ottawa foodies

I wont bother with a review of the food here. What I will say that their customer service leaves a lot to be desired. After my first visit here I had no time to talk to management since I was dining with a toddler and had to leave quickly, but I did use the "contact us / guest feedback" link to explain our situation. It clearly asks if you want to be contacted, and I checked that box off . Weeks later I am still waiting for follow up. This is one of my biggest pet peeves and as a result I will be avoiding this entire restaurant group at all costs.

My evening here was quite pleasant on the whole. I tasted a very nice Pilsner from Toronto called ‘Steam Whistle’ and also tried a Mittnacht Klack 2008 and a Lailey 2009, which are both moderately decent Reislings. The Calmari dish I had was a big disappointment but I really came for oysters and was lucky enough to enjoy some the best ones I have ever had.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

You can read my more detailed review at: sybaritica.me

Had an extremely pleasant time on the patio here a few days ago. Although didn’t have any food this time (drinks only) the wait staff was attentive and friendly. From other visits I know the food is well done, although not outstanding.

This was our first time to the restaurant and will most assuredly be our last. We had gone as part of a group on a Wednesday evening around 5:00 pm.

The place was not excessively busy and we made the reservation several days before which should have allowed the management sufficient time to prepare for a large group (we were about 15). It is obvious they did not take advantage of this time.

The waitress was inattentive to the point that several people that they had been deliberately 'snubbed'. Drinks were forgotten or left to sit on other tables, requests for other items (another drink, the bill etc) were ignored completely. We had to ask several times for multiple things. We ordered the Chicken Poutine and the Beef Tips - both absolutely inedible.

The poutine was made using shoestring fries, mozzarella chunks, frozen peas and chicken that had a decidedly "freezer burnt" taste combined with the appearance of something that had been regurgitated up onto a plate. In any sort of reasonable restaurant I would have expected at the very least to have gotten fresh chicken that did not look as though it was put thru a meat grinder and taste like it had been frozen in the gravy for at least a week.

The Beef Tips consisted of 4 bite sized chunks of overcooked fatty/gristle on a dollop of horseradish mashed potato. That came out to $2.50 PER BITE. Were they perfectly prepared and beautifully seasoned the dish may have been able to command such a price but there was so much horseradish in the potato that on having the tiniest taste the flavor nearly forced me to be unable to swallow it.

We will absolutely never be returning to this overpriced establishment. Be warned if you choose to have anything here but the oysters (which are at least worth the $1) and I would be worried to eat those also just based on the quality of the rest of the food.

I visited for a short little meal the other night and was not incredibly impressed. The service was... disorganized and the upselling was somewhat blatant.

That said, we only partook of the oysters and shrimp special for that evening due to a misplaced gift card. The oysters were very nice, at least so far as I could tell with my limited oyster-consumption history. The jumbo shrimp at a dollar each was a tad underwhelming with very little flavour. If I were to do this again, I would have replaced the shrimp with an equal number of oysters and left it at that.

Still, $1 each oysters during happy hour isn't that bad.

Stopped in for breakfast yesterday.
I had the M breakfast which was pretty good.
My sunny side up eggs were pretty good, potatoes tasteful, fresh little fruit garnish, and the 6$ screwdrivers were good. I just wish the breakfast came with two pieces of toast insted of just one.
Overall it was a good breakfast and I will gladly return!

Stop in for breakfast!

I didn't want to sign for ottawa foodies since I live in Montreal and don't expect to go back often but I had to report about this wonderful experience.

We went friday afternoon around 5PM for the "hill hour event" (cant't recall if it was the exact name). My boyfriend ordered a guiness, I had a glass of chardonnay, fried calamari, 3 dozens of oysters and a dozen of jumbo shrimp.

We were very impressed by the courteous service, it was very fast and the waiters and waitresses were always looking to bring some more water and make sure everything was ok. We were also very satisfied with the food, we got a large portion of fried calamari for only 7$. They were fresh, lightly coated and not chewy at all.

The oysters and the jumbo shrimp were only a 1$ each and were really worth it. The shrimps are huge and well cooked. The oysters are fresh and well opened (not unpleasant sand or other stuff inside).

We also noticed the table next to us who ordered the small seafood platter (it was 30$, regular price 40$). It contained a dozen oysters, some jumbo shrimps, mussels and king crab. They really seemed happy with their choice.

another table ordered the cheese and cold meat platter. for only 25$, they got generous portion of different cheese with berries and bread.

We highly recommend this place and wish they came to Montreal

This is a great restaurant to bring business associates or friends from out of town. It's smack dab in the middle of Château Laurier and the market. My father-in-law's wife was in town this evening attending a conference and she had a couple of hours to dart out and have dinner with us. Since she was staying at the Westin, we figured this would be a great spot to go.

I started off with a Guinness, my husband a Stiegel and Brenda with a glass of white wine. As I perused the menu, I got stuck on two dishes – Steak Tartare and Venison Ravioli. Luckily they both sounded appetizing to my husband as well, so we decided to share.

We all started off with salad. Brenda ordered the Endive salad with pear, walnuts and Roquefort (although she omitted the cheese), and my husband and I shared the Metropolitain Salad with shaved fennel, haricot verts, endive, red onion, greens and Dijon sherry vinaigrette. I found the vinaigrette to be quite weak flavour-wise, but the ingredients on the salad were very good.

Brenda's endive salad was tastier.

Next came our mains. Brenda had the Oysters Michel (actually sold as an app), 5 East Coast oysters baked with chanterelle, romano and lemon crème fraîche. I didn't try these but she did seem to enjoy them.

The tartare, topped with a quail egg and served alongside some baby gherkins, was good, although the crisp baguette toasts that came with it were a little overpowering because they were so salty. To someone like my husband though, that's a good thing!

The best part of the meal was the Venison Ravioli Chasseur with duck confit, mushrooms, tomatoes and fresh herbs in a rich wine and demi glace – if you have the chance, go there and order this dish, it's quite scrumptious. My husband thought the pasta was a little undercooked, but I found it to be just fine.

We finished off sharing the Flourless Chocolate Cake with some coffee. I think a big glass of red wine would have gone even better. It was sooooo chocolatey, you didn't need more than a bite or two to be satisfied. And every bite begged to be left to melt in your mouth.

The service was efficient but not rushed and very friendly. Apps range from $7 to $20 and mains from $18 to $36. The food is good but slightly overpriced for the quality.

The service (and now the food) lack at Metropolitain. Used to be decent enough that I would take my out of town friends there for a nice steak frites. Now we go to Luxe, because I want to save Ottawa from what could have become a staple but now is more of an embarrassment. Oh yeah, and the Steak Tartare is really the same beef patty they use for their hamburger, but they serve it raw. Take my word for it: I tried it twice just to make sure and lived to write this for you.

I also have to agree. Furthermore, I was at MB a few months back for an after-wedding lunch, and the food was very mediocre... there was nothing wrong with it, but given the price point and the style of restaurant, I expected a lot more and was extremely disappointed. (It was not just me: no one I spoke to was impressed with their meal.)

I would never go back.

At 25$ for a bowl of soup (albeit a soup made with expensive ingredients) it better be close to perfection...

and I can say that the Bouillabaisse at Metro was up to snuff. Strong base with the right consistency (not too thick or thin), and beautiful mussels, scallops, shrimp and fish. Pricy but worth it. I have only been disappointed with Canadian takes on this French Med classic before having it last night.

My beefs would be: croutons and rouille should be served on the side(as it is traditionally served, not a single mayo drenched crouton as it was here), and there were tomatoes with skins still on in the soup. If you are going to cook a tomato, skin it first.

Still I can't complain, it was quite good. Thumbs up.

I had this on a visit about a year ago. It was tasty just the way it should be. Not huge and not cheap though, with just a few pieces of fish. Recommended nevertheless.

The Bar Steak was perfectly cooked to a medium rare with exceptional precision. Unfortunately, it didn't have much flavour. The fries were really salty and that was awesome... for a while. This is probably the first time in my life that I feel I was given too many fries. The 1/2 fries and 1/2 salad option that tnt mentioned would definitely be the way to go!

This was an overpriced plate, at $26.99 + $4 (or was it $5) for the mushrooms.

Wifey's Pot de Crème (dark chocolate custard with sweetened crème fraîche) was sensational. Smooth, chocolatey, and satisfying without being sickly.

The creme brulee was divine. Very creamy with a sweet and nicely torched upper layer. Absolutely to die for!

I like most crème brûlées, but the version at the Metropolitain is one of the best. It is huge and rich but somehow it goes down as easily as vanilla pudding.

I was at Metropolitan on Sussex last week for a work lunch, and the Mojito (plain) was quite tasty, and definitely had a kick (alcoholic) to it. I will order it again next time I go. I don't know if it had an effect, but I did mention to the server that I had been disappointed with Mojitos from other places because they didn't seem to have any alcoholic kick.

The Orange Mojito is so delicious and refreshing! My only complaint is that there was little detectable booze and the price is pretty steep.

I had enjoyed this on my previous visit over a year ago and ordered it again this time. It's still great!

This unimpressive plate of whole romaine leaves drizzled with dressing cost an equally unimpressive $14. No bacon or parmesan cheese here.

Did brunch here again last weekend, and it was pretty darn good. Service was fast and attentive, and the food was tasty.

I got a croque monsieur, since I was in the mood for a brunch-that-was-more-like-lunch. While the sandwich itself was really delicious, I didn't have my socks knocked off by the sides I got with my dish. The fries were good and crisp but (as FF says down below) pretty salty. I think part of the reason why is because they use kosher salt instead of table salt? It makes the salting a bit uneven. Also, the sauce they served on the side for my sandwich was odd. I wasn't sure what it was, and it didn't taste like much.

Didn't see how much the bill was, because we were being treated by friends of ours. Maybe one of these days we'll even do dinner here!

A friend of mine was in town from London (Ontario, sadly!), so a bunch of us (7) went out to the Metropolitain Brasserie for brunch.

Service was great: our server was knowledgable, attentive, and fun. A little bit scatterbrainted, but not a dealbreaker in any way, shape, or form.

Among the dishes we had:

- Eggs en cocotte forestière (two eggs baked in demiglace with cubes of double-smoked bacon; delicious)
- Crèpe of the day (duck, asparagus, sauce Mornay with smoked Gruyère; really good, but the asparagus was a bit icky, since it's obviously not from here)
- Daily special (a vol-au-vent filled with wilted spinach, sautéed oyster mushrooms, lobster (a whole claw and some other delicious bits), and sauce Mornay; definitely a hit.)

Plus an assortment of mimosas, cafés au lait, and crèmes brûlée.

We will definitely be returning; it's a nice change from the greasy spoon breakfasts, though I love them so.