Ottawa Restaurant Reviews

By: Victoria Garland

I’ve been really excited to write this review ever since Alex and I went to lunch about two weeks ago at The Tea Party!

I heard great things about it but since I had only stopped in once about two years ago (to pick up some Arctic Fire loose leaf tea) I was itching to go back and experience their vegetarian lunch menu.

The Tea Party is located on York Street, right across from Market Organics. It is housed in a very welcoming, old Victorian-style house with seating that includes a black leather couch, little tables and a large raised table.

Along the walls are large mason jars filled with loose leaf tea that you can open up and smell to help make your selection. Other items include tea paraphernalia such as teapots, cups, diffusers, bagged teas and a selection of preserves (I have my eyes on the Victoria Plum! I wonder why… ).

Alex and I unanimously decided on the High Tea Lunch option, though we’re excited to return and try the others. The High Tea lunch is an assortment of four sandwiches, four small desserts and a beverage. We opted for two different types of tea and decided on two separate pots to keep us going. Alex went for the Earl Grey and I went for the Apricot Black Tea. As soon as I smelled it I knew that it was the right choice for me!

It was perfect that we ended up with two pots of tea since we were able to share and after we finished our lunch we were able to sit and enjoy each other’s company and people watch out the window. It was the perfect lunch date!

When the High Tea arrived there were four types of sandwiches cut in half, so we were able to try one of each. There was cucumber and cream cheese on white bread, spinach and cream cheese on white, tomato and pesto on whole wheat and roasted red pepper with goat cheese on whole wheat. The desserts were selections from their daily selection and we happened to receive a brownie, salted caramel square, lemon shortbread square and a pistachio cookie.

It was incredibly charming and we weren’t the only ones who thought so! As we were getting ready to leave, we heard another table exclaim how cute and British the whole experience was.

I enjoyed it so much that I brought two of my girlfriends for lunch last weekend. That time we ordered two orders of The High Tea lunch and two pots of tea (Apricot Black Tea and Pomegranate Black Tea) to share. The sandwiches were the same, however the desserts were different. This time we were served a raisin cinnamon loaf, a chocolate chip cookie, a double chocolate mini cookie and the salted caramel square adorned with a walnut.

This time on the way out I opted to pick up 50g (for $5) of the Apricot Black Tea, and 50g (for $5) of the Strawberry Black Tea, after it was recommended to me by a friend.
This place gets a solid 5/5 for me. The food quality is amazing and the price is right.

The Tea Party may not have as much of a selection of teas as The Tea Store located a couple blocks away, but the atmosphere and quality will continue to bring us back!

$11.99 for The High Tea plate and $2.99 for a pot of tea (extra beverage)

By: Victoria Garland

A Vanilla Vanilla Cupcake from Glitz

These sweet little cakes have finally made it to our side of the city. Having heard of many cupcakeries located in Ottawa, especially in the Glebe along Bank Street, I was delighted to notice two that have recently opened around the corner from where we live in the Byward Market!

We first noticed The Cupcake Lounge while it was under construction. It’s located next to the Blue Cactus at 6 Byward Market Square, between York Street and Clarence. We ended up walking by during their early grand opening and Alex and I were lucky to be able to purchase and preview their delicacies. They only had a limited menu, and the majority were all sold out! Alex left with a Chocolate Chocolate and I with a Vanilla Vanilla.

Alex’s cupcake was “Belgian dark chocolate cake with bittersweet chocolate frosting” and covered in little chocolate piece sprinkles; mine was “Classic Madagascar bourbon vanilla cake with vanilla bean frosting” and covered in vanilla pearls. They’re quite big in size and not overly sweet, as some cupcakes (especially vanilla) can be! They go for $3.25 a cupcake, or 12 for $36.

We enjoyed the cakes so much we brought two of our visiting friends to The Cupcake Lounge to try out a few other flavours. This time around I ordered the Key Lime which is described as “Pure lime infused cake with lime zest and cream cheese frosting”. This cake was equally as delicious as my previous Vanilla Vanilla cupcake. Our other friend tried the Chocolate Coconut which is described as “Belgian dark chocolate cake with toasted coconut cream cheese frosting” to which he had nothing but good things to say.

The other cupcake shop we discovered in the market is Glitz Cupcakes and Company. Located at 11 Murray Street, we discovered this little place while sitting out on the patio for lunch at The Earl of Sussex Pub. We stopped in to try their cupcakes and the décor is really quite cool. Black furniture and dark wood, with light purple accents and mirrors, very similar to the décor of the Anna Sui make-up counters! We popped in right at the end of the day so again, our menu choices were limited.

This time Alex and I both opted for their Vanilla Vanilla cupcakes, although they had a few mini vanilla and Chocolate Chocolate left. They were adorned with purple sugar sprinkles and a purple star sprinkle atop a swirl of pretty ivory vanilla frosting. Although they were a bit smaller than the cupcakes offered at The Cupcake Lounge they were a little cheaper. I found these cupcakes to have the same savoury flavour (read: not too sweet!) as the Vanilla Vanilla at the Cupcake Lounge.

When I first discovered these two cupcake shops I thought for sure I was going to review how one was better than the other, but to my delight and surprise, they were both excellent! Both places offer quality cupcakes at reasonable prices in very chic little shops. The only difference between the two is that Glitz offers you larger lounge-style seating, while the Cupcake Lounge (ironically) only offers a few seats. However there is a bench located in the front of the store to enjoy a little people-watching in the market.

The only downside I have to state is that Glitz Cupcakes and Company have not developed a proper website other than a main page with the address and their hours. I would have loved to look at their daily offerings and descriptions of the cupcakes.

Our Review:

The Cupcake Lounge – 4.75/5

Glitz Cupcakes and Company – 4.25/5

Urbanspoon’s Opinion:

and
Glitz Cupcakes and Company isn’t on Urbanspoon yet!

(As I’ve only been to Glitz once, I will update this score upon my second trip and/or upon their implementation of a proper website)

by: Victoria Garland

Harry’s Deli

As I sit at my desk writing this, I can recall many times being plagued with the eternal question everyone in the business district/downtown core asks themselves around noon, “What am I going to eat for lunch?”

Aside from the days I actually do bring a lunch to work, working in downtown Ottawa for over three years has definitely compelled me scour to the ends of the internet for a new, delicious choice in lunch dining. (There are only so many times you can eat at McDonalds, along with the tried and true backups located conveniently close to your work; and those can start to get old, fast.)

While India Palace (one of those aforementioned conveniently close to my place of work eateries) is delicious and I shall have to write a review shortly about their fantastic, extensive lunch buffet is that sometimes it can be too extensive. You can get a takeout order, but for those days that you don’t feel like piling a tonne of food into a container and having to eat the leftovers the next day; Harry’s Deli is a great alternative.

When I’m feeling hungry, but not so hungry I need to pick everything off the buffet and cram it into the large Styrofoam container (at a little over 12 dollars at India Palace, it wouldn’t make sense not to take advantage of the generous price and pile your plate to your little heart’s content) Harry’s Deli in the basement of Place de Ville on the corner of Albert and Kent is a great choice.

This deli also has an impressive selection of snacks and drinks that can by bought to accompany a meal purchased or one you might have brought from home, including a low calorie section. They seem to offer a few choice dishes along the deli counter, but I was recommended to the Indian selection.

I have yet to try the other dishes offered, but I can say that their Chicken Curry/Butter Chicken is delicious! In a mild yet rich spicy curry, the large pieces of chicken are extremely juicy, offered with Basmati rice, Raita if you so wish, and half a Greek-style pita; it’s enough to keep me full for the rest of the day!

The price is also extremely reasonable at just over $ 7 with tax, and last time I went I also decided to try my luck with a small cup of their Indian style rice pudding which put my total at about $8-9. The rice pudding wasn’t bad, the nutmeg on the top gave it a little something extra but I’d have to say it’s not as good as the rice pudding offered at the buffet of India Palace. This one seemed a little generic and might’ve been reminiscent of the consistency of glue, but it really didn’t deter me from ordering again.

I also have to credit them on still serving lunch after the 12pm-2pm rush. Sometimes I’m stuck at my desk with other work or in meetings and the real shame is that after 2 pm it’s hard to get anything to eat without having to resort to McDonalds, Subway, Extreme Pita, etc. While their food may be put away, I’ve gone in as late as 3 pm and ordered. They heated it up for me, and it was just as good as when I ordered earlier in the day. They also did not seem bothered by the fact I came in late and had to have them heat it up, which was really nice.

Not only is this place close, convenient and inexpensive; the food is delicious and fills you up. I will have to rate Harry’s Deli 4.5/5 only because I have yet to try their other dishes, but to be honest, I’m fine with just sticking to my Chicken Curry.

Victoria