A Taste For Life at the Wellington Gastropub, Ottawa

Beebs and I went to The Wellington Gastropub for the Taste For Life charity fundraiser last Wednesday evening. Wellington Gastropub has been consistently voted one of the best restaurants in Ottawa and I FINALLY got to try it.

The atmosphere is casual and inviting, and the food: bistro fare. They offered a special 3-course table d'hote menu for the event, and there was also the option for wine pairing. The regular a la carte menu was not offered that night.

We began our meal with white and multi-grain bread from Art-is-in bakery. The delicious bread was served with oil + vinegar, and pressed salt.

Bread from Art-is-in Bakery

My first course was the roasted rutabaga and caramelized pear soup. This was absolutely divine! It was topped with a horseradish chantilly, and drizzled with vanilla oil. The flavor combination was spectacular, and Beebs, who made fun of me for ordering soup, may have loved the soup more than I did.

Roasted Rutabaga and Caramelized Pear Soup

Her first course was the salad of beets, maple roasted parsnips, and spinach. It was served with Floralpe Farms feta, drunken raisins, and a mustard red wine emulsion. This was just as good as my soup, and the roasted parsnips were amazing.

Beet, Maple Roasted Parsnip, and Spinach Salad

My second course was the duck confit served with caramelized onion bread pudding, swiss chard, and sour cherry port jus. I think I've gotta stop ordering duck confit. I keep thinking that I'm treating myself, but I order it so often now, that it doesn't seem so much of a treat anymore. The duck was fall off the bone good, but I found the swiss chard much too salty. The salty swiss chard combined with the salty duck confit was too much salt for me. The bread pudding was buttery and good.

Duck Confit with Caramelized Onion Bread Pudding

Beebs had the stewed lentils with goat cheese & roasted garlic fritters. This was served with a smoked red pepper sauce, and an apple & red endive salad. This was a well thought out vegetarian dish.

Goat Cheese & Roasted Garlic Fritters with Stewed Lentils

For dessert, I had the vanilla brown butter hazelnut cake, served with apple & sun dried cranberry compote, and crème anglaise. The flavors went well together, but I found the cake a bit too sweet.

Vanilla Brown Butter Hazelnut Cake

Beebs had the double chocolate brownie with raspberry sauce, and vanilla ice cream. The brownie tasted more like quadruple chocolate to me, and the vanilla ice cream tasted light compared to the brownie. It would have been perfect for a die hard choco lover.

Double Chocolate Brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream

We basically tried everything on the menu except for the scallops. I hear they do scallops really well here, and I'll have to try it the next time I am here.

There was a draw for all who dined at the restaurant that evening, and while a representative did come around to each table to explain what the fundraiser was all about, they didn't do it in a manner that was too pushy. I am definitely going to participate again next year.

The Wellington Gastropub
1325 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Telephone: 613-729-1315