(Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
Yes, I’ve done a few posts featuring food in Ottawa. But I often find myself there, and the food offerings are just about as diverse as you would expect in the nation’s capital.
Sometimes it’s best to take recommendations from others. I don’t often choose Greek food, partly due to my aversion to heavy doses of garlic. But one of my work colleagues suggested trying The Greek Souvlaki Shack on Bank Street, and I was happy with my large salad-laden plate. And a ton of cheese don’t hurt!
So…about that garlic aversion. I really don’t enjoy how garlic overwhelms other flavours. I can’t avoid it completely, but I try to keep it to a minimum. I would much rather be immersed in incendiary peppers, because at least the burn disappears before long. Garlic just…hangs around. Sometimes for days. I don’t want to taste the same meal over and over again once I’ve finished it!
But I do make some exceptions to my anti-garlic doctrine. And one of them is for Ethiopian food. I just have so much fun with the flavours, diversity, colours, and rituals of Ethiopian food that I can overlook the often garlic-heavy dishes.
In Ottawa, I’ve enjoyed my meals at the Hareg Cafe, at the northern edge of the trendy Glebe neighbourhood. On this occasion, I went for the vegetarian platter. And I enjoyed the flavours, diversity, colours, and rituals just as much as ever.
I never make or buy injera “bread” at home, and Kingston has no Ethiopian restaurants, but that makes injera even more special every time I have it. The sourdough flavour is one of my favourites, and of course I still love eating with my hands. I’m not so good with chopsticks, so it is nice to have some skill in scooping food with injera!
Speaking of chopsticks, I had to use them at the Maht Korean restaurant on Kent Street. I’ve eaten there before, but this time I decided to try something new…Korean Fried Chicken!
As you can see from the photo above, this is not a light meal. And this is the boneless version, so it’s even heavier that it first appears. The coating is not too different from Kentucky Fried Chicken (although I haven’t had it in ages). But the sauce is entirely different. I opted for the spicy version…and I got what I asked for. You can see the rich, deep red sauce on the far right.
Like most authentic Korean restaurants, complimentary kimchi and pickles are provided too. With kimchi delivering the usual spicy umami taste experience, my tastebuds had a full-on assault. But be careful – if the chicken comes right from the fryer, it can burn your mouth if you’re not careful!
Coming up: more Canadian content…including a trip out west!
