Wellington Diner - Ottawa, Ontario

This was an excellent choice.  I hadn't seen my girl friends in a while so we decided to meet up for brunch.  They had been to the Wellington Diner a few times, but for me it was new.  Surprisingly it was in my old neighbourhood and I'd never thought to check it out.  When I think of a diner the first things that come to mind are milkshakes and burgers and this isn't what I typically crave.  I'm so glad they suggested it. 

Their brunch menu is very unique.  They have a huge selection in addition to new items and daily specials.  It was hard to decide what to order, the waitress had to come back 3 times!  Even my girl friends were stumped.  They hadn't been there in over a year and the menu was completely different. I love their menu.  It has pictures of most of the items.  Personally my eyes have a bigger appetite than my stomach.  The same goes for cook books, if there's no pictures I won't buy it. 

When it comes to brunch, eggs benedict are usually my go to favourite.  Well, I've never seen such a large selection.  They have 10 different options!  If you like spice, they even have a spicy chipotle hollandaise sauce.   If you like omelettes you have 8 to choose from.  No wonder it took us so long to decide, but when the waitress came back to take our orders she filled us in on the new items and the specials and we had to start all over again. 

We were a group of 5 and the place was packed, but the food arrived within minutes.  I was thoroughly impressed at how quickly orders were coming out of the kitchen.  The place isn't huge, but the service was impeccable.  Your coffee cup was kept full as were the water glasses and the waitress was very attentive.  Empty plates were whisked away. 

I ordered the vegetarian scramble and added ham. Don't forget I'm the carnivore, but I ordered this because it had all of my favourite veggies (peppers, broccoli, etc.) and feta cheese.  It was delicious and came with homefries and toast or a bagel.  The portion was quite generous, enough for the others to try.  Ultimately I couldn't finish it, this rarely happens as I hate wasting food.  The eggs were perfectly cooked and moist with the vegetables and ham tucked neatly inside.  It was perfectly  seasoned.  I find with eggs it's extremely easy to over cook them and often times an omelette can be bland.  It's also important that they stay warm because there's nothing worse for me than eating cold eggs.  The homefries were crispy and very tasty.  My bagel was great, much better option than toast.

Other items ordered by our table included:
- The Spanish Omelette jam packed with chorizo, salsa, cheese and black olives. 
- The Mish Mash which is perfect for a meat lover with bacon, ham, sausage, cheese and veggies.
- French Toast made with fresh egg bread, I had to try these and they were delicious.
- The Belgian Waffle with strawberries and bananas. 

Everything was delicious.  The portions are very generous, so make sure you go on an empty stomach or take the rest home for later.  All of us were very happy with our choices and can't wait to go back to order some of the other stuff on the menu.  They have quite the selection including breakfast poutine, burritos and hashes.  With such unique options you can go numerous times without ever ordering the same thing twice!  Great place for those of us that get bored quickly or always crave something original.  Don't let the name fool you, there's way more than milkshakes and burgers served here and even they have very interesting combinations of ingredients you don't see anywhere else.  Check out their lunch and dinner options, there's something for everyone and it's family friendly.

I loved the décor, it felt like I was walking into a 1950's diner.  It's bright, colourful and very clean. The staff is welcoming and outgoing.  You are greeted the moment you walk in and thanked as you leave.  It was a great experience and reasonably priced.  The best part is their breakfast menu is available all day!!! 

You've got to eat here!
Carm the Foodie

Hambar Restaurant Bar - Montreal, Quebec

Friends of mine that had visited Old Montreal posted pictures on Facebook and raved about the food at this restaurant.  I had told my son about it and he said we totally had to try it out.  As luck would have it, my daughter had a dance competition in Old Montreal so guess where we went?

It was nice walking the streets of Old Montreal.  In my younger years we'd go up at least once a month to the dance bars or to meet up with friends for breakfast at Cora's.  Walking along the port was relaxing and a great way to kill a Sunday afternoon before heading back to Ottawa.

The restaurant opened at 11:00 am, but it was only 10:30.  What a disappointment!  We were so anxious to check it out, not to mention the fact that we hadn't eaten breakfast and the drive took far longer than expected due to construction and detours.  I was able to play the role of tour guide and took my son for a walk through Old Montreal telling him stories of our adventures. 

Ok it was cold and 10:49 so we headed back to the restaurant.  The door was open!  There was already one couple seated and placing their order.  A waiter came over right away and brought us to a table by the window.  The restaurant is attached to a hotel so on the weekends they offer a brunch menu.  I loved the décor which is simple, yet modern.  It reminded us of Spain. 

Before we even got there, we knew what we were going to have.  We ordered our drinks then debated whether or not we should go with our original game plan or opt for the brunch menu.   It was tempting, but nope we were sticking to the plan.  We ordered the small Charcuterie Maison platter and the small Fromages du Québec platter which the waiter said would be plenty for two people. 

Soon after the waiter arrived with a small wooden box with slices of baguette and then a large wooden platter with an assortment of charcuteries and cheeses.  It all looked so artistically placed, we didn't want to disturb anything.  We had to take a picture.  They had artfully smeared a grainy mustard and an apricot jam along the board.  In addition there were some baby pickles, onions pickled with beets and fresh greens.  Between the layers of cerrano ham and prosciutto, there were thin slices of toasted baguette which were perfect for enjoying with the soft cheese and the pate. To further add to our dinning experience, the hams, chorizo and salami were accompanied by 4 different patés and 4 kinds of cheese ranging from a very soft uncured one to a hard firm one. 

There was a paté with pistachios, another that was smooth and silky like a liver sausage, a country style one that was more firm and that last one was like pulled pork in a creamy base. 

To drink I had ordered an Americano and I must say it was the best coffee I've had in ages.  It came with a miniature pitcher of frothed milk.  Adding cold milk or cream to a coffee ruins it, this was brilliant!  I'll further add this is the first time I order a second Americano and they treated it as a refill without charging me. Anywhere else I've always been charged as it's treated as a "specialty coffee".  You have to celebrate the small victories! 

The food was amazing.  This is how we love to eat.  We had to order more bread, there was no way we were going to leave anything on that platter.  Waste not, want not!  It was delicious.  The textures and different combinations you could create by using the pickled vegetables and the condiments just elevated the flavours.  Our taste buds were dancing with joy. 

The staff was very attentive and pleasant.  They explained what each of the items was in detail and regularly popped by to make sure we had everything we needed without imposing or making us feel rushed.  Our water glasses were always full.  The restaurant is very bright and clean with soft music playing in the background.  We felt relaxed and very comfortable, too bad we had to head back to the dance competition!  Lol

No doubt we'll be going back.  The atmosphere, level of service, quality and selection was perfect and the prices are reasonable.  I strongly recommend this restaurant.  Their menus vary offering you a great selection whether you're visiting for brunch, lunch or dinner.  Check out their site and menus then plan your date!

Bon appétit!
Carm the Foodie

Restaurante Los Ángeles – Madrid, Spain

Spain is extremely diverse with an endless variety of foods and flavours.  There's something for everyone and if you're looking for cocina gallega, this is the place for you!

We had spent the day sight seeing and needed to find a restaurant that would accommodate all 9 of us!  Many of the restaurants in the area are small and quaint, but when coming around a corner we spotted this gem.  It was obvious they catered to large groups so it was perfect.  We were 3 adults with 5 kids and a baby.  They were very accommodating, but looked a bit surprised as we slowly trailed in.  I'd say most of the customers in the restaurant worked close by and were having lunch. 

We were taken to a large table in an area at the back with plenty of room for all of us.  There were many tables and people just sit wherever and eat.  When it's very busy you sit with strangers, eat and off you go when you're finished.  Food is more enjoyable when shared with others.

In Spain it's common to have a lunch table d'hote.  The same is offered at dinner with a different selection of starters and mains and usually comes with a glass of wine.  Here you could choose a starter, main and then coffee or dessert.  Usually they offer 4 starters and 4 main courses in addition to their regular menu.  It also includes bread and a drink.  The dessert selection varies or you could have a coffee if there's no room left in your stomach!  They had a great selection.  If you don't want a full meal, they also have over 15 different tapas or sharing plates to choose from.  We watched as the servers went by with orders for other clients and had a very hard time deciding what to have.  

I finally went with a salad to start, then paella.  For the children they had roasted chicken with potatoes.  The portions were huge.  When my salad arrived I thought, "Oh my I won't have room for much else!"  At home this would have been enough for 4 of us to share.  My sister and I decided to share the salad and cancelled hers.  Not long after my paella arrived.  Another huge plate.  It had a bit of everything; chicken, shrimp, vegetables, seafood and the traditional saffron rice.  The seasoning was perfect and my rice was cooked just right.  Much like pasta, I prefer my rice al dente or on the firmer side.  Mushy rice reminds me of oatmeal and my grandmother trying to force feed me.  It didn't end well!  Lol  Thankfully I didn't order anything for the baby, she ate from my plate and loved the shrimp.  There was so much food the older kids dug in as well. 

The chicken was tender and juicy served with roasted potatoes.  You could tell the chicken had been marinaded and slow roasted.  The skin was nice and crispy with a wonderful flavour which seeped into the meat.  We didn't hear one complaint from the kids as they were too busy eating everything on their plates and stealing from ours.  My sister is a picky eater so she also had the chicken.  My brother-in-law is adventurous so he had the merluza a la gallega.  Merluza or hake as we call it here, is a staple in Spain much like salmon is to us.  It belongs to the cod family and has a very mild taste.  The white meat is firm and sweet.  It was served with potatoes and a light sauce made of fish stock, garlic, tomato and pimenton - a very popular spice in Spanish cuisine.  The flesh of the fish was moist and tender, it melted in your mouth.  The sauce gave it a slight kick while the potatoes added texture.  Everything was delicious.  Had we stayed in Madrid longer we would've eaten there more often.

After all that food, there was no room for dessert.  All of the desserts looked amazing and are made in house.  We opted for coffee instead then headed back to the apartment for a nap!  I don't know how Spaniards can eat so much food for lunch then eat again at night and stay thin.  The food was delicious and very reasonably priced.  For the table d'hote the price is under 10 Euros.  You couldn't make all of that food at home for that price.  Never mind all the preparation and cooking time then having to do the dishes! 

I long to go back so that I can try some of the other dishes on the menu or simply sit with friends enjoying a glass of wine and nibbling on a variety of tapas.  Why choose one dish when you can try a bunch of different things?

Do I love food?  Absolutely, one of the simplest pleasures of life.  I'm extremely fortunate to have passed this love onto my children.  It's great that I can take them anywhere and they'll eat whatever is put in front of them.  Spain was a gastronomic wonderland that we enjoyed thoroughly along with all the major attractions, beaches and time with family.

Hasta pronto!
Carm the Foodie

Baker’s Street Café – Ottawa, Ontario

What to do on a cool Saturday morning when you can’t sleep?  Call a friend and convince them to join you for breakfast.  Many of my friends enjoy good food, so it’s not hard to find a willing accomplice to join me for a bite.  My friend Paul is adventurous so we try to find places we’ve never been to.  He's a fellow foodie and always a willing companion. 

Baker’s Street Café had good reviews so we figured we’d check it out.  According to some write ups, best to get there early to avoid the line-ups.  We arrived around 9:00 am and it was already busy.  The place is small and quaint.  All the tables were taken and there were 6 people waiting ahead of us.  We were greeted and told it wouldn’t be too long, several tables were just finishing up.  After a bit the owner came out with a tray of freshly baked mini muffins.  A very nice touch.  It makes you feel acknowledged and thanked for your patience.  After he treated those of us waiting in line, he made his way around the restaurant handing out the little treats to children.  For me this really stood out.  This place is definitely family friendly.  As a parent what better way to distract a child than with a mini chocolate chip muffin?  Little things can make a huge impact.

All the plates we saw being served looked great and were piled high with food.  My friend especially loved the larger coffee mugs.  He's big guy towering above 6 feet with a healthy appetite.  Nothing he finds more annoying than getting a tiny dainty little cup that needs to be refilled constantly cause 2 sips and his cup is empty! 

Being a creature of habit has its perks, but in this case it failed me.  I couldn’t decide what to order.  It was a toss-up between the Eggs Benedict with peameal bacon or the Greek omelette.  The Unique Breakfast also sounded really good.  I went with the Eggs Benedict one of my favourites.  Unfortunately, I was disappointed.  The English muffins were soft and the hollandaise sauce made them soggy.  The hollandaise sauce could have used a bit more seasoning.  The portion itself was generous and the eggs were well cooked, but I prefer a crunchier base that stays that way until the last bite.  I should’ve been more adventurous!

Another plus to this restaurant is that they make their own white and whole wheat bread.  You can purchase loaves to take home.  I stole my date’s toast as I enjoyed them more than my English muffins.

He had the Campfire eggs.  This dish had pan fried eggs on a bed of sautéed peppers, onions and tomatoes with home fries, baked beans, fresh fruit, toast and choice of meat.  Bacon was his meat of choice.  The plate was quite big, but he wasn’t complaining nor did it take him long to inhale it!  He liked the variety of ingredients and the different textures.  Their home fries are very different.  They have onions and peppers added and are well seasoned.  A tad greasy for me, but they were very good. 

The staff was friendly and given how busy it was, our food didn’t take long once we were seated.  Our coffee cups were never empty and as soon as we were done, the dishes were wisked away. 

I’d say the overall cost was mid-high range for breakfast at $45.00 for two.   Keep in mind the much larger portions, this is not your run of the mill breakfast special and with so much food you won’t need to worry about lunch.  I’d definitely go back and try something different.  My date really enjoyed his meal and would order it again in a heartbeat. 

If you’re out and about in Westboro, check it out!

Carm the Foodie