Ottawa Foodies

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I had lunch at Ox Head Friday. It was my second visit.

As others have noted, the portions are substantial - which balances the prices being a bit higher. You can easily get two solid meals from what you are served.

Sis had the seafood noodle stir-fry (pictured below by Fresh Foodie). I ordered the shrimp pad thai (I wasn't sure what I was ordering actually).

I had some of the stir-fry noodle since I got to take all the leftovers. It was tasty.

My pad thai (half of which is still in the fridge at home) was okay but nothing beyond that. It would have been nice if the shrimps they used were the same plump tails-on ones that came in the noodle stir-fry but instead they were the pre-cooked small variety.

I had the honeydew bubble latte. Very yummy although on the very sweet side. Sis ordered the avocado shake and had the same comment for her drink.

All in all, a filling lunch.

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As a coworker quipped yesterday, "You know the Bò Kho is good when four men go out for lunch and choose Ox Head over Moxie's." ;-)

Our order was HC6, HC7, HC7, HC8 -- just Bò Kho with various combinations of rice and egg noodle. Another ringing endorsement.

On the less ringing side of things, the Seafood Stir-Fry Crispy Noodle dish (pictured here) I tried a few weeks ago was quite disappointing. The noodles were tasteless and the stir fry wasn't much better. When I eat deep fried stuff, I require it to be delicious. I've had better renditions of this dish everywhere else I've tried it, so I guess the lesson is... stick with the soups!

Went to Ox Head last night, based on the recommendations of FF and PD, before hitting some stores & a movie. The place is nice and clean, owners are very friendly, this restaurant is definitely family friendly. So we steered clear of any pho bo ko or sate style dishes and went for the fresh chicken rolls, chicken curry on rice and mixed veg & tofu on crispy noodles. My eyes did one of these when the lady came out with the food:
Before - o o
After - 0 0
The portions are very large here... the rolls were jammed with tasty charred meat and noodles, the only downside is that they had no herb action going on inside (some mint & basil would have jacked up the flavour). Then the noodles & curry came out... holy crap. These plates are massive. We ended up taking a third of our plates home. The tofu & veg on crispy noodle was alright, lots of veggies, mushrooms and loads of tofu, a very filling dish. The curry was nice, had a bit of heat to it, and was loaded with fresh red & green peppers and bamboo shoots. One interesting thing here is that their fish sauce has some salty funk to it, which is good! I find some fish sauce in Ottawa viet restaurants to be a bit too sweet, but this one is excellent. The food was very good, and plentiful - I'll be back to try the bo kho!

banana tempura @ ox head. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm recommended. i only wish these l'il turdy nuggets CAME with caramel and chocolate. delish desert finish.

Definitely a bit of a hidden gem in Kanata...great spring rolls! I always leave this place full...despite a slight language barrier, the servers are always friendly and accommodating...and I love how it seems every time I come here they have the same Taylor Swift CD playing in the background...just a personal like of mine!

I've been over to Ox Head a few times now and I am pretty happy with the experience. Not the best I've had compared to Toronto (Anh Dao, Pho VT), but much better than what I could get back in Detroit and on par with the places I ate at in Hamilton and most places back in Toronto.

I am a huge fan of Vietnamese food, but not so much of a fan of the pho (blasphemy, I know) so I usually get the Cơm tấm (broken rice) dishes or other specialty beef dishes.

The beef and chicken combo plate (RD-12 Grilled Chicken & Grilled Beef on Rice) is about my favorite, but I also regularly get the RD-1 Grilled beef.

Word to the wise: the place is very full by lunchtime and has a line out the door from 11am to 1pm.

Had lunch here on the 3rd day of the heat wave. My date and I each had a bun with springroll for $10.95--mine grilled pork and his grilled and shredded pork. The orders here are huge and we each had enough for lunch the next day. We may have been inclined to eat more on a cooler day. Included complimentary green tea. The place was 3/4 full at 2:00 on a Monday. Very fresh , prompt service, good food. The spring rolls are a little greasy and a little different than other vietnamese places but all in all very good (and in Kanata-good for us west enders). We had planned to share an order of deep fried banana but were too full!

vietnamese chow mien @ ox head kanata. when you hit AMC kanata for blockbusters, why fill your heart and arteries with plaque through movie theater food? just pop over to ox head right across the entrance for some cleaner eating. veg and seafood coolness on noodles. light and fresh and without the thick cantonese style corn syrup sauce. my body thanks me. and thank you for thanking me.

This is another great place for pho in Ottawa region. They have a much wider selection of soups and I have tried several excellent dishes that I have never had anywhere else. The broth is tasty and the ingredients are nice and fresh.
One I would recommend for people who like spicier soups is the Hue style traditional soup. I tried this last week and it was spicy but not too spicy and was very different - in a good way! It had a flavor I could not quite identify, slightly sour and sweet like tamarind - almost Thai style. Very nice. Also it was more stew like than some soups.
If you want a wide variety of choices or to try something you maybe have not found anywhere else... this is the place to go!

I normally go here several times a month. It's very consistent, and the family that runs it is very nice. My coworker goes so often that when they see her little girl coming in they bring her a plate of the shredded pickled carrots because they know it's her favourite. Oh - and like most vietnamese places - where else can you get dinner for two for around $20??

I'm told that this style of spring roll (yellow, kind of loose, and fairly greasy) is uniquely and authentically Vietnamese. I find the flavour just okay, but they are certainly appetizing.

One nice thing about Ox Head is that they offer a double portion (4 spring rolls) for somewhat less than double the price of a single portion (2 rolls).

They were a little on the greasy side but quite tasty. Not the best I've had but not the worst either.

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HC1. Mixed Seafood Satay with Rice Noodle Soup - great as always!

The Rare Beef and Beef Meatball pho was okay. Not the tastiest broth I've had but good enough! This was a Large, and while more like a Chinatown Medium, it contained a decent amount of meat and was nicely priced at $7.95.

Definitely going back to the Bò Kho next time!!

beef pho @ ox head. if you like it vanilla style, this is the safe bet. YAWN. be GGG and go for the bo kho!

As you can see, this spicy seafood soup is chock full of seafood! The shrimp were some of the nicest and freshest I've encountered in a Vietnamese soup. On the other hand, the broth was just okay, lacking the depth of flavour found at the really good places.

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While the price has jumped up by almost $2, this is still probably one of the tastiest and largest meals of beef for the price. Still amazing!

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Finally tried the bò kho, did not disappoint! $10, huge portion, leaner beef than I'm used to and a lighter broth... Also, no daikon, just carrot and onions. Still, very flavorful and plentiful. Not shy on the beef! Super friendly owners, bustling atmosphere, and clean! Lots of families in here! Definitely recommend!

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My latest photo of the Bò Kho from today! This was the HC8, featuring both egg and rice noodles.

It was spectacular as always! I noticed that probably 25% of the lunchtime customers were ordering this stew. Word sure gets around! :-)

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Hello, my name is Fresh Foodie and I have an addiction. Foursquare tells me I've been to Ox Head five times in the past two months, and I can tell you I've had the Bò Kho on every single visit.

Comparing this photo with the previous one I posted, you can see that the presentation varies. Today at lunch the restaurant was less busy than usual (one table empty!) so maybe the kitchen was taking more time to make things look good.

Sooo tasty! :-)

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Another photo of this fine dish! (Eventually, the various colour temperatures of my iPhone pics will average out to give you an idea of what it really looks like.)

Full of delicious flavour as always!

had this exciting dish twice at new mee fung's, very good! however, we find ourselves navigating toward the big suburb complexes only because of more entertainment & shopping in the neighboring vicinity and finding more to do and see moreso than centertown or downtown after work or late night.

you can't go wrong with either place, just hit it up wherever convenient to your lifestyle. couldn't find one on somerset that offered it at 3am though LOL!!

and yes it is so easy to make it at home with your eyes closed and let it all enrich for 10 hours in the crock pot and it will brand you as the new Iron Chef. drizzle some hot pepper oil in the soup for that classic touch with the extra orange oil rimmed edge in the bowl... ;)

This Ox Head bo kho looks alright, how does it compare to Huong's Bistro or New Mee Fung? So far I dig the richness of Huong's the most... besides my own.

mark, i am in the same predicament at ox head as yourself. having tried the entire menu over the past couple of years, now i order nothing but the bo kho with small portion of egg noods. nothing else on their menu compares so far and it is one of the very few restos in ottawa that offers this dish. glad you diggit.

next time you're at kowloon, pick up a package (or a dozen) of bo kho spices, crispy dried shallots etc... experiment at home and you and your crock pot will be BFF+WB (best friends forever with benefits).

Second visit in less than a month and I couldn't resist ordering this incredibly flavourful stew again. This time I went with the pure egg noodle option, because the egg noodles are the not-too-rich kind. Unbelievably flavourful, this soup will be even better when winter gets its icy claws on us in just a few months!

My big problem now is that I want to try other things on the menu but can't imagine turning this dish down. Maybe if I go two days in a row... ;-)

Tempted by FEEL MY SERPENTINE's mention of it last year, I tried the "Bo Kho" HC8. Spicy Stewing Beef w/ Rice & Egg Noodle Soup and was quite thrilled with the depth of flavour, generous chunks of tender stewed beef, and the warming kick of chili heat. Although I'm eager to continue trying new dishes at Ox Head, I can totally see having this one again!

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My kids shared a Won Ton Soup ($6.95). The broth is mild but spectacular! (A bit like white cake -- boring, but amazing when done right.) It contained quite a few bean sprouts, chopped scallions, and 8 or so smallish won tons. They were mild and kid-friendly, without the unique flavour (fungus?) that one often finds in Vietnamese won ton soups.

This would make a great appetizer for two adults!

These were freshly made, but lacked some of the herbal interest found in other restaurants. Also, they were thick and loosely rolled, which made them relatively difficult to eat. Not bad though!

If you order the "normal" wraps with pork and shrimp, you get the peanut-hoisin sauce as a condiment. With the grilled meat rice wraps, you get the fish sauce instead (as indicated by FEEL MY SERPENTINE).

beef rice wraps @ ox head. light apps like any vietnamese joint out there. here it comes with the fish/rice vinegar + carrot dipping sauce as opposed to the peanut soy sauce found in others.

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This is a nice tasty vermicelli bowl. The chicken is really excellent, the beef is the boring thin sliced tasteless kind, and the spring rolls are okay. The ratio of ingredients is perfect.