Tennessy Willems, Ottawa

CK and I celebrated our be-lated Valentine's dinner at Tennessy Willems in Hintonburg. We're huge fans of Pizzeria Libretto in Toronto, so when we heard that Tennessy Willems had a connection to the place, we were all over it. I've been disappointed with Ottawa's attempt at Neapolitan-style wood fired pizza, but this one I had to try.

CK and I started with a mackerel plate: Whalesbone smoked mackerel on top of an apple beet slaw + lemon Crème Fraiche, served with fresh bread. This was delicious. The fish was perfectly smoked, and it was just the way I like it. The mackerel was a bit too fishy for CK...which meant more for me :)

Mackerel Plate

CK and I both ordered a pizza each. We were handed a big bottle of chilli oil, and it was happy eating from there. The thin crust, one of the most important elements, was chewy and charred in all the right places.

I ordered the bianco: pear, walnuts, fresh smoked prosciutto, fiore de latte, and Gorgonzola. This one is highly recommended.

Bianco Pizza

CK ordered the simple margherita: fire-roasted tomato sauce, fresh Mozzarella, and basil. The sauce was a bit acidic, but a decent margherita overall.

Margherita Pizza

For dessert, we shared the lemon tart. A shortbread pastry crust covered with a creamy, runny lemon custard. The custard was fresh, and you could tell it was made with love.

Lemon Tart

Tennessy Willems
1082 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Telephone: 613-722-0000