Café Nostalgica

Café Nostalgica

603 Cumberland ave., Ottawa

http://cafenostalgica.ca/

Hearty Café right on campus - where local artists perform everynight. 

Breakfast here is about 4$. 

Came here for lunch and this is what I had: 

Meditarranean platter: 

hummus, black olive and sundried tomato tapenade, feta cheese, and other veggies

Served with warm pita bread

It was really good, fresh and wholesome. It would be great to share as an appetizer!

Next: 

The Pesto Melt: 

Veggies on a 12-grain bread, gratiné. Served with cajun fries, salad (or half and half)

This melt was amazing. It makes you like veggies. It doesn't have any meat in it - yet you don't really realize it. 

And what can I say about the cajun fries?? Man, you really need to get "half and half" cause otherwise, you'll be eating a WHOLE plate of fries. 

And la finale: 

Chocolate caramel square

The name pretty much sums it up. The crumble on top is similar to the date tart's or apple crumble's topping. It's sooo good - wow. It's all gooey, sweet and a little crunchy. 

Let me tell you this: I just wanted to lie down after all this. Way too full for class. But so so good. 

Eat away my friends, 

M.

Huong's Vietnamese Bistro

Vietnamese food again tonight at Huong's Vietnamese Bistro: 

I'm so glad to have FINALLY found a good Vietnamese restaurant in Ottawa where the food is authentic, fresh and cooked appropriately.

This place is run by Vietnamese people, which makes a big difference. I hate restaurants that claim to be Vietnamese but are run by Chinese (no offense).

They offer a wide variety of food: 

Appetizers (including bac style spring rolls: cha nem), rice and grilled meats, vermicelli, egg noodle soups and other delicious specialties. 

Banh hoi thit nuong cha gio 

Roll it yourself: rice paper with fresh herbs and veggies, vermicelli, grilled pork, spring rolls and peanuts. 

Vietnamese-style grilled meats are perfectly seasoned and very tender. You can also get chicken or beef. 

Mi xao do bien

Fried egg noodles with seafood.

This dish was overall good. Lots of veggies and the noodles were very crispy. However, the sauce was a little bland according to me. It's usually supposed to be a lot more seasoned. You could tell just by the color too - it was almost clear. 

But this is good, less salt = healthier!

Che ba mau

Vietnamese dessert: coconut milk, tapioca, red beans and mung beans. 

This dessert is so delicious. It can be really heavy though because of the coconut milk. Regardless, it's amazing. 

Eat away my friends, 

M.

We Heart Viet Food

Here's the food I had today: 

Soup: Mustard greens and shiitake mushrooms in broth. 

Protein: fried tofu (my fave)

For lunch: fried rice! A classic. 

Salad: baby spinach with almonds and dried cranberries (balsamic vinegar dressing)

I know this is not viet food. But it's delicious. 

Eat away my friends.

M. 

I Heart Sushi

I found his great Sushi Restaurant in Ottawa a few months ago and I'm addicted to it:

Banc Sushi (919 Montreal Rd, Ottawa)

They offer lunch and dinner all-you-can-eat, à la carte, for about 11$ and 23 $, respectively.

Make sure you don't waste though, because they will charge you for it. 

Surprisingly for an all-you-can-eat restaurant, they have a great variety of food: 

Soups and salads, tempura, rice bowls, grillades, udon, maki, sushi, sashimi and desserts.

Most of the time though, I order to go. 

Here was tonight's selection: 

Mackerel sushi

Spicy scallop maki

Eel special maki 

Baked mussels

(this is amazing: oven baked mussels with cheese and a spicy sauce)

What's fun is that you get a 10% discount if you pay cash!

The service here is incredibly fast, the food is fresh and it's cheap! I really recommend this place. 

Eat fish!

M. 

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These might be the best cookies ever - depending on your tastes of course. I personally love textured foods and these cookies are perfect for that. They have about 3 times more rolled oats than flour in them. I think the magic ingredient might be the wheat germ - healthy and delicious. 

The recipe says you can either use raisins or chocolate chips. I would also suggest cranberries to cut on the sweetness for those of you who don't eat too sweet.

The batter itself was soooo good I could've eaten this whole thing raw. 

Getting ready to go into the oven: 

In the recipe, they tell you bake the cookies for 14 minutes at 350 degrees. However, I found that the perfect baking time is 20 minutes. 

ET VOILÀ!

I'm telling you. Amazing! I have to restrain myself from eating more than... 3. 

Thank you Martha!

Eat away my babies,

M. 

http://www.marthastewart.com/332409/oatmeal-raisin-cookies?czone=food/cookies-cnt/everyday-favorites&center=276956&gallery=275683&slide=282215

My Friday Present

When my mom got home today she got me new pretty kitchen instruments! :D I can't wait to try them out! 

We have some silicone instruments and I must say I like them!

Pros (from the Accent de Ville pamphlet) :

- Light

- Oven, microwave and dishwasher safe

- Waterproof, non porous (won't stain or discolor)

- Heat resistant (from -40 to 240 degrees Celsius!)

- Flexible and will not warp

I googled if there were any cons - not that many (e.g.: do not put over an open flame or broiler...). Right. 

I love the color too. Spring is coming. 

Eat away!

M. 

Focaccia

Au Pain Doré's Focaccia aux olives : 

Dough, cheese, black olives, green olives and rosemary. Enough said. 

This is delicious on its own or as a side. They also have other flavors: rosemary, cheddar or sundried tomatoes. 

My personal favorite is olive. 

Eat away!

M. 

http://www.aupaindore.com/fr/

Power Lunch @ Freshii's

I've been going to Freshii (50 Laurier Ave East, Ottawa) for lunch 3 times in the last 3 weeks. They describe themselves as "Fresh food, custom built". Definitely fresher than Subway. 

They thrive to: 

"Through our vision of Fresh Food, Custom Built, Fast, Freshii is focused on becoming the most convenient choice for healthy and fresh meals and snacks served quickly in a cool, clean, and environmentally sustainable setting for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks in between."

Here are your choices: 

My fresh selection : all sorts of veggies with chicken, egg whites, sunflower seeds and asian sesame dressing.

For dessert : low fat frozen yogurt with your choice of 2 toppings. I chose strawberries and almond slices. Absolutely delicious. 

Did I mention they have daily 5$ specials? On Thursdays, they have the Bangkok Burrito (brown rice, roasted chicken, carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, bean sprouts, warm peanut sauce). Their take on fusion food is not so bad, if you ask me.  

Don't forget to switch off!

I definitely recommend this fresh fast food place. They make healthy food taste delicious! 

Eat fresh my friends. 

M.

http://freshii.com/index.php

Op La

Great way to start the day: 

Vietnamese people call fried eggs Op La. The egg whites are so crispy this way. Best part is : add a few drops of Maggi and freshly ground pepper for the ultimate experience. 

I always eat my eggs with baguette. To mix eastern and western cultures, I added a little bacon too. Let's be honest - there's nothing better than bacon. 

With a glass of orange juice and cappuccino, you're almost garanteed to have an amazing day. 

Eat, friends!

M. 

Heart Shaped Sweetness

On Valentine's Day this year I decided I should try a themed cake. I got this recipe from Tout Simplement Clodine (like the true québécoise that I am). 

This is a delicious alternative to heavy (and delicious, of course) cheesecake. Instead of using creamcheese, this cake is made with mascarpone. It's fluffy and it tastes like a piece of cloud. What really defines this cake is the spiced strawberry marmalade - it's obviously not manditory and can be easily substituted for something else. 

The only downside to this cake, is that it needs about 24 hours to drain. Plus, you need the right mold for it. As you can see, the mold I used was barely a "heart". 

I would definitely make this cake again, with the right accessories - of course. 

Eat away my lovelies.

M.

http://tva.canoe.ca/emissions/toutsimplementclodine/recettes/fiche.php?article=143861

Junk Food and Fruit

When you have a long day at school, it's essential to fuel your brain and body. Between classes, I decided to go to one of my fave spots on Campus: La Maison Acadienne (King Edward @Somerset East). I usually go there on Friday afternoons to grab a beer and poutine. Today's an exception - I needed a full fat meal to keep me going til 10pm. 

Poutine here is amazing. Having been raised in La Belle Province, you can trust me when I say this. The fries are perfectly fried and soft on the inside, the gravy is not too salty and nice and thick. And of course, the cheese curds slowly melt under the hot gravy. 

Oh. Did I mention I had a slice of pecan pie? 

By the way I got home, I had to counterbalance the junkfood somehow (to feel a little less guilty). This mango was absolutely delicious. Remember: buy your mangoes at asian grocery stores. Difference of a lifetime. 

Eat away my friends. 

M.