ottawa foodies

I eagerly tried Amazonas for the first time a few weeks ago.

We had the croquette, ceviche, and seafood with rice (reminded me of Spanish paella).

I had been really looking forward to eating there given the reviews I had read. Unfortunately I didn't walk away feeling what I had hoped to feel.

I love the fact that it's a (what I assume) family-run restaurant with all the various family members doing this and that.

Our server was really adorable in terms of how sweet and 'gentle' he was. It sounds weird to comment on that but it influenced how I felt about the dining experience. Given the family atmosphere, my usual expectations of a restaurant experience were softened.

In terms of the food we tried, it's definitely a mixed review.

I REALLY enjoyed the ceviche! Amazing. My friend was less enthused but I was a big fan.

For the croquette and rice dish, we both thought they were mediocre. We had wished the croquette was served hot. The plates were freezing cold and the food luke-warm. The rice was tasty enough but nothing extraordinary.

The portions were generous. Great value in terms of price.

So although we had a so-so food experience, I would return.

I finally tried it tonight, to find the answers to my questions on the menu. There are actually many meat options on the menu (so maybe I won't be alone on my next visit). There are 5 main courses with meat (beef, veal hearts, lamb, chicken) and 5 with seafood/fish. The appetizer tend more towards meat. (I wouldn't recommand the place to a vegetarian

Good solid freshly made food, and very good value.

I had chicha morada, a chicken tamale, a rice dish with seafood (lots of shrimp), dulce de leche cookies and coffee. Total after tax was under 30$.

That chicha morada purple drink really surprised me. Mmm, cinammon and clove. I regretted getting a glass... I should have ordered a pitcher ;-)

The tamale was very good with the pickled red onions for a bit of kick.

The rice dish was ok, but when I saw what the seafood "soup" looks like, I regretted not ordering that... I think there will be a next time!

Beef Empanadas

Ceviche

Chicken Tamales

They were, indeed, awesome cookies!

Okay, back to the ceviche (yes, I have very strong feelings about ceviche, whatever, sue me)...

After marinating fish in lime juice at home, I noticed how quickly the flesh turned white, which leads me to believe what a friend of mine (who says is friends with the owner) has said, namely that Amazonas uses watered down/bottled lime juice, which would explain why it takes so long for the fish to turn white. So there you have it (kinda). If I'm lying, please tell me. I love this restaurant and want only good things for it.

This won't keep me from going back again, but I wish they would use pure lime juice or at least cut the fish pieces smaller :(

...and AWESOME.

missladi, the cookies you had were undoubtedly Alfajor, and the caramel filling would have been dulce de leche.

Went again yesterday. I'd like to comment on the consistently friendly service.

Again, though, the ceviche was a bit "undercooked" for my liking but is perfect today after having sat in the fridge overnight. Nevertheless, it was still delicious last night.

I also tried their dessert, which where two shortbread-like cookies, one filled with some sort of fruity, creamy, sweet filling, the other had an eagle brand type of caramel filling. Both tasty, not toooo sweet.

We had a great experience here as well a few weeks back. We ordered a variety of appetizer dishes (causa rellena; ceviche; beef empanadas; and chicken tamales), a main dish of arroz con mariscos (rice with seafood) and pisco sours (of course!). Of the dishes we had in common, I'd echo everything noted by missladi. The causa rellena is basically a Peruvian potato salad. It's served cold, is layered and is creamier than the North American version. I'm not a big fan of potato salad normally, but the eggs and zip of chiles in this version are comfort food personified for me. I didn't get too much of the rice dish, as the rest of my party dug in pretty heartily, but what I tasted of it was quite good.

I'd definitely recommend this place. It's out of the way, as noted, but the food stands up to better Peruvian places I've tried in Miami, where the standard is high. (Haven't been to Peru itself, unfortunately.) We were so stuffed, we didn't have room for dessert, but we'll be back.

The one thing that I'd be wary of is that the primary dining room has a couple of tables just by the bathroom. If you're put off by such things, probably best to call ahead and reserve by the window or in the smaller room to the left of the entrance. (The restaurant itself is just the main floor of an old house.)