Ratatouille Bistro

After picking up some Opulence Coffee, we needed to grab some eats before we prepared to check-out of our hotel and make our way to the airport.  We took one last go-around Byward Market and perused a few places for brunch/lunch but nothing seemed to catch out eye.  We finally settled on Ratatouille Bistro for brunch due to some pretty good online reviews.  Sure, those can be sometimes misleading (dependent on who are doing the reviews) but so far in Ottawa, they have been spot on.

So things started off with the Hungerman Breakfast which was a lot of food!  This sported 3 eggs, applewood double-smoked bacon, pork sausage, crab cake, crispy smashed baby potatoes, mixed greens, fruit and toast (all for $19.00).  As you can see, things looked good and in fact, they were good.  The bacon was crispy, eggs were done to our liking and the fruit and salad were fresh.  Only thing that was not-so-good was the crab cake as it was more of a croquette with potato than a crab cake.

On that note, the Crab Cake & Chipotle Crema Benedict suffered from the same issue with the crab cakes.  They were crispy but quite heavy due to the potato and whatever fillers they were using.  Naturally, for $21.00, we weren't expecting 2 crab-filled cakes, but they should either not offer this or charge more money for more crab.  On the positive side, the spice was welcomed and it mixed well with the creamy and tangy Hollandaise.  The soft-poached eggs were perfect too.

Costanza went for the Ratatouille Sandwich featuring 2 fried eggs, bacon, applewood smoked cheddar, avocado, salsa and spicy chipotle mayo.  So no, there wasn't actually ratatouille in the sammie, but it still ate real well with nicely grilled and charred sourdough with perfectly prepared ingredients.  Hence the bacon was crispy and the eggs were done right while the mayo provided spice and the avocado added a creamy counterpoint.

For myself, I had the Short Rib Hash Skillet with wild mushrooms, caramelized onion, cheddar, smashed potatoes and 2 sunny side eggs.  This was quite good with tender braised short rib flavoured with its own braising jus.  The potatoes were creamy and soft with a crisp exterior.  Combination of sweet onions and earthy mushrooms added depth while the cheddar provided smokiness.  Adding a bit of hot sauce on the side would complete the dish.  Overall, the brunch at Ratatouille Bistro was good and well-portioned.  Prices are completely fair and the service is friendly.  They just need to rework or get rid of that crab cake.

The Good:
- Well-priced
- Large portions
- Overall well-prepared brunch

The Bad:
- That crab cake is not very good

Gyubee Japanese Grill

Call it the power of suggestion.  Since we were staying at the Marriott Courtyard adjacent to the Byward Market, we had walked past Gyubee Japanese Grill quite a few times.  It got us thinking that we might just go there for dinner.  In fact, our room faced the restaurant, so every time I looked out the window, it was right there staring at me.  Costanza looked at the menu and suggested we just go have their AYCE dinner.  Okay fine, we put our name on the Yelp waitlist and patiently waited for our turn.  Seems like some others didn't do that and were turned away at the door.

Now the fact it is called a "Japanese Grill" is a loose interpretation of the cuisine.  Let's just say it was more Korean BBQ than Japanese grill.  No matter to us though since we only care if it tastes good or not!  Yes, we got a selection of Banchan as well as the usual romaine lettuce for wrapping our BBQ meats.  I quite enjoyed the bean sprouts as they were crunchy while the kimchi was a little one note.  Cold tofu was good being smooth and the cabbage salad was topped with kewpie dressing.

Onto the meats, the first set we got included also some of our favourites in the Miso Pork Belly and Sweet Soy Marinated Short Rib.  Since these were fatty and also marinated, they cooked up with plenty of char and aroma.  We found the meat quality to be quite good where the meat was well-marbled.  Hence, the result was thin slices of tender meat that cooked up quickly.

We also had the Kurobuta Sausage, Squid, Black Pepper Kalbi and a plate of both Chicken Cartilage and Chicken Thigh.  Surprisingly, we really enjoyed the sausage as it was meaty and firm, yet juicy and flavourful at the same time.  The best item in this selection was the black pepper kalbi as it was meaty and tender with lots of bite from the black pepper.  For me, I love chicken cartilage, so I got more of it after we finished this round.

Next set of dishes came pretty fast and they included Pineapple, Corn, Miso Beef Brisket, Shrimp, Prime Kalbi, Pork Belly and Thick Cut Pork Belly.  Yes, we got another black pepper kalbi as well, so good!  As for this batch, the buttery corn was yummy while the pineapple acted as a nice refresher.  Naturally, the fatty pork belly was delicious, if not sinful.  Brisket was a touch on the chewier side but it had good beefy flavour.

Onto 2 very different items in the Sake Steamed Clams and the Salmon.  They were presented in small tin bowls with tin foil over the top.  So it effectively steamed the items when placed on the grill.  We were given instructions as to how long we should cook it for.  The result was some pretty tender and moist salmon.  However, the clams were the main attraction.  They were plump with the essence of sake.

So we needed to get some veggies into the meal too right?  Well I've already discussed the pineapple and the corn, so won't comment on that any further.  We also had Oyster Mushrooms, Zucchini and Enoki Mushrooms.  Nothing unusual with the oyster mushrooms and zucchini but the enoki were bathed in a bit of butter and when they were cooked through, they were pretty tasty.

To compliment our meals, we got some starches including the Cold Noodle and Bibimbap. If we weren't convinced this was more of a Korean BBQ, then these would confirm this.  I found the cold noodle to be serviceable with chewy noodles while the bibimbap was alright.  Naturally, it didn't have all of the usual ingredients, but it did have beef, sprouts, egg and gochujang.  We mainly used this to fill our lettuce with the BBQ meats.  You could also get plain rice too, but at least this could be eaten by itself.

At the very end of the meal, we had dessert and honestly, the Crème Brûlée was shockingly good.  Beyond the torched hard shell, the custard was creamy and rich while purposefully sweet.  Then we could also choose any flavour of Melona and have that too.  What a refreshing way to end this satisfying BBQ meal.  Sure, it is still $38.00 for dinner, but we thought we got good value considering the selection and quality of the meats.  Furthermore, the service was pretty on point and efficient.  Wish there was one of these closer to me.

The Good:

- Nice selection of quality meats

- Efficient and friendly service

- They change the grilling grate often

The Bad:

- Can feel a bit rushed as all of the items come out at once, but there is a time limit (which is reasonable)

- Front door needs to be fixed as it slams really hard and loud (not good if you are sitting near it)

Sansotei Ramen

Here we are looking for noods again in Ottawa.  However, instead of Northern Chinese like the night before, we were yearning for some Japanese Ramen.  However, we needed to find one that was conveniently located near some collectible shops that Costanza wanted to hit up while in Ottawa.  Sansotei Ramen on Bank Street was right where we needed to be and according to the ratings, it might actually be a good meal too.

Seems like we weren't the only ones thinking of ramen as we had to endure a short wait.  To start, we got Gyoza and Spicy Slow Cooked Wings.  The gyoza were decent with a crispy bottom.  I found the dumpling wrapper to be a bit firm and not very delicate.  Inside the pork filling was fairly moist and there was a balancing amount of cabbage.  As for the wings, they were super soft and fall-off-the-bone.  I didn't find them that spicy, but they did taste good with a salty sweetness.  I didn't finish these though as they were quite heavy to eat.

For my choice of ramen, I went for the Tonkotsu+ spiked with truffle oil.  I wanted to really like this, but ultimately, the truffle flavour and the heaviness of the broth (due to the oil) made it difficult to finish.  I did enjoy the al dente thick noodles as well as the smoked pork pastrami, meatballs and chasu.  Pastrami was tender and salty while the meatballs were naturally-textured and well-seasoned.  The chashu was fatty and seared.  I actually really enjoyed the shiitake mushrooms as they were juicy and super-flavourful.

Viv ended up with the Tomato with thin noodles, Hokkaido scallop, chashu, egg, tomato and shiitake.  I really enjoyed this broth as it was rich, but not heavy with plenty of natural tomato flavour.  It wasn't sour though, rather it was pretty smooth and aromatic.  She chose the thin noodles and they were also al dente, but not as chewy as my thick noodles.

Costanza decided on the Tonkotsu Black with chashu, wood ear mushroom, egg, green onion and black garlic oil.  Other than the black garlic, this would be pretty much the baseline broth.  It was meaty and flavourful without being salty.  It wasn't rich per se but it wasn't thin either.  As expected, the black garlic added a fermented umaminess.  The ramen egg was custardy in the middle, but rather mild-tasting.

Elaine went for the Miso Black with the chashu, spicy kakuni, egg, shiitake and black garlic oil.  The main difference here is that the miso added more body and richness.  Futhermore, it had depth via the fermented flavours of the miso.  Probably the most impactful broth of the bunch.  By virtue of having kakuni rather than chashu, the meat practically melted upon chewing.  It was also more flavourful.  Overall, the ramen at Sansotei was solid and totally did the job.  I personally wasn't fond of my own, but that is subjective.

The Good:

- Solid ramen with flavourful broths

- Plenty of choices

- Decent service

The Bad:

- Not really a fan of the wings

Opulence Coffee

Here we are, another post about coffee...  Why you might ask?  It is because I had the best coffee of my life in Ottawa.  Yah really.  It is at a non-descript place called Opulence Coffee in the Byward Market area.  It only serves coffee and there are no seats.  This place is no nonsense, much like its owner operator.  JP roasts all his beans in-house and is meticulous.  The result is excellent coffee with no-frills.  We ended up visiting the place twice while we were in Ottawa.

Costanza got the Americano both times and it was rich and flavourful with a nice smoothness.  This was served piping hot, as it should be, but that also meant that the bitterness was toned down.  I did notice that at the tail end of the flavour profile, there was a touch of sourness that gave it a bit of something something, without being too strong.

Elaine went for the Latte, which of course, ensured that it was more milky and more muted flavours.  Yes, the coffee notes were still there with the aroma and roasted nuttiness.  However with the high heat steamed milk added natural sweetness and creaminess.  For me, I'm not a regular coffee drinker, so this would be right up my alley since it is less strong.

As such, I went for the Mocha which also lessens the impact of the coffee due to the addition of chocolate.  However, the one here did not taste like a sweet hot chocolate coffee.  Rather, the coffee flavours were at the forefront with a nutty bitterness that was accented by dark chocolate notes.  Hence, it wasn't overly sweet, but at the same time, it wasn't too strong either.

Viv had the Americano the first day, but opted for the Cappuccino 

this time around.  Naturally, this trended towards a Latte but not quite.  This had more coffee flavour and was less sweet.  She opted for some cinnamon on top and that added more complexity and sweetness.  So you know what?  I am not a regular coffee drinker, but if I can get coffee like this more often, I might be a convert.

The Good:

- Straight-up excellent coffee

- Owner/Operator cares about what he does and it shows

The Bad:

- Not a place to linger too long, but again, no-nonsense right?

Le Mien - Craft Noodle

Having just eaten several poutines and other heavy French food, we were ready for some noods.  But we were in Ottawa and wasn't expecting to find anything legit especially in the touristy area of Byward Market.  Alas, after wandering around looking at random spots, which included an inordinate amount of gastropubs, we stumbled upon Le Mein - Craft Noodle.  After a quick Google search, it seemed to be decent.  On the outside it looked promising with hand pulled noodles being made right at the front.

We decided to sit inside since it was pretty toasty outside.  Settling in, we looked at the menu and I decided to get my offal fix (haven't had it in awhile!) with the Brine Pork Intestine as well as a Marinated Egg.  Well the intestine was gamy as expected, but that I enjoyed.  No one else at the table wanted any!  They were missing out...  I found it fatty and tender with a good amount of spice and saltiness.  As for the egg, it was overdone (but that was expected) while saltyish with some star anise notes.

For my noodle, I went for the Hand-Pulled Noodle with Bean Sauce and Meat (aka Ja Jeun Mein).  This was quite good with chewy al dente noodles (I chose medium thick) mixed with a savoury and meaty bean paste sauce.  It was a little sweet to balance off the saltiness.  I added some chili oil to kick it up a few notches.  Loved the julienned carrots and cucmber as it added crunch.  Not too sure about the edamame as it was hard to eat.

Costanza went for the baseline in the Traditional Hand-Pulled Noodle with Beef.  The thin noodles were also al dente with a chew that had some elasticity.  The broth was light and clean bordering on bland.  However, with a chili oil slick, this helped amp the flavours a bit with some smoky spice.  We also found some thinly-sliced daikon where that flavour was present in the soup.

Viv ended up with the Hand-Pulled Beef Noodle with Pickled Cabbage.  So this was essentially the same as the previous noodle except with the addition of the cabbage.  Hence, the soup was a bit more complex due to the tangy sourness.  As for the slices of beef, they were tender and required not much in the way of chewing.  Again, the chili oil slick did help produce some more impact.

Elaine chose the Braised Beef Tendon in Brown Sauce Noodle.  Due to the addition of the braising liquid to the soup, there was more depth and meatiness (as well as some more fat).  This probably tasted the best of all the soup noodles but there seemed to be an absence of meat.  Yes, she did find some tender morsels, but it was very little of it.  Once again, the noodles were al dente. In the end, this meal hit the spot as we were craving comfort food.  The bowls of noodles are deceiving as it looks large, but in reality, there is much more soup than noodles and meat.  Despite that, we still enjoyed it.

The Good:

- Chewy hand-pulled to order noodles

- Fair pricing

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- Bowls of noodles could use a bit more noodles and meat

- Soup could be more impactful