Ottawa Foodies

My wife and I went to the Fraser cafe last night. Overall, I'd give it an 8 out of 10. It was an anniversary dinner, so we were looking to splurge. Since my wife is pregnant, splurging could only go so far. The bill, with tax and tip was $150 for the two of us.

My wife started with the gnocci with soy butter. It was quite good, the gnocci was so light and fluffy. Very enjoyable, and a highlight of the night. I went with the Chef's surprise, which ended up being rare scallops with seared pork belly. This dish was excellent, and timely, as I was just saying how much I wanted a dish with pork belly. The portions were enormous! Each appy was twice the size it needed to be. My plate had 4 large scallops. I am not complaining, but I did leave with an uncomfortable bulge in my mid-section.

For the entree my wife ordered the braised beef with spatzle. Perfectly done, perfectly seasoned, but again huge (good for me as I enjoyed more than my share of her dish as well as mine). I again went for the Chef's surprise. It was a lamb curry with fried potatoes and a wonderful wilted green (I didn't catch the name, but wish I did.... started with C I think... I am a huge fan of the dark greens). I am sure the curry was excellent for curry, but not something I would typically order, mostly because I am not the biggest curry fan. Didn't stop me from polishing the plate. The lamb was cooked to perfection.

Interestingly the server said that the kitchen's choice changes several times during the evening! Wow.

The dessert selection was a little lacking. My wife got a cashew sundae. Good, not glorious. I had the apple and pear dessert, which turned out to be a phyllo turnover. It was fantastic, and a pleasant surprise.

The wines by the glass and bottle were above average. I decided on the 2005 Ironstone Cab. The pour, like the dishes, was more than generous.

The service was good and personal. One of the Fraser brothers presented each of the meals which was a nice touch. The ambience is a little lacking and due to the size and the popularity of the restaurant, I found the background din a little too loud. It isn't the most romantic of settings.

We will certainly go back, hopefully before the change of menu (it was the Fall 2008 menu). For those who have not been there, reservations are recommended as they only have 10 tables for 2.

Having made my reservation two weeks ago, I dined as a party of three here on Tuesday, after the rave review in the weekend's Citizen. The server said they were busier than usual, with every table inside and on the patio full; at least a couple groups were turned away at the door during our meal.

And now I know first hand why: the food was phenomenal. For appetizers, the three of us ordered the tomato and feta salad (incredibly refreshing), the beer battered cauliflower (tempura-like and playful), and the kitchen's choice, which was an amazing pan-seared perch with a potato and sweet corn hash (compared to the remarkably similar yet underwhelming meal I had at Oz Kafe a few weeks ago).

For mains, we had the kobe beef, a homemade pasta with fresh veggies, and the duck breast. All had incredible flavour and were beautifully presented.

For dessert, we shared one of all three of the options: a chocolate torte, a pineapple rice pudding, and a strawberry bread pudding.

Aside from waiting a bit too long to be presented with menus after being seated, the service was attentive, if a little self-conscious, throughout the meal. A bit more confidence and knowledge about the beers/wines and dishes would have made it spot on.

Overall, great experience and I will definitely be returning.

After reading all the rave reviews, we went for brunch on Sunday. Made a reservation for noon and got the cozy little corner banquette table.

To start we both ordered a decaf cappuccino. Mr. ksw thought it wasn't hot enough but mine was just fine.....oddly we weren't brought or offered any sugar.

We then shared a strawberry scone with butter and preserves (there were no blueberry scones on Sunday). The scone was very tasty with big chunks of strawberry and a sprinkling of sugar baked in on top which made it nice and crunchy.

We then both ordered the egg breakfast (there is only one). Mine were scrambled, his were over hard. The sausages were delicious and the Worcestershire mushrooms are to die for. I could not get enough. I even traded some from Mr. ksw for some of my potatoes. Since this does not come with toast we ordered some on the side and it was a nice nutty, light and crispy toast.

I ordered another regular decaf coffee but asked for milk and sugar (since again none was brought with the coffee?)

We enjoyed our brunch and found the atmosphere relaxing. We were very happy the AC was on though because I can see it getting hot in there.

We also really enjoyed watching the chefs at work.

I am not sure if we had the same server as Amber PT, but while ours was very pleasant and efficient, she kept saying "you guys"....as in "do you guys want anything else?", and it happens to be one of my pet peeves. I feel it is more appropriate to somewhere like Montanas than to some of the finer dining restaurants where I have heard it bandied about lately.

Nothing of course that would stop us returning for dinner some evening. Looking forward to it!

Went there for dinner last night and it was a great choice! Food was amazing - appetizers: the garden salad and tomato salad (fresh and tasty), mains: sea scallops and the fried chicken (2 separate dishes, they were surprisingly juicy, moist, tender and flavourful) and desserts: strawberry crisp, rice pudding and chocolate torte (sinfully delicious!). Pricing and portions were reasonable. The kitchen is an open concept, you get to see the talented chefs at work. The only issue I have is with our server - she wasn't competent in her job (took a long time to refill the glasses with water, to bring cutlery to the table and while taking our orders she left halfway to put them in the system and to prepare drinks - bizzare!) Other than that, love this place and will definitely go back for more!

Partner and I went for brunch here last Sunday, mostly because I've been hearing so much about it and partly due to an excellent review by a coworker.

This is the fresh blueberry scone we shared first, which I thought was going to be served with clotted cream and jam but as you can see, we got jam and butter. :( BUT, it was sooooo good, I didn't even miss the clotted cream that I was looking forward to! Still warm and buttery and crumbly, yum.

I ate there about a week ago, and had the charred tomato soup to start with albacore tuna/spicy chorizo/potato/avocado/tomato for my main. I had to restrain myself from licking the plate, deeeeeeeeeeeelish.

We went here for dinner tonight. We were initially told that we couldn't get a reservation, but that we could walk in and eat at either the bar or on the patio. When we arrived, two reservations had cancelled so we were able to get a table inside. Fortunate for us -- as we were finishing our meal, we did see the staff actually turn away a couple.

The atmosphere is tiny. I mean, tiny. Similar to Whalesbone... yet somehow, my 6'4" husband is more than okay at Whalesbone yet was extremely uncomfortable here. That said, I loved the small, cozy atmosphere -- it reminded me of places I'd go in Chicago, LA, London, etc.

The food was good. Quite good. But not phenomenal. The menu (currently, at least) is limited to about half of what they list on their site. As in, 3 entrees, 4 mains, 3 desserts. Again, no issue with that but it does really limit selection.

As such, I had the albacore tuna with an avocado salsa and some chorizo. I don't eat meat, and aside from a bland-sounding pasta, this was the closest to a pescatarian option. The tuna was well cooked, being rare on the inside, but not as rare as I'd like.

They also allow you to order their "kitchen special", which was described to us as something, a surprise, for those who either aren't interested in or cannot eat (due to allergies, etc.) what has been presented on the menu. My husband, as he was not particularly jazzed up by the menu, had a soup (curried chicken and chickpea) to start, and the "kitchen special" for his main. He had mentioned he was really hungry, and I saw the waitress note this in her computer system, along with "no allergies". Anyway, what he ended up with was a Lake Ontario pickerel, with grilled zucchini and wild mushrooms. He hates most veg and I don't eat meat, so we traded my chorizo for his mushrooms. The mushrooms were phenomenal, and my meal was very good, though again, not spectacular.

We had the chocolate torte for dessert, which was quite lovely. I should also mention the bread (which came at the beginning of the meal), which appeared to be a focaccia-esque substance, with roasted garlic and tomato studded into the top. Very tasty.

It wasn't the best dinner ever, but definitely above average for Ottawa. We enjoyed the intimate atmosphere, and our server was nice and proficient. Food was good, wine seemed reasonable, etc. We'll def. be back for brunch, and potentially for dinner, if we can get a seat on the patio and my husband is able to stretch his legs out a bit.

Thought I would try this place out last night and was not disappointed!! Small but cozy area on beachwood & putman (formally the works). Lugtread on tap (big ups) and 7 wines by the glass (big ups) We had some
1)Canadien oysters with fresh horse radish, lemon and hotsauce. Very good quality oysters.
2) Local Asparagus and grilled eggplant salad.(nice clean and delicious) Mains included
1) Sear albacore tuna with tomato/potato salad and chorizo. (very good)
2) Cornish hen with chick pea mash and bok choy. (very good as well)

Dessert
Pannacotta+cookie+quebec blueberries = very good.
Good expresso.

One issue with our main was the cornish hen (only half of it) was grilled on a part of the grill which was scraped down and had some residual carbon left on it, so it was left with a; you guessed it carbon flavor. Not so nice no.. An honest mistake, but still a mistake none the less.

Good service, nice space, exceptional food. Will defiantly be coming back on a regular basis and would recommend all of you to try it out.

Here is my DELICIOUS breakfast...scrambled eggs with cheese curds, potatoes, mushrooms in worcestershire sauce, and the amazing house sausage. At first I thought it was a small order and that I'd leave hungry but it was properly portioned, leaving me feel full and not stuffed. Every little thing was flavoured to perfection. The house sausage was so fresh and flavourful, we both couldn't stop talking about it all day....and we RARELY eat meat. The fried egg breakfast my partner ordered was exactly the same as mine so of course, equally as delish. I almost wish there was more selection to choose from so that next time I could try something else! I'll save next time for dinner instead :)

This is what my partner ordered. It was served with their house sausage, potatoes, and mushrooms with worcestershire sauce. Details to follow with my dish, the same but with scrambled eggs...

I just had dinner at Fraser Cafe and it was on par with my dinner I had at Jean-Georges in New York City!!

I had a wild sockeye salmon app with bacon, chanterelles, potato, young watercress and a cucumber dressing. Between our dishes one of the chefs sent over a small taste of foie gras which was perfectly cooked and host to some wonderful flavours, with the 'jam' and pickeld apples and beets. For my main I chose the scallops with seasonal veg and the most delicious parsnip puree I've ever eaten. It was all of the best things about parsnip and absolutely silken. The cherry tomatoes were a sweet addition to the plate as well as the crispy polenta 'croquette'
For dessert I had the chilled vanilla rice pudding with chocolate mousse, crispy slivers of coconut and pineapple. Plump, homey vanilla pudding, spiked with chunks of prime pineapple delivered a knockout punch

Our server, Laura, was so sweet and sincere. She was never too rushed,completely professional and completed my first of MANY dining experiences to come at Fraser Cafe.

WELL DONE!!