Flower + Coffee at blumenstudio, Ottawa

I've been MIA for a few months because I have been getting ready for my move to LA! I am changing jobs and this new adventure is moving me from Ottawa to California. While I am very excited, the last few months were full of ups and downs. Change is not easy! It was a long 5 months for me, but I finally have everything worked out and I've decided on an end of May move date...which is coming fast, yikes!!

Now knowing that I'm not going to be in Ottawa for much longer, I want to post all of the yummy places I have eaten at lately so that I don't forget how great Ottawa is. I'm consciously trying not to stock up on food at home, so CK and I have been eating out a lot more lately.

Anyone that knows me knows that I am a HUGE coffee lover. One of my favorite places in Ottawa for coffee is blumenstudio cafe on Parkdale.

What's really cool about blumenstudio is that it is a flower shop and coffee shop in one. When you enter, you are surrounded by beautiful plants, flowers and sculptures, making it a very warm and inviting atmosphere.

Kat Kosk and Nathan Turner are the owners of blumenstudio. Extremely talented, Kat was trained in Germany as a professional floral designer, spending most of her time in Dresden and Berlin. She moved to North America over 10 years ago and is now living her dream.

Blumenstudio is a cozy little space with great coffee and sweets. I love their marzipan balls and their coffee is consistenly good.

I recently found out that blumenstudio is dog-friendly, so little Pepper (newest member of our family) was able to join us for coffee, which was a lot of fun.

Check this place out. It is definitely worth a visit or two, or more!

Blumenstudio Cafe
465 Parkdale Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

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Worth a Trip to Carp. Alice's Village Cafe, Ottawa

The fact that I have been here 3 times in the last 2 months says alot! I am hardly in town because of my work travel and when I am, I usually try to get out to new places because I miss out on so much being gone all the time. Well. Lately, I've just been wanting to visit Alice's Village Cafe in Carp.

Why? I love Alice's Village Cafe for 3 reasons.

1. Their coffee is AMAZE-balls!
2. Their food is DELICOUS. I leave this place, everytime, feeling really full but really good at the same time.
3. It's peaceful out in Carp. I kinda feel like I'm on a mini getaway because it's in the exact opposite direction as the city.

Alice's Village Cafe is modern yet cozy. It's a family-friendly restaurant so you will see people and kids of all ages here, which is nice. The owners and operators of Alice's, Dustin and Crystal Therrien, are also the same people that own and operate The Cheshire Cat in Carp (which has re-opened for business).

For those that love coffee, they have a coffee club where your 10th coffee is free. My favorite dish here hands down is the breakfast wrap, a warm tortilla filled with egg, cheese, avocado, bean, onions and pepper. On the side are homemade hash, fresh fruit, fresh salsa and sour cream. They will change this up little depending on their menu. The first time I had this, the bean used was black bean. The last time I had this, my wrap was filled with a sweet delicious maple baked bean mash which completely made me melt. Two completely different experiences with the same dish.

One thing they are known for is their famous "Big Nasty" cinnabon bun. If you have a sweet tooth, this is definitely recommended.

Breakfast Wrap with Hash and Fresh Fruit

Cappuccino

Eggs Benedict with Salmon, Hash and Mapble Baked Beans

Big Nasty Cinnamon Bun

Apple Almond Muffin

Alice's Village Cafe
3773 Carp Road
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Telephone:613-470-2233

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Air Canada Airline Food - London UK to Ottawa

Wow, I cant believe how quickly time - and life - passes sometimes. I always have intentions of updating my blog, and then BAM, a few months go by.

I always go back and forth on whether or not I should continue blogging given the frequency I now post. However, what brings me back everytime is that I still get excited to take photos of my food, whether I write about it or not, when I'm out. I still stop and pause, after cooking a really delicious meal, to admire the concoction I have cooked up where I then kindly ask everyone involved to refrain from eating until I have taken a photo. And moments like that tell me that I shouldn't stop sharing what I love and enjoy.

The truth is, a very close family member has fallen ill and has been very sick for a number of years now. In between trying to keep my life as normal as possible, I have been a full-time caretaker, which has been extremely consuming. It's not that I have been trying to conceal the truth from my readers, but I just kept thinking that it would all end soon. The reality is is that it hasn't, and that this is just the new normal.

In saying that, I've learned that life just keeps moving and you either grow and blossom from the challenges that life brings, or you become stagnant. I choose the former for myself and continuing to write is a way for me to do that.

One of the best ways to take a step back and get a good perspective on what is really happening is to get away and change your environment. Being removed from the typical day to day, and allowing yourself to be inspired by the new and different helps me appreciate the good things that are happening in my life.

I got to do this a few months ago by visiting my sister-in-law in London. I discovered some really cool places and will share some of my new favorite places to eat and drink with you soon. In the meantime, here is what I ate on my Air Canada flight back from London. I love sharing airline meals because it is such a rarity these days. It's like snapping a photo of an animal in the wild for me :)

In economy class, the London to Ottawa flight serves one main meal at the beginning of the flight, and one snack towards the end of the flight.

For my main meal, I had pasta bolognese with a dinner roll and 3-bean salad fennel salad with a vinaigrette dressing. For dessert, I had a currant and dark chocolate cookie. Air Canada has been really creative with their salads recently, which is nice to see.

The snack served was a Monty's Bakehouse hot posh wrap. The choices were chicken or vegetarian. I chose the chicken fajita wrap. I have tried a few other Monty's Bakehouse wrap flavors (tomato and olive frittata, smoked cheese) on other flights and all have been pretty good.

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Cool Little Coffee Shop on Elgin. The Ministry of Coffee, Ottawa

The Ministry of Coffee is a great little place to hang out, chill and enjoy good coffee. The staff is incredibly friendly and they've got a decent menu of coffee, drinks and food. This is a great place to get comfy and slow down, while the quick paced traffic on Elgin buzzes by.

The Ministry of Coffee specializes in coffee but they also offer other drinks, baked goods and sandwiches. On the day I was there, they had a pork tenderloin sandwich and beet & herb goat cheese sandwich on the menu, which sounded delicious.

I decided to be adventurous and try the Nutella latte. What I loved was that the Nutella was very subtle...not overly sweet and syrupy. Their flat white was also good but slightly acidic for my taste. I don't think it was how they made the coffee, but more the coffee itself. It was obvious these guys know their stuff, which is hard to find in Ottawa

Their 'sex sells' sign got a few good chuckles from passer-bys. Smart way to get someone's attention :)

The Ministry of Coffee
279 Elgin Street
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Telephone: 613-255-3410

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Awesome Spring Rolls at Pho'licious, Ottawa

I find it is hard to write about pho houses - they are either good, average or bad. Every place pretty much offers the same dishes and unless you spend the time to analyze the most minute details, it's really hard to comment on how good a pho dish is without repeating yourself. Yes, there are times when a restaurant does something phenomenally or offers something that others don't, but that doesn't happen often.

B20 - Grilled Homemade Pork Meatball and Pho'licious Special Spring Rolls Vermicelli

The most recent place that I went to that was noteworthy is Pho'licious in Ottawa. They have decent pho but what I love is their Pho'licious special spring rolls: crispy spring rolls wrapped in rice paper and stuffed with shrimp, crabmeat, pork, egg, transparent noodle and bean sprouts. I love the texture of the deep fried rice paper, which is crispy on the outside and slightly gelatinous when you chew it. Although it doesn't say on the menu, you can ask them to substitute regular spring rolls in any dish with their Pho'licious special spring rolls.

Their homemade pork meatballs aren't bad but nothing like how my mom makes them. I'm used to the meatballs being more meatier with a ton more garlic.

They also offer banh mi sandwiches for $3, which is marked for take-out only.

The decor of the place kind of made me chuckle. It's like one of the owner's kids decided to step in and help with the design, which resulted in a boudoir nightclub feel filled with tacky Asian restaurant furniture. At least they tried.

Pho'licious
300 Booth Street
Ottawa, Ontario Canada
Telephone: 613-680-5230

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Sloppy Sandwiches You Can't Refuse at Black Camel, Toronto

Pulled Pork Sandwich with BBQ Sauce, Horseradish and Caramelized Onions

Black Camel is one of Toronto's most popular sandwich shops. Serving only 5 basic sandwiches, Black Camel keeps it simple and focuses on food quality. Their beef brisket and pulled pork involves a 5-day prep process, and their sauces are fresh with layers and layers of serious flavor.

The five basic sandwiches include: slow roasted beef brisket, pulled pork shoulder, seared steak, roasted pulled chicken and  a vegetarian option with tomato, pepper, arugula & eggplant.

All sandwiches include a choice of 2 sauces/condiments, and extra sauces, condiments and toppings are available at extra charge.

The pulled pork and beef brisket sandwiches with BBQ sauce are a must try. The black camel BBQ sauce is smoky and sweet, and goes perfectly with the slow cooked meats. They are extremely generous with the BBQ sauce so be prepared to get dirty. Wet towelettes are provided to help with the clean up afterwards.

In March of this year, they opened up another sandwich joint near Yonge and Eglinton called Boar. With a very similar concept, Boar's 5 basic sandwiches are veal, chicken, meatball, sausage and portobello.

Beef Brisket Sandwich with BBQ Sauce and Dijon Mustard

Black Camel

4 Crescent Road

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Telephone: 416-929-7518

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Sunday Brunch at Canvas Resto-Bar-Etc, Ottawa

I hadn't heard anything about Canvas Resto-Bar-Etc for a longggg time, so we decided to go check it out for Sunday brunch. A good mid-priced place for brunch, Canvas serves food that you would prepare in your own kitchen. The food is not overly greasy and they don't try to overdo it with extra bacon, cheese or sugar. It is just good wholesome food.

In the summertime, the windows are all open in fresco style, which gives the place a nice airy feel.
Instead of bread before your meal, a sharing fruit platter is served.

The huevos rancheros, surprisingly, was a light dish. It was two eggs served on tortilla with bean puree, aged cheddar, queso fresco, chipotle salsa, avocado, cilantro, with a side salad.

Their nicoise salad was served with thick slices of seared sashimi grade albacore tuna, which was a nice change from the canned tuna you normally see.

The special of the day was apple pancakes with cinnamon butter. The apple pancakes were very dense, and the cinnamon butter just slightly sweet.

Huevos Rancheros

Grilled Albacore Tuna Nicoise Salad

Bistro Tenderloin Burger with Caramelized Onion, Ancho Chili BBQ Sauce, Cream Cheese & Aioli

Apple Pancakes with Cinnamon Butter and Home Fries

Fruit Platter

Canvas Resto-Bar-Etc

65 Holland Avenue

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Telephone: 613-729-1991

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One of the Best Burgers in Ottawa West - Vera's Burger Shack, Ottawa

Without fail, summer always brings on the urge for burgers. I'm not a burger expert but CK certainly is. He is always looking out for the best burger, and has pretty much tried every burger joint in Ottawa.

Vera's Burger Shack has been a consistent favorite, and is our first choice in the West end. The flavorful and juicy burgers are made fresh to order, and slightly pink. They are especially fresh because they come straight from The Butchery that shares the same space. If you feel like making the burgers yourself at home, you can choose to buy raw Vera's burgers from The Butchery.

Vera's Burger shack is a Canadian West Coast chain that originally started as a beach concession, in the late 70's, in West Van. It has since expanded to over 10 locations in the Vancouver area, and 1 in Ottawa (lucky us).

We always go for the Vera beef burger, but other options include turkey burger, chicken breast fillet, hot dog and turkey hot dog.

Vera's Burger Shack

Meat & Poultry Section at The Butchery

Vera's Burger Shack
3657 Richmond Road
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Telephone: 613-829-9133

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Blackie Brings Upscale Downtown Dining to Ottawa West with NEXT

Labneh Cream Cheese with Baguette, Pickled Okra, Olives and Roasted Pepper

Blackie has ventured out to Ottawa West to bring some oomph into the Stittsville area. A rapidly developing part of the city, Stittsville is short of an upscale restaurant that isn't Italian.

Situated in the same building as the former Isaac's restaurant, NEXT is pretty far West...even for the Kanata peeps. Blackie, with partner Tim Snelling, is doing more than just bringing a nice big shiny new restaurant to Stittsville. NEXT also offers catering, banquet, meeting and take home services, and they can do it all. The dining room holds 80-seats, with an additional 4 rooms that can hold between 50-165 people.



If you like variety, you are in luck. The menu is a bit schizophrenic. We had charcuterie, Asian, British and Lebanese all in one meal. While it was nice to try so many different types of dishes, the menu lacked a unifying element.

The Seed to Sausage charcuterie board of chorizo, lomo, salami, eggplant jam, cumin pickled onions, olives and jalapenos was a favorite.

The labneh board (title picture) with baguette, pickled okra olives and roasted peppers was a beautiful dish but it could have used a bit more labneh for the amount of bread served.

Blackie's chicken is the chef's signature dish, a westernized version of General Tao's chicken.

Seed to Sauasage Charcuterie Board

Blackie's Chicken

British Ham and Cheese Melt

NEXT
6400 Hazeldean Road
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Telephone: 613-836-8002

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Elgin's Newest Addition: El Camino, Ottawa

Chef Matthew Carmichael's latest project and Elgin's newest addition, El Camino, is looking to be a new favorite for the Elgin hipsters. Packed on a Friday night, El Camino has all the right elements for a great neighborhood hang out. It has a very casual and unpretensious feel, unlike the former restaurants Carmichael worked at: Restaurant E18hteen, Social, and Sidedoor. If you don't feel like sitting in for dinner, take out is also available, but it's cash only. For those looking for late night munchies after a night out at the bars on Elgin, both the take out window and the restaurant are open late.

Dinner can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be. The tacos are priced very reasonably at $4-5 each, but the drinks and other dishes are priced higher. If you end up ordering an appetizer, drinks and tacos, your bill can easily shoot from $20 to $50 per person. This is not hard to do as Carmichael has created a very chill space that makes you want to stay and hang out.

There were 5 different tacos to choose from, and we tried the crispy fish, lamb and beef tongue tacos. All were topped with avocado, radish, jalapeno, and fresh cilantro. The fish tacos also had red cabbage on top and the beef tongue tacos were topped with a basil leaf. The beef tongue tacos were by far the best. The tender, seasoned beef tongue just melts in your mouth. All the ingredients were fresh and definitely worth every dollar.

My favorite dish on the 16 item menu was the crispy prawn betal leaf. It doesn't look like much but the flavor combination was out of this world. The flavor of the chopped prawn went perfectly with the peppery betal leaves. I would eat it everyday if I could.

Crispy Fish, Lamb and Beef Tongue Tacos

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Crispy Shrimp Betal Leaf

Salt and Pepper Squid with Fish Sauce

El Camino

380 Elgin Street

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Telphone: 613-422-2800

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