

I just bought some of the 40N at Whole Foods in Alexandria, VA (new home), and I have also seen it at some of the Vietnamese/Asian markets here. It really is very nice--it is so rich that it is almost syrupy. Very pungent, in the best possible way. What I notice above all else is that I get more umami without as much salt. This is especially imporant when using commercial curry pastes (yes, I do that from time to time), in which case there is a good bit of salt in them already so adding the desired amount of fish sauce pushed the dish into Dead Sea territory.

I just bought some at Saigon Meat & Vegetables on Somerset TODAY, so they're still carrying it. Thanks for the tip! It was $18.

Hi, has anyone seen it being sold recently? I heard it is much better than the one generally sold at the grocery store. Curious to try it.

Just bought one at Saigon Meat & Vegetables on Somerset on June 12th.

New User 6498, What size bottle? and how much? Thanks.

500ml for $13. Just got another two but there are still some left ;-)

I just bought some today, based on the recommendation from this group - not sure anyone else carries it in Ottawa. I tried to call a few times, to confirm they have it, before heading there - but finally gave up and decided to just go. The gal at the cash said they always have it - and a lot of people go to the store specifically looking for that product. Price was $13, as noted by someone else about a year ago - and a nice price drop from 2014, when someone else paid $18 for it. The gal I talked to said they initially had to purchase it from a US distributor, because the manufacturer didn't ship to Canada - hence the higher price. The current price reflects the face that the store is now able to buy direct from the manufacturer.

As a point of comparison: the Amazon.ca price for the same size bottle is $29.95!!

I did have to pay to park around the corner on Rochester Street, but it was cheap.

Picked up a 500mL bottle for $15.99 (yikes!) yesterday at Best Price Oriental Market at Hazeldean and Castlefrank. My wife was looking specifically for this brand as she's on a special diet and this is supposed to be the "cleanest" fish sauce out there, but interestingly they also had a "premium" 30°N fish sauce (compared to the 40°N for Red Boat) with only anchovies, salt and sugar as ingredients for a much more reasonable $4.99.

A very good read from David Lebovitz on his visit to the Red Boat Fish Sauce factory in Phú Quõc, Vietnam.
13-14 tonne barrels of fermenting black anchovies...
www.davidlebovitz.com

The 30 and the 40 and even the 50 just means the % of protein there is in the bottle. The higher the number, the less salt and sugar there is... that's it.