I visited Ottawa recently - it was my first time visiting Ottawa, and I found this place highly rated - so I gave it a try.
Unfortunately, the experience was very, very disappointing and the way the food was served made me feel disrespected - the following is my reflection.
We ordered:,
- Charcuterie (5 items) with Duck pastrami, Blueberry salmon and Lamb rillette, Blue Benedictine, and St Honore brie.
- Home fries
- Pork Belly Sliders with fries as a side (fries for an extra $10)
- grilled rockfish as an extra side (for $12)
The Charcuterie's meat items were OK. The Blue Benedictine and St Honore Brie were precious ones to try, especially since they were Quebec's unique local cheese items that are rarely available in the GTA (where I am from).
What I was disappointed with was the presentation.
Firstly, there were no cheese knives.
Secondly, the sourdough bread that came with this plate looked like being cut with a dull knife - each slice looked torn off. They were not warmed. No bubbly and chewy texture, and no tangy taste that I expected for good sourdough. This kind of bread can be bought at a local discount store
and let a 5-year-old cut with a plastic knife.
Thirdly, the strawberries were not fresh and were mushy. The cucumbers were withered with brown patches on the edge.
Finally, some of the crostini that also came with the charcuterie were broken pieces and thrown into a little aluminum bucket. I do not know how to describe it, but as a customer, when I saw it, I felt disrespected and unwelcomed.
Homefries are overfried, hard as wood and tasteless.
The pork belly in the Pork Belly Slider was just like pieces of fat (with no crispiness) sandwiched in the wonderbread-quality buns. The three sliders were thrown onto the dish, and I felt there was no effort to make the dish look appetizing.
To me, the servers somehow looked indifferent to the food qualities and presentation. They brought food and drinks to the table, but given that this restaurant charges more - I expected more. When we asked about their beer selection on the menu, the server just told us "we don't have these, we only have those." No apologetic tone - although it is not the servers' fault, I would expect some hospitality such as willingness to give us some other suggestions. I felt the attitude was very cold and indifferent to the customer's feelings. That is my subjective feeling, but this is how I felt.
This place only left an impression of being uncaring, unwelcoming, and disrespectful - both to the customers and the food (especially the local cheese) that they serve. read more