The Gabardine

People have raved about the comfort food at The Gabardine, so I came to try it out:

Fish Tacos

These were pretty tasty, but not the best presentation on the plate. 

Mac n' Cheese

I loved the crust of baked breadcrumbs on top and the whole baked mac and cheese was super tasty and creamy. Delicious!

Website: http://www.thegabardine.com/

Put A Cone on It

We passed Put a Cone on It on our way to dinner and we said we'd come back after dinner for their pistachio ice cream and here it is:

Pretty yummy! 

Decent pistachio flavour and not too cream heavy. 

Nice little dessert on my way back to the subway. 

Website: https://www.putaconeonit.com/

Banjara Indian Cuisine

We came here to celebrate my friend's birthday (and she wanted Indian food)

My terrible photography skills at work (if anyone has any tips, let me know). 

Papadum - super tasty and crispy

Butter chicken Dinner Combo

They've got it down to a science with the plate: yummy flavourful butter chicken, rice, daal curry, aloo gobi, vegetable pakora and rice pudding dessert

And we can't forget the naan!

Overall: Great meal! Nice and flavourful butter chicken with lots of sauce for the rice and naan. The pakora, curry and cauliflower were also really nice. The service was fast which was impressive for a packed restaurant. 

Website: http://www.torontobanjara.com/

Sea King Shark Fin Seafood Restaurant - Nepean (ON)

Dim sum in Ottawa

   

 

Tofu and Eggplant & Pork

Chicken Feet and spare ribs

 

Siu Mai and Har Gow and Tofu

Pan Fried Dumplings

Calamari, beef meatballs and onion pancake

Overall: It was okay for dim sum in Ottawa. Service was pretty fast and since we were a large group, we got to sit in a private room. 

Kettleman's Bagel - Ottawa

Take out breakfast from Kettleman's Bagel:

Kettleman's Special

Smoked Salmon, Deli cream cheese, tomato, red onions and olives. 

I usually hate cream cheese - the texture and the taste just don't suit my palate. I learned after NYC that sometimes bagels and cream cheese can be a good combination, so I'm a lot more comfortable with the idea of these two together. 

When I saw this combination together at Kettleman's of smoked salmon and cream cheese combination, I knew I had to get it. 

And totally met my expectations! It was so good! So much smoked salmon, the right amount of cream cheese and some veggies? Delish! 

(The only thing I would have done without is the olives)

Website: http://www.kettlemansbagels.ca/

Colonnade Pizza - Nepean (ON)

November 11, 2016

 
Caesar Salad and Garlic bread for our large group.

I didn't really feel like pizza, so I ordered the Chicken Parmigiana:

Pretty big portion of chicken, cheese and pasta!
The tomato sauce was a little too sweet for the pasta and there was a lot of it. It might have been better served to have a little less sauce and maybe something salty like parmesan cheese to offset the sweetness of the tomato. At least, the chicken breast was tender and juicy.


Key Lime Pie
I couldn't resist - I love dessert and key lime pie. It was tart and tangy and it had this really nice chocolate crust. Yum!

July 3, 2016

 

Colonnade Special with red peppers, onions, broccoli and ham

There was a lot of cheese on this pizza - it tasted like a twice baked pizza with a thick top layer of cheese and toppings and then more toppings before the cheesy bottom layer. Definitely interesting and different. 

Tiramisu

I can't resist the dessert. This one was okay, but I've had better. There was a lot of cream in this one and not too much coffee liqueur. I also didn't really like the powdered chocolate on top.

Website: http://www.colonnadepizza.com/new/

Cora - Ottawa

Weekend Getaway to Ottawa! 

We went on an organized tour of Laurier House (with historical characters and all!)

Afterwards, we went to Cora for brunch:

Western Skillet with fruit and toast

Ham, onions, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes with cheese and a scrambled egg

It was okay - not the best skillet I've had but passable. 

The fruit was really pretty (but some of it wasn't really ripe yet and so there were some sour notes). 

Website: http://www.chezcora.com/en

Fabbrica

 Beef Carpaccio
Really yummy with some great textures of the chips, endives and tasty beef.

Margherita pizza
Classic mozzarella, basil and tomato sauce from a wood burning oven - Delish!

Pappardelle with braised short rib
It looked beautiful and tasted great (my only issue was the price tag).

Overall: Great Italian food at Fabbrica - definitely a special occasion kind of place rather than an everyday place (it is a little pricey).

Website: http://fabbrica.mcewangroup.ca/

Ginger and Onion Cuisine

We came here for a family dinner with my visiting aunt from Malaysia.

Soup with pork and vegetables

Chinese greens and chicken - it was okay. 

Tofu at the top

Fish

Fish, Beef and onions, Pan fried pork chops with spicy salt and Lobster

Red bean soup and Black Sesame soup for dessert

Overall: A typical Cantonese dinner - none of the dishes particularly stood out. It was okay overall, but we found that the portion sizes were on the smaller side (not great value for money).