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

Ma Poule Mouillée

Seeing how a bunch of non-toasted bagels from St. Viateur wouldn't necessarily satisfy us, we made the short drive over to Ma Poule Mouillée.  Of course there was a lineup and we stayed the course for 45 minutes...  We needed to see if this was better than Romados down the street.  Not sure why we didn't visit the place the last time we were here because it is across the street from La Banquise.

Anyways, we did finally get to the counter and we ordered the Louis Cyr (1/2 Chicken) with roast potatoes.  You can choose fries instead and this came with a side salad too.  We opted for the spicy and it was mild in our opinion.  As for the chicken it was not as juicy as we were expecting.  Rather, the breast was a bit dry and really need the sauce to give it moisture and flavour.  The dark meat was predictably better.  As for the potatoes, they were excellent.  Creamy and soft inside.

To get a variety of things, I also ordered the Little Talbot which was a chicken sandwich in a Portuguese bun.  Due to the dry breast meat, the sammie ate as such.  I asked for spicy and the sauce helped a bit but again, it wasn't that hot.  I guess I should've asked for more.  The side of fresh cut fries were excellent.  Crispy with plenty of potato goodness inside.

Okay, the real reason we were here was for the Poutine with chicken, São Jorge cheese and chorizo.  OMG, this was freakin' delicious and life-changing.  With all that savoury and rich gravy, the chicken was suddenly reborn.  Look at all that cheese!  It was stringy and completely covered the fries.  The chorizo added meatiness as well as a good kick.  Got everything in one bite and my mouth was very happy.

We also added one each of the Coconut and Portuguese Tarts for some sweets at the end.  I thought the Portuguese tart was quite good.  Loved the flaky and light tart shell and the silky custard filling.  It wasn't too sweet and that worked for me.  However, the coconut tart was definitely sweeter and aromatic from the coconut.  Overall, I found the chicken a letdown especially a place that promises juicy chicken.  However, that poutine is high-level.  I would come back for that.

The Good:

- Oh that poutine!

- Loved the roast potatoes and fries

- Tarts are quite good

The Bad:

- The actual chicken, especially the white meat, is not juicy

- Spicy could be spicier

St-Viateur Bagel

Even though our last visit to Montreal was 4 days long, we never made it out to the iconic St-Viateur Bagel.  Well, this time around, we would ensure to do that obligatory visit.  Although there are several locations, we only had the original one on Rue Saint Viateur on our minds.  Sure, there was the usual lineup and hey, it could all be the touristy thing to do, but we were hoping for some good bagels!  We ended up with a half-dozen where we brought most of it home with us on the plane.

We really didn't want to get the plain bagel since it was well...  too plain.  Rather, for our baseline, we had the Rosemary and Sea Salt.  So without the benefit of a toaster, trying to eat this bagel cold wasn't our preference.  I'm sure so purists will say that it is good eaten that way and yada yada yada.  Well, it was pretty dense, chewy and cold.  In terms of flavour, loved the earthy woodiness of the rosemary and also the bursts of saltiness.

Thankfully, this was the only bagel we ate without toasting it.  We ended up bringing the other 5 home to Vancouver.  By then, they were 3-day-old bagels and you know what?  By toasting them, they turned out fantastic!  They crisped up well and had a solid, yet not too firm crunch.  This gave way to a warm and appealingly chewy inside.  These bagels tasted great even without cream cheese.  But we did use cream cheese!  This All-Dressed bagel was a favourite since they didn't skimp on the ingredients.

The same could be said about the Onion bagel because there was no shortage of caramelized onion on the outside.  Hence, the flavour of onion was strong with this one.  It was aromatic and sweet with some sharpness at the tail end of the flavour profile.  Also, there was the unmistakable onion texture with every bite.  Once again, this toasted up really well and the heat helped activate the onion as a result.

Onto the fruitier bagels, we tried the classic Cinnamon & Raisin.  There was definitely a noticeable sweet cinnamon kick while only certain parts of the bagel had raisins.  I guess it just was the luck of the draw.  However, when we did get raisins, the sweetness was nice and of course was a perfect compliment to the cinnamon.  Cream cheese naturally went well with this bagel.

Something I really wanted to try was the Apple Maple even though Viv was a bit skeptical.  She often associates anything maple with being too sweet.  Well, this is a bagel and I knew they wouldn't make it taste like dessert.  That they didn't where the sweetness was restrained.  There was still the maple essence without the sugariness.  Little nuggets of apple were strewn throughout and provided pops of tangy sweetness. 

Lastly, we had the Blueberry, which was predictably one of the most mild-tasting bagels.  Blueberry is not a very strong flavour, even though it is easily identifiable.  This was no exception where the blueberry was definitely there, but it didn't exactly make the bagel that sweet.  So overall, we enjoyed our toasted bagels from St-Viateur and am considering ordering some to be sent to us.

The Good:

- Dense like it should be and toasted up great

- Lots of flavours and we enjoyed all of them

- Considering how expensive things are these days, the bagels were reasonably-priced

The Bad:

- Well of course the lineup, but it is part of the fun right?

- A little chaotic at the counter

- You get them cold at this location, so strictly to go and toast them later

Joe Beef

Fresh off a good meal at Mon Lapin, we were looking forward to our reservation at Joe Beef.  Last time we were in Montreal, we had such a big group and so many kids, it was not feasible to dine there.  Mind you, we still made it out Au Pied de Cochon...  We made the mistake of attempting to walk from our Downtown hotel to the restaurant and it was a bit of an adventure.  We ended up taking an Uber back instead.  But while we were at Joe Beef, we had a heck of a time.  The food was excellent!

To begin, we had something seemingly so simple but ultimately it was super delicious.  The Aidi "Joe Beef" featured amazingly fresh crudites from their own garden.  It was served with this aioli that was akin to a green goddess dressing.  It was absolutely delicious and the crunch and sweetness from the wonderful veggies was mind-blowing.  Imagine that, we were blown away by raw vegetables (except for the potatoes)!

Next, we had the Smoked Trout with a buckwheat crêpe and homemade cheese.  Again, this looked really simple, but the execution was flawless.  The trout was buttery and soft with a balanced smokiness and saltiness.  Thin, a bit robust, but ultimately delicate, the crêpe did not overwhelm the delicate fish.  Creamy and smooth with herbs, the cheese complimented the trout with the addition of briny ikura and fresh dill.

Now if you thought the last 2 appies seemed simple, the next consisted of Fine Ham with compressed melon and wine gelée.  This was essentially prosciutto and melon but completely elevated.  Beyond the salty and buttery ham, the melon squares provided sweetness and moisture.  The flavours were quite concentrated.  Adding in the gelée, it was as if we were drinking some wine to go with our charcuterie.

Last appie was the Grilled Octopus in a heavily concentrated bouillabaisse sauce.  This was amazing where the reduced sauce packed all of the seafoody goodness normally found in a bouillabaisse but 10 times more potent.  It was rich and smooth with enhanced brininess, sweetness and aroma.  This complemented the tender octopus tentacle very well.  We also found some braised and seared fennel as well as potato on the plate.

Onto the mains, we couldn't possibly dine at Joe Beef and not order the Lobster Spaghetti???  Well we did the right thing and it was the proper decision.  This was super rich with plenty of heavy cream spiked with strong lobster essence.  Hence all of the briny sweetness came through.  The spaghetti itself was perfectly al dente where it soaked up all of the lobster cream.  About that half lobster, it was prepared well with a juicy and bouncy texture.  

Presented atop some potatoes gratin, the large Seared Duck Breast was prepared medium.  This was perfect as the meat was still juicy while being tender and meaty.  The skin was generally well-rendered and had some crispiness.  The whole thing was dressed in a luxurious cherry sauce that was silky, tart and sweet.  Such classic flavours and ingredients, but done completely right.

Next, we had the Hanger Steak prepared medium-rare (closer to rare, just how I like it).  Being a hanger steak (as it hangs over the diaphragm), it is flavourful and beefy.  That it was and it sported an even sear on both sides.  It was well-seasoned and tasted great on its own, but the jus underneath was so rich and meaty, it needed to be enjoyed.  However, there was also a house-made fruity steak sauce on the side.  That elevated the meat even more so with a sweet tanginess.

The surprise dish was the Halibut served on top of some ratatouille and smothered in tomato butter.  Wow, just wow, that ratatouille made us feel like that restaurant critic in the movie Ratatouille.  Almost life-changing.  The vegetables were perfectly tender yet not mushy while the flavours were natural, bright and delicious.  Oh and the halibut was flaky and moist too.  That tomato butter was sinfully silky with the essence of tomato.

We cannot forget some of the sides including the Bread and Frites.  These buns were quite good where they were somewhere between dense and fluffy.  However, the main event here was the very good butter.  It was creamy and extremely spreadable while having the right saltiness.  Those frites were pretty solid being crispy with a creamy potato centre.  Of course it was served with a side of aioli.  

By now, we were completely stuffed due to the generous portion sizes and heaviness of the dishes.  Hence, we only got the Éclair to share (it rhymes!).  This was also huge and very well executed with light choux pastry that had a nice crispiness.  It was filled with ice cream and topped with plenty of chocolate sauce.  Decadent.  Okay, gotta say this straight-up - the meal at Joe Beef was fantastic!  Not only was the execution on point, the flavours were purposeful and impactful.  Really no-nonsense food prepared right for the purpose of being delicious.  Sure, prices aren't cheap, but it was worth every penny.

The Good:

- No-nonsense food that is just delicious with impactful flavours

- No-nonsense, but on point service

- Lively environment

The Bad:

- Dining room gets a bit stuffy and warm

- Washroom situation is not the best