Foods from Juniper
Comments
2014 Aug 9
We had dinner here last night and had an enjoyable evening. We elected to go with the chef's pick which consisted of 5 courses and the wine flight. We were presented with an amuse bouche of sushi to start things off. We then had gazpacho paired paired with a Chardonnay from Chile. This was followed by scallop ceviche, paired with a rosé from Niagara area and then we had the pork ribs with yam jam over some crispy fries, paired with an Italian red. They then gave us a palate cleanser of plum and watermelon sorbet. The next course consisted of duck breast cooked sous vide with corn, wild rice with some duck confit mixed in, paired with a lighter red from Chile. This was the only disappointment as my duck was overcooked to well past medium. My husband's was cooked properly. We were then served Crème Brulée to end it all paired with a Riesling dessert wine from the Niagara area. This was not part of the wine flight. As we were paying our bill, we each received a small piece of chocolate cake with a caramel sauce and a cream cheese icing on top. All the food was excellent save for my duck. The fries that came with the pork ribs were incredible - obviously twice fried as fries should be but so seldom are. The dishes were beautifully plated, and service was excellent with both the food courses and the wines properly described. As we live within walking distance, we then waddled home.
I have always enjoyed Juniper and last night was no exception. I highly recommend it.
I have always enjoyed Juniper and last night was no exception. I highly recommend it.
2013 Jul 28
We (group of 7) went to try this restaurant and the food was excellent. We were all very satisfied with the food we ate.
I enjoyed my duck breast (many ordered duck breast) very much.
The whole dining experience was excellent. The inside environment was quite nice. A good place for fine dining!
If I have to pick flaws, I would say the dessert menu. Selection was limited (Banana turnover, crème brûlée, Ice-Cream, maple pecan tart were not quite special either).
Anyway, my rating for this restaurant is quite high (over many highly rated restaurants in Ottawa).
I enjoyed my duck breast (many ordered duck breast) very much.
The whole dining experience was excellent. The inside environment was quite nice. A good place for fine dining!
If I have to pick flaws, I would say the dessert menu. Selection was limited (Banana turnover, crème brûlée, Ice-Cream, maple pecan tart were not quite special either).
Anyway, my rating for this restaurant is quite high (over many highly rated restaurants in Ottawa).
2011 Nov 13
I started going to Juniper when they were in the old location, and have had many great meals there over the years. I wish I could say that last night's meal was a wonderful experience, but although some aspects were very good, things were very inconsistent.
the atmosphere is very elegant, and the service was accommodating. We were presented with an amuse bouche of pork tenderloin and corn salsa to begin. Enjoyed by all.
Several of our party had the green salad with pressed pear, and all felt the flavors were good,but that the pear was unripe and "way too hard". Torchon of Foie Gras was perfect. Beef tartare of the day was excellent, but it was served with a house made bbq sauce that was overly sweet and cloying, and I decided to enjoy the tartare without it. Soup of the day was a winter minestrone, and was good, but not exceptional.
For mains, the fresh pickerel steamed in a banana leaf was beautifully presented and perfectly cooked, but the portion size was very small, and the flavours were pronounced "bland". The sous vide duck breast was outstanding, with a squash and wild rice pilaf and port/fig reduction. One of our party declared it the nicest duck breast he had ever enjoyed. The sous vide pork tenderloin had wonderful flavor, and was well reviewed, but the portion I sampled had an oddly dry texture for sous vide.
Two of our party ordered the Alberta beef tenderloin and this was perhaps the most glaring inconsistency. One portion was about 1 1/2" thick, while the second was maybe 3/4" thick. Since the diners were seated side by side, there was much commentary and comparison. Both steaks were tasty and nicely presented, but the obvious disparity in the size of the servings was an issue, and unfortunately the person with the smaller portion did not want to "complain" so he ate and enjoyed the steak he was served, but left feeling somehow short changed.
Warm apple pie with cheddar crust was popular and got good reviews, ditto the brown butter raspberry cake. But the peanut butter ice cream was very special and the clear favorite among the desserts. Nice balance of fat for mouth feel, and sweet without being overly so. I wanted to take a bucket of it home.
Small squares of tia maria cake with peanut butter frosting were presented with the bill. They were a nice touch, if a bit dry.
Overall the meal was enjoyable, with many hits and a few misses, but it was the inconsistency that disappointed. Once upon a time, Juniper really set the bar in Ottawa. I think that there are so many good restaurants here now, that my expectations have been raised. Our dinner was very good, enjoyed in an elegant setting with efficient and friendly service. Perhaps I was unrealistic in expecting everything to be flawless.
the atmosphere is very elegant, and the service was accommodating. We were presented with an amuse bouche of pork tenderloin and corn salsa to begin. Enjoyed by all.
Several of our party had the green salad with pressed pear, and all felt the flavors were good,but that the pear was unripe and "way too hard". Torchon of Foie Gras was perfect. Beef tartare of the day was excellent, but it was served with a house made bbq sauce that was overly sweet and cloying, and I decided to enjoy the tartare without it. Soup of the day was a winter minestrone, and was good, but not exceptional.
For mains, the fresh pickerel steamed in a banana leaf was beautifully presented and perfectly cooked, but the portion size was very small, and the flavours were pronounced "bland". The sous vide duck breast was outstanding, with a squash and wild rice pilaf and port/fig reduction. One of our party declared it the nicest duck breast he had ever enjoyed. The sous vide pork tenderloin had wonderful flavor, and was well reviewed, but the portion I sampled had an oddly dry texture for sous vide.
Two of our party ordered the Alberta beef tenderloin and this was perhaps the most glaring inconsistency. One portion was about 1 1/2" thick, while the second was maybe 3/4" thick. Since the diners were seated side by side, there was much commentary and comparison. Both steaks were tasty and nicely presented, but the obvious disparity in the size of the servings was an issue, and unfortunately the person with the smaller portion did not want to "complain" so he ate and enjoyed the steak he was served, but left feeling somehow short changed.
Warm apple pie with cheddar crust was popular and got good reviews, ditto the brown butter raspberry cake. But the peanut butter ice cream was very special and the clear favorite among the desserts. Nice balance of fat for mouth feel, and sweet without being overly so. I wanted to take a bucket of it home.
Small squares of tia maria cake with peanut butter frosting were presented with the bill. They were a nice touch, if a bit dry.
Overall the meal was enjoyable, with many hits and a few misses, but it was the inconsistency that disappointed. Once upon a time, Juniper really set the bar in Ottawa. I think that there are so many good restaurants here now, that my expectations have been raised. Our dinner was very good, enjoyed in an elegant setting with efficient and friendly service. Perhaps I was unrealistic in expecting everything to be flawless.
2010 Nov 9
A few weeks ago, we took advantage of the 0$ cork fee at Juniper:
"Reservations 9pm or later, any day of the week can bring with them a maximum of 1 750mL bottle of wine and not pay any corkage fee."
Upon our arrival we received the warmest and most genuine welcome from the sommelier. He informed us we were the first ones to use the 0$ cork fee. He was very enthusiastic and even more so when he discovered we had brought along his father in law's favourite wine.
Our server, that night was equally nice and attentive.
We shared Juniper’s Charcuterie
Cured and smoked duck breast – bresola – house smoked ham served with in house condiments
It was delicious, and perfect for sharing.
I had the:
Beef|Sweet|Sour|Salty
Sesame crusted grilled tenderloin with soya glazed short rib with a green papaya kimchi, fried egg noodles and a sweet & sour broth.
I loved everything about my dish.Perfect balance of all the flavours and the beef was cooked to perfection.
My husband had:
Pork|Crabapple|Onion
Bacon-onion-garlic stuffed pork tenderloin with a new potato-pearl onion hash, bacon-mustard sauce topped with a crabapple
We shared a to die for dessert:
Banana-Peanut Fritter served in a chocolate cup with peanut butter ice-cream and caramel drizzle.
We had a fabulous evening; I have nothing negative to say about our meal or the service. We will certainly be back to take advantage of the no cork fee promotion.
"Reservations 9pm or later, any day of the week can bring with them a maximum of 1 750mL bottle of wine and not pay any corkage fee."
Upon our arrival we received the warmest and most genuine welcome from the sommelier. He informed us we were the first ones to use the 0$ cork fee. He was very enthusiastic and even more so when he discovered we had brought along his father in law's favourite wine.
Our server, that night was equally nice and attentive.
We shared Juniper’s Charcuterie
Cured and smoked duck breast – bresola – house smoked ham served with in house condiments
It was delicious, and perfect for sharing.
I had the:
Beef|Sweet|Sour|Salty
Sesame crusted grilled tenderloin with soya glazed short rib with a green papaya kimchi, fried egg noodles and a sweet & sour broth.
I loved everything about my dish.Perfect balance of all the flavours and the beef was cooked to perfection.
My husband had:
Pork|Crabapple|Onion
Bacon-onion-garlic stuffed pork tenderloin with a new potato-pearl onion hash, bacon-mustard sauce topped with a crabapple
We shared a to die for dessert:
Banana-Peanut Fritter served in a chocolate cup with peanut butter ice-cream and caramel drizzle.
We had a fabulous evening; I have nothing negative to say about our meal or the service. We will certainly be back to take advantage of the no cork fee promotion.
2010 Aug 12
My wife enjoyed her Beef Striploin|Soba Noodles|Hoisin meal (beef was cooked to order, in this case Medium). I sampled a bit and found it to be pretty good -- the soba noodles were cold, and the hoisin sauce was sweet (as hoisin is). The beef was warm and tasty. As you can see, everything was beautifully presented, with nice little sticks of apple, mango, and cucumber gracing the tasty stack.
2010 Aug 12
We dropped in, on a whim, for lunch today and were quite impressed. The lunch menu is not large, but the options are good (see their website for details). The decor is trendy and pleasant, with good isolation between tables. Service was excellent and friendly.
Extra points for offering us more bread (art-is-in dynamite white and poppyseed multigrain); too many restaurants never do that! I wasn't crazy about the slightly sweet (caramelized?) whipped butter that accompanied the bread, but since the bread was from Art-Is-In there was in fact no need for butter. By the way, almost all the food we had at Juniper leaned toward the sweet end of the flavour spectrum, so if you're a savoury kind of person you might find things a little fruity for your taste. That said, I'm generally not a fan of sweet food but still enjoyed the offerings immensely.
The soup of the day involved ginger, coconut, and other ingredients I can't recall. It was orange, beautifully textured, and absolutely delicious!
Pictured here is the Scallops | Summer Corn | Peppers | Sweet Potatoes dish that I had. The server warned me that it was a light portion, but I was okay with that because I was having soup. The 4 scallops were quite nice, although I found the Cajun-style treatment overpowered any delicate flavour the scallops might have had. The crispy sweet potato strips were an interesting garnish and were lightly salted in a pleasant way. But what really wowed me was the fantastically delicious and generous corn and pepper "salad" that provided a bed for the scallops. The mix of avocado and tomato-chili drizzles were spot on, to the point where I found myself scooping up traces of them and sucking them off my empty fork.
My dessert choice was the Nutella Butterscotch Crème Brûlée, which consisted of a Nutella base layer, a nice mild butterscotch "crème" layer, and a good enough (but slightly too thick) sugar crust. The delicious gianduja flavour of Nutella really works here and it speaks well of whomever is making decisions in the kitchen. This dessert was accompanied by a little triangular biscuit containing dried cranberries that I found to be somewhat dry and uninteresting.
One note: They were offering a combo sandwich special, in which you could have soup ($6), sandwich (~$10), and dessert ($6) for the great combo price of ($15). The quality of such a three-course meal is good enough that fifteen bucks is a bargain. Strangely, the restaurant was only about 1/4 full. Get the word out!
Extra points for offering us more bread (art-is-in dynamite white and poppyseed multigrain); too many restaurants never do that! I wasn't crazy about the slightly sweet (caramelized?) whipped butter that accompanied the bread, but since the bread was from Art-Is-In there was in fact no need for butter. By the way, almost all the food we had at Juniper leaned toward the sweet end of the flavour spectrum, so if you're a savoury kind of person you might find things a little fruity for your taste. That said, I'm generally not a fan of sweet food but still enjoyed the offerings immensely.
The soup of the day involved ginger, coconut, and other ingredients I can't recall. It was orange, beautifully textured, and absolutely delicious!
Pictured here is the Scallops | Summer Corn | Peppers | Sweet Potatoes dish that I had. The server warned me that it was a light portion, but I was okay with that because I was having soup. The 4 scallops were quite nice, although I found the Cajun-style treatment overpowered any delicate flavour the scallops might have had. The crispy sweet potato strips were an interesting garnish and were lightly salted in a pleasant way. But what really wowed me was the fantastically delicious and generous corn and pepper "salad" that provided a bed for the scallops. The mix of avocado and tomato-chili drizzles were spot on, to the point where I found myself scooping up traces of them and sucking them off my empty fork.
My dessert choice was the Nutella Butterscotch Crème Brûlée, which consisted of a Nutella base layer, a nice mild butterscotch "crème" layer, and a good enough (but slightly too thick) sugar crust. The delicious gianduja flavour of Nutella really works here and it speaks well of whomever is making decisions in the kitchen. This dessert was accompanied by a little triangular biscuit containing dried cranberries that I found to be somewhat dry and uninteresting.
One note: They were offering a combo sandwich special, in which you could have soup ($6), sandwich (~$10), and dessert ($6) for the great combo price of ($15). The quality of such a three-course meal is good enough that fifteen bucks is a bargain. Strangely, the restaurant was only about 1/4 full. Get the word out!
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