ottawa foodies

Pork bifana sandwich is the signature dish of Bistro L’Alambic. The sandwich contains pork chops with a spicy sauce and roasted vegetables. It comes with fresh cut fries and coleslaw.

They also have a couple of daily specials that are also usually very good. Today’s was Chinese Macaroni and Pork tenderloin served on roasted zucchini, brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes. My friend had the latter and said it was excellent.

This was my second visit here. I like the ambiance of the small space and although the menu is concise it is creative. The service is attentive and thoughtful (they remembered us from last time – even where we sat!). Both times the owner was in the restaurant chatting with patrons, answering questions and serving up dishes.

This time, we shared two appetizers, a main and a desert:

Gnocchi – these potatoes “pillows” were served in a light buttery sauce with slices of baby squash and zucchini, pine nuts and tomatoes – a tasty dish.

Duck Tartare – a decent-sized helping, deliciously flavourful and the sprinkling of pistachios on top added that little extra to the dish, served with an abundance of very thinly sliced taro chips.

Spaghetti and two lamb meatballs in a tasty tomato sauce – the least imaginative dish but still hit the spot.

For dessert we chose the pineapple parfait which was chunks of grilled pineapple layered with graham crackers and whipped cream flavoured with ginger and cinnamon –not too sweet and an excellent end to a wonderful meal.

Be warned - they do not have air conditioning so by the end of the night we were pretty hot but I still had an enjoyable time and look forward to returning.

Very good and interesting dish. Pork Chop was thick and juicy. The Tapinambour was in a purée mixed with the riz de blé that added a nice texture...very interesting marriage. Very good dish.

Duck Tartare was fatty, fresh and super well seasoned. Taro Chips was original and really good.

Appetizer: Beets salad was different from what is commonly served. Beets were served with Endives, pecans which amazingly married perfectly with the bleu cheese smoked sauce. Amazing dish period.