During Helen's Cuisine's (formerly in the Melrose Groceteria) last weekend of operation, Jenn and I made it a point to eat there and say our goodbye's. It was a neighbourhood eatery we had just discovered and started visiting regularly.

On its last day, we ordered two chicken shawarma and a falafel sandwich.

Top to Bottom: chicken and falafel
Fresh pita, baked chicken, and crumbled falafel, these were great examples of good homemade pita sandwiches.

Seeing other regulars racing for the last of Helen's boxed dips and pickles, I also claimed a pair of containers.

Left to Right: Pickled turnip and Babaganoush
The pickles were in-house pickled according to Helen's recipe. She does not add the customary pink food colouring, more typical of bottled pickled turnips, which are served at many of Ottawa's shawarma houses. They were tart, slightly spicy, and crisp. Babaganoush is one of very few ways I will eat the wretched vegetable that is egg plant. Helen's was one of favourites. It was bright in flavour and creamy in texture.

Alas, I would never have the opportunity to try Helen's labne, homemade yogurt cheese, ever time she ran out before I arrived.

To Helen and Buddy, we wish you a happy retirement.

Helen's Cuisine's former Business Card
You will be missed!

Particulars:
Helen's Cuisine
Now closed :(

To many Hintonburg residents, their neighbourhood, that is bordered by Centretown's Chinatown and the West Wellington Village, is under siege from forces bent on its gentrification. The culprits: commercial developers and, to some extent, Ottawa's municipal government. Both are seen as overly eager to remake Hintonburg in Westboro's image. Already, there are no less than four large scale construction projects putting up buildings in the West Wellington Village, either multi-story condo buildings or "pigeon-hole"-style townhouses. There are rumours, developers are eyeing Hintonburg next, some homeowners even reporting agents questioning them about their intentions to sell their properties.

Ottawa's Epicurean Row, a stretch of Wellington Street West, that is shared by both Hintonburg and the West Wellington Village, is renowned for having an extremely high density of locally-owned eateries and fine food stores. It now hosts a Booster Juice (1277 Wellington Street W.) and Tea Shop 168 (1356 Wellington Street W.), both franchises of arguably large chain businesses, here defined as non-locally owned and having many storefronts or locations in other cities.
v
Recently, the Ottawa Citizen (a local newspaper) even intimated the close of Melrose Groceteria/Helen's Cuisine another casualty of gentrification, the building soon to be renovated to house an upscale pizzeria. To Robert Bostelaar, writer and journalist for the Ottawa Citizen, neither Helen nor Buddy Saikely were forced out of their business. After 40 years serving a grateful community and at least two generations of loyal patrons, they deservedly retired. Theirs was an eatery and convenience store that reflected a closely-knit community where residents know their neighbours and get together for street parties.

Hintonburg, however, has another eatery that reflects the neighbourhood, the Wellington Sandwich Shop.

Storefront

Counter
This eatery is somewhere, known mostly to locals, inconspicuous and often passed by by people driving through Hintonburg. Inside, a wonderful woman named Filomina operates a place where people get together to eat, enjoy each other's company, and catch up on the local gossip. Patrons partake of food more familiar with times gone by.

Filomina cooks entirely from what we at foodiePrints calls first principles. A chicken sandwich or wrap starts with a marinated chicken breast, entirely raw, being thrown onto a gas-fired grill. A burger starts with measuring out ground meat, seasoning it, shaping it into a patty, and throwing it onto a gas-fired grill. Sandwich toppings are prepared to order to ensure freshness. For example, tomatoes are sliced as orders are taken. Soup, salads, and bakery are made daily. The soups are also seasonal and change from day to day.

Daily Soup and Specials
During the last two weeks she made yellow split pea and cream of broccoli, both made from scratch, both disappearing quickly during lunch.

If you are at all regular, Filomina will not only learn your name, but will remember how you like your orders. This includes young children.

What does somewhere that knows your name look like?

It has handwritten chalkboard displays

Its seats are warm and inviting

Its walls are softly coloured and decorated with unique decorations

It offers artisanal products, like homemade soap

What does it serve? Really good homemade food! To date, Jenn and I have only ordered hot sandwiches from the grill.

Hot Sandwiches
On a previous outing, we ordered the BLT and veggie burger, the latter a recommendation from Melissa Dimock of Refashionista (@refashionista).

This time, we followed another recommendation of Carol Paschal, the organizer of the Hintonburg Supper Club, and had the hamburgers. She, the "Homemade Hamburger" ($4.95) with 100% lean ground beef.

Homemade Hamburger
Me, the "Wellington Burger" ($5.95) with cheese, bacon, and fried onions.

Wellington Burger

My thoughts, my hamburger patty was incredibly fresh tasting and wonderfully crusted. Its toppings, exceeded expectations: fresh and crisp veg, browned and singed fried onions, melted cheese, and flat top grilled bacon. The kaiser rolls are also grilled crisp.

Slightly Dry Pattie
Unfortunately, with the patty made from lean ground beef, grilling it well-done results a somewhat dry texture. It is the only issue with what is otherwise a great homemade burger.

To finish, we had butter tarts, highly sought after commodities at the Wellington Sandwich Shop.

Butter Tarts
Dense, buttery, and sweet with a thicker pastry, these are the best butter tarts in town.

If you are in the area, drop by for breakfast or lunch. However, be warned. Filomina opens early and closes at 3:00 pm, Mondays to Saturdays. She only recently started taking Interac and prefers cash.

The next time we head over to the Wellington Sandwich Shop, we plan on ordering the turkey sandwich and asking why turkey's aren't allowed...

No Turkeys Allowed

Particulars:
The Wellington Sandwich Shop
1123 Wellington Street W.
(613)722-5946

Well, another foodiePrint went up on Ottawa Tonite. Its subject: the Hintonburg Supper Club and our outing to the Allium restaurant (87 Holland Avenue).

As an addendum, here are pictures from the most recent outing, a catered event at the Knights of Columbus Hall (1177 Gladstone Avenue). Catering was Helen Saikaly who, with her husband Buddy, operates the Melrose Groceteria (1082 Wellington Street W.). They will be soon retiring, closing the groceteria that doubles as a popular restaurant (Helen's Cuisine) at the beginning of December. Both pillars of the Hintonburg neighbourhood, Helen and Buddy have been serving great food to faithful patrons for 40 years. Even the Mulroney kids frequented Helen's Cuisine when they were children.

This coming weekend, the Hintonburg Community Association (HCA) will be holding a retirement party in their honour.

Retirement Party for Helen and Buddy Saikaly
If you walk down Wellington Street West, it is somewhat difficult not to come across one of these fliers, advertising the party.

We at foodiePrints discovered Helen's Cuisine's home-style Lebanese cuisine recently. It was recommended by Alexandra Clark, author and publisher of Cheap Eats Ottawa (twitter: @ceot) to CTVOttawa last summer as a great place for a low cost lunch.

When Jenn and I first visited it, we quickly learned Helen's Cuisine offers much more than a cheap lunch. This is an eatery that serves its customers with warmth that is becoming increasingly difficult to find. When you eat at Helen's, you feel like family.

When the Supper Club's organizer announced that October's dinner would be catered by Helen, we quickly reserved our seats. It would be one of Helen's last. And, she put out quite the spread:

Aluminium Foil-wrapped Dishes

It is somewhat amazing what Helen can accomplish without commercial cooking equipment. Her kitchen is equipped with a one-piece residential stove. She has no fryolators, banks of ovens, vertical roasters, or even a gas range. She has four electric elements and a single oven underneath.

From left to right: Fattoush Salad, Baba ganoush, Spinach Fatayer, Hummus, Roasted Chicken on White Rice, More Fatayer

Baba ganoush Close-Up

Spinach Fatayer, topped with Cheese

At a mere $20 per person, we ate very well.

My Plate
Between the soft rice, not quite smooth hummus, roasted chicken, creamy baba ganoush, and crunchy fattoush salad, I dug in eagerly with fresh pita bread, using my fingers to clumsily scoop up small mouthfuls.


Three Kinds of Fatayer
Helen's fatayer is a revelation to me, my being used to thicker meat and vegetable pies from gas-powered oven equipped Middle-Eastern bakeries.

It has been a very long time since I attended a church pot luck dinner. This is what that evening's dinner reminded me of. It was a home cooked meal, made with care, just on a much larger scale. It had none of the textures or flavours from typical shawarma houses. There, I expect its food to be cooked with professional equipment necessitating range hoods that a home owner would hazard to install. I expect temperatures that would make home insurance sales-people faint. Now, I have argued that eating out at a restaurant should be a collection of experiences that are difficult if not impossible to have at home. But, how often do you get to eat authentic ethnic food as it would be served if you were invited into someone's home?

Many thanks to Carol Paschal, the Hintonburg Supper Club's organizer, for arranging this dinner.

BTW, here is a picture of the Kitchissipi Times piece she wrote.

Revived Hintonburg Supper Club Celebrates its First Anniversary

Almost a month ago CTVOttawa went to the source for cheap eats in our city: Cheap Eats Ottawa (ceot). There, the good people, who publish the definitive book on our city's frugal fare, furnished reporters with a collection of 3 dollar lunch suggestions. One, had me re-evaluate an establishment I had been walking by for years: Helen's Cuisine in the Melrose Groceteria (1082 Wellington Street W.).

But first, there is something we must establish. When you visit shawarma houses, such as Istanbouli's at 81 Holland Avenue, they serve fast food. Though, the dishes served are arguably healthier and higher quality options than those from large chain American-style fast food outlets. Plates are also made to order, plentiful, and affordable.

At Istanbouli's we rarely spend more than $25 (including taxes and tip) for a pair of combos or a combo and a platter. This includes Istanbouli's vegetarian platter, featuring falafel (chick pea fritters):

Falafel Plate

Falafel
Crispy, nutty, and delicious, Istanbouli's falafel was not overcooked and the salad was, as always, fresh.

And, Istanbouli's chicken sandwich combo and a chicken shawarma platter:

Large Chicken Sandwich Combo

chicken shawarma plate
That evening, we ate on Istanbouli's patio, enjoying our vertical rotisseried chicken, salad, pickles, garlic sauce, and potatoes.

However, you won't see vertical rotisserie columns in a regular home. There are no fryolaters. There is no commercial grade range hood. By the same token, Istanbouli's pickles are more than likely purchased in large jars or vats. Their baklava is made in factory and resold.

For a taste of homestyle middle eastern food (Lebanese in particular), go to the Melrose Groceteria where you can pick up a hearty lunch from Helen's Cuisine for under $3.

Melrose Groceteria and Helen's Cuisine

Window Signage

As far as I can tell, the establishment was once a small grocery, but no longer. Helen's is disarmingly informal restaurant. There is a dining area with tables at the front of the store, and, at the back, a large food counter, powered by Helen's single electric stove. Just about everything is made from scratch and you are treated like family. Everyone becomes her sweetheart.

She serves up chicken and beef shawarma, falafel, hummus, tabbouleh, baba gaboush, fatayer, fatoush, beef kibbie balls, and baklava, all home style.

Street Signage Front

Street Signage Back
And, this amazingly happy woman has been at it since 1968.

When Jenn and I visited, there were containers of vegetarian stuffed grape leaves next to the till, made that very morning. Helen had buckets of turnips pickling in the back. And, she proudly showed off two mountains of mini spinach and meat fatayer cooling on trays for a party. Noticing that I have a little familiarity with Lebanese food, she even told me to come back the following Monday because she would have a fresh batch of labne (yogurt cheese) ready.

Just snackish, Jenn and I picked up a pair of larger fatayer, mine with meat (beef) and cheese ($3-ish), hers, just meat (under $3).

Meat and cheese fatayer w/a sorel drink

Cheese-only fateyer
Resembling Lebanese meat pies (lahem bi ajeen), I was reminded what my best friend growing up told me. While lahem bi ajeen are good from a commercial gas powered oven at a bakery, homemade is much better. While I'm not sure if fatayer is comparable because of the much thicker crust and different toppings, they were great.

The dough was well worked and flavourful.

Bottom of the meat and cheese fatayer

Texture of the dough
The toppings, well seasoned and tasty.

Best of all, after we paid, Helen pointed us to a park and ushered us out, like children with a packed lunch, to go out and play.

To me, there is a time for food made by professionals, trained and experienced to work with commercial grade equipment, who produce flavours and textures that are difficult and/or extremely time consuming to accomplish at home. There is also a time to enjoy home style food, made with conventional tools, but with equally masterful hands. Helen's serves the latter.

Determination: Ethnic - Lebanese: ---$, --***

Update 1: According to Reuters, sometime last Friday (July 10, 2009), the word "shawarma" was added to the Webster's dictionary, along with other food-related words: "locavore", "acai", and "goji." Shawarma's definition:

a sandwich especially of sliced lamb or chicken, vegetables, and often tahini wrapped in pita bread

Update 2: For reference, here is what 2 varieties of lahem bi ajeen look like from the Alladin Bakery on 1020 St. Laurent Boulevard.

Lahem Bi Ajeen

Zaatar (Lebanese Thyme)

Meat with Cheese and Hot Sauce

Particulars:
Istanbouli Shawarma House
81 Holland Avenue
(613)722-4800

Helen's Cuisine
1082 Wellington St. W
(613)728-2566

This year, from June 1 to June 15, Amnesty International organized the "Taste for Justice" fundraiser to support its work to stop violence against women. Many participants hosted Taste for Justice events or "dined in", by registering online, planing an event, ordering a "Host Kit", inviting guests, distributing donation forms, and directing all proceeds to Amnesty International. Others "dined out" at number of participating restaurants in several Canadian cities.

In Ottawa, 20 restaurants participated as "Taste for Justice Friends." One, Infusion Bistro (825 Bank Street), a "Partner for Freedom." Taste for Justice Friends donate a portion of proceeds from June 1-15. Partners for Freedom restaurants donate a minimum of $750 and actively promote Amnesty campaigns year-round. Chef Matthew Carmichael's e18hteen (18 York Street) donated a percentage of sales from its seasonal strawberry shortcake.

In the Wellington West neighbourhood, we had three participating restaurants: Agave Grill (1331 Wellington Street), Caffé Mio (1379 Wellington Street), and Thyme & Again Catering (1255 Wellington Street).

While I'm told that Agave Grill makes a stunning mojito and is owned by the former owner of Feleena's Mexican Restaurant (Comida Mexicana) in the Glebe (corner of Bank (742) and Third), Jenn and I decided to support Amnesty International by finally giving Thyme & Again a try. After all, we've passed by the caterer/eatery hundreds of times during our 5 years, living in Wellington West.

Thyme & Again
According to its website, Thyme & Again caters events of various sizes, from dinner parties to weddings, and operates a popular brick and mortar retail space, called its "food shop." They also supply the dishes served at the nearby Great Canadian Theater Company's (GCTC) in-house restaurant, mostly food that the establishment can heat up or serve cold.

Regarding their food shop, it is stocked with frozen dinner ideas from game-meat stuffed pasta, vegetable stir fries, soups, desserts, breakfast scones, and even tourtiere. Their "eat-in" options include various pastries (both miniature and full-size tarts), cookies, chocolates (mostly in-house made truffles), soups, pot pies, and sandwiches. They also serve entrees that change from month to month. Everything is listed on their website.

Me, I love sandwiches, so we went to Thyme & Again for a light dinner after work. Unfortunately, we were served sandwiches that were wrapped in plastic and chilled for several hours. We surmise this is because the majority of the store's "sandwich" business comes from its lunch service. Because workers from surrounding office buildings, including from the large government campus called Tunney's Pasture, pile into the establishment during lunch time, sandwiches may be made en-mass in the morning. Such leaves whatever remainder after the lunch rush for the afternoon and evening.

Originally, I wanted a calabrese sandwich: capicolla ham, soprasetta, orovolone cheese, red onion, and spicy eggplant finished with a lemon herb mayonnaise. They were all out. Instead, I had the "Green Thai Curry Roast Beef with Lemon Grass Aioli and Smoked Gouda." Jenn, the dilled Egg Salad: egg salad with fresh dill and chives.

Green Curry Roast Beef ($5.25)
My roast beef sandwich was less than impressive. The roast beef tasted bland and had a refrigerated texture. The seeded kaiser had succumbed to the cold, hardening and tasting somewhat stale. The smoked gouda added some sharpness. The featured "green curry and lemon grass" flavours came from the aioli, which was unevenly spread throughout the sandwich. As such, some bites carried faint flavours. Others, much more.


Dilled Egg Salad ($5.25)
Jenn was equally unimpressed with hers. Her egg salad had only fleeting dill flavours, which is normally a powerful herb. She tasted no chives. Her kaiser was equally hard and stale. In fact, she had difficulty eating her sandwich as the egg salad kept spurting out the opposite end. She also found it somewhat too salty for her linking.

At $11.87 after taxes, but before tip, I was glad a portion was going to charity. Else, this would have been a rather expensive "cafeteria"-style sandwich.

Here is Thyme & Again's card:

Front

Back

In fact, I was so non-plussed that the next day, I moved up my visit to a Portuguese bakery and sandwich shop near my workplace, so I could remind myself what a made to order sandwich tastes like.

Estoril
Located in Gatineau (89 rue Eddy), Boulangerie Estoril is family owned and run. It supplies ethnic Portugese products along with more French-style freshly baked bread. Its signage is tattered and well worn. There are domestic chest freezers in the middle of the retail space. Its eating area only has a handful of tables. However, it serves deli-sliced made-to-order sandwiches, something I readily appreciated after my experience with Thyme and Again. It's owners, an older couple that speak mostly Portuguese and French, are also warm and friendly.

And yes, Estoril is located nearby two large government complexes Place du Portage and Terrasses de la Chaudière, furthering the comparison with Thyme & Again.

For a measly $3.95 (before tip or taxes), I was able to pickup their "Portuguese Special": deli-sliced Portuguese sausage (whose Paprika flavours have me thinking it was linguiça); Portuguese cheese; all, on a freshly baked roll with mayonnaise and yellow mustard.

Lunch

Portuguese Special

Linguiça?
It was delicious, every flavour playing well with one another: savory, spice, sharp, and bright. Best of all, the textures met my expectations for an ethnic sandwich shop: fresh bread, slicer thin meat, and a generous amount of cheese. None, cold!

For dessert ($1 more), I picked up a Portuguese egg tart, which differs greatly from the Chinese variety that is served at dim sum.

Egg Tart
Served chilled, the egg tart's custard was dense and sweet, tasting of vanilla and slight hints of caramel. Its pastry was light and flaky.

If you work in walking distance of Estoril, I urge you to drop by.

It seems the only redeeming quality of our visit to Thyme & Again is our discovering a cache of Pascale's ice cream.

Pascale's Ice Cream
Thyme & Again sells Pascale's ice cream a dollar more ($10.95) than she does at the Piggy Market. This is good information for those evenings when we have surprise guests and we need to make an ice cream run.

Nevertheless, with its reputation, I promise to try Thyme & Again again, perhaps when I find them supporting another charity campaign.

More after the jump...