On the last Wednesday of July, the Hintonburg Supper Club held its most recent dinner event at Credible Edibles (78 Hinton Avenue North). Credible Edibles is a bit of a hidden treasure in Hintonburg. Located away from the busy streets of Holland Ave. and Wellington Street W., it sits on a quiet side street, charming passerby's with its unique patio and mouth-watering foods.

Normally, Credible Edibles is only open from Tuesdays to Fridays during lunch hour and late morning to early afternoon on Saturdays. But, an exception was made and the Hintonburg Supper Club was given a warm welcome with many of its members trying the eatery for the first time.

Credible Edibles strives to serve nutritious and delicious foods while remaining environmentally conscious. As a proud member of Savour Ottawa (recently accredited), Chef/owner/founder Judi Varga-Toth buys as much as possible from local producers, including produce from Rochon Farms, eggs from Bekings' poultry farm, and poultry from Lyons Family Turkey Farm.

That evening, a table d'hote menu was created for the night's event. On the menu was a selection of three meal choices, something for the vegetarian, the vegan, and the carnivore.

The Vegetarian's Delight

• Chilled gazpacho soup with local fresh herbs
• Spanakopitas (Greek-style spinach and ricotta in flaky pastry)
• Cinnamon carrot cake with organic cream cheese icing

The Omnivore's Dilemma

• Warm fennel and green bean salad with crumbled feta cheese
• Chipotle turkey breast sandwich with roasted red pepoers & arugula
• Raspberry chocolate fudge brownie

Vive le Vegan!

• Japanese-style green bean and carrot salad with tamari almonds and black sesame seeds
• Mediterranean grilled vegetable wrap with roasted red peper & lime hummus
• Blueberry green tea or dark chocolate cupcake with matcha green tea icing

Each selection included a choice of fair-trade coffee, tea, organic spritzer or home brewed iced green tea. Also of note, all of Credible Edibles baked goods are made from scratch with whole grains, free-range eggs (unless vegan), and organic dairy (unless vegan).

After much dilemma, Don ordered the vegetarian option while I decided to try the vegan dinner.

As we waited for our food to arrive, Don and I noticed two small treats at our table: a sample of spicy house roasted soy beans and gomashio.

Left: spicy soy beans, Right: Gomashio
While I didn't try the soy beans, I was intrigued by the gomashio, a Japanese table condiment. Gomashio is currently being featured as part of the Credible Edible Optimal Foods Mini Series. What is Gomashio? Well, according to the framed information sheets on each table, "goma" is Japanese for sesame and "shio" means salt. Its nutty and slightly salty taste were rather addictive as we kept eating small amounts throughout the meal.

Our food arrived soon after, our eyes feasting on plates of delightfully colourful summer fare.

The Vegetarian's Delight

The Vegetarian's Delight - Left: Gazpacho; Right: Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese icing; Behind: Spanakopita
Don thought his vegetarian meal very good. He has been interested in vegetarian and vegan fare of late, reading about raw food and alternative ways to make classic dishes. His spanakopita's phyllo pastry was very light and flaky. The spinach filling was smooth, creamy, and not at all stringy. Seeing how I was eyeing his gazpatchp, Don cheerfully shared his cold soup with me, remarking about how fresh the flavours were. He routinely orders a bowl when we visit Credible Edibles now.

Sadly, I traded desserts with Don as I am unable to consume dark chocolate.

Dark chocolate cupcake with matcha green tea icing
He, of course, happily accepted my vegan dark chocolate cupcake, which he found astounding. It was not overly dense, but had the texture of a light brownie.

When Don finished his dinner, leaving not a crumb behind, he mentioned he was surprised at how satisfying his meal was.

Vive le Vegan!

Vive le Vegan!- Left: Grilled Vegetable Warp; Right: Dark Chocolate Cupcake; Bottom: Green Bean & Carrot Salad
After a day in the hot sun, the Mediterranean grilled vegetable wrap with roasted red pepper and lime hummus was spot on. Served cold, the grilled zucchini, lettuce, and roasted red pepper paired nicely with the hummus. Also, the wheat tortilla wrap had a nice texture, a refreshing change from the typical supermarket tortilla. The best part of my dish was the green bean and carrot salad. Lightly dressed, the vegetables were incredibly fresh, in particular the green beans. Every bite had a satisfying crunch.

Despite missing out on the chocolate cupcake, the carrot cake with the rich cream cheese frosting made a nice consolation.

Overall, my first vegan meal was delicious and a pleasant way to end the evening.

Total cost: $33.90 (includes tax, but before tip)

We will definitely be coming back for more!

Particulars:
Credible Edibles
78 Hinton Ave. North
613-558-7569

More after the jump...

On March 28, a well recognized chef, Grant Achatz of Chicago's Alinea restaurant, voiced his displeasure with the lengths his restaurant's patrons go to to document each dish on his tasting menu. Ever gracious, he blogged on his forum:

I appreciate that people are so into food, and excited about eating at Alinea, to the point where it drives them to record it. Obviously these “foodies” are a large segment of our cliental, and the very people that help propel the awareness of food and dining. I certainly admit that the popularity of web based reviews and information has helped Alinea achieve a certain level of popularity, and ultimately some level of success has to be attributed to this.

Source: Alinea Mosaic Forum

However, he takes issue with mounting dSLR's on tripods, taking pictures of every course (yes I'm guilty of this at Atelier) and moving dishes around to "get the right light" (allowing hot foods to cool). Between having to deal with the fallout from irate patrons sitting next to camera-happy ones and the extra time "documenting" 30 course takes, Chef Achatz drew a line. He has found recently patrons now record him, his chefs, and the servers during service, audio and video. He likened them to culinary paparazzi.

I recently discussed the "paparazzi" aspect with a fellow local food blogger and a friend who runs an Ottawa fine food shop. We at foodiePrints do not want to be likened to culinary paparazzi. Unknowingly, we seem to have already set limits that are likely restaurant friendly.

• We never film. We discreetly take notes in a notebook. We check the restaurant's website first to see the menu and jot down differences in what we were served. In fact, our new dSLR is an older Nikon model. It does not record video.
• We record audio when we do interviews and only after we ask permission. Interviews are held between services. There are no audio bites on foodiePrints.
• We do not bring camera equipment with us other than said camera.
• We try to book earlier reservations at the beginning of service when the restaurant is still filling. This way, we can sit near a window and benefit from natural light.
• We never use flash. It is why many of our photos from higher end restaurants appear dark. They were taken in the dim light.
• We only take pictures of the dishes we order.
• We only take pictures of plates as they were set down for us by servers. We know chefs routinely instruct servers on how they want their plates presented.

Even with these self-imposed guidelines, we seem to be able to capture some passable shots.

The Hintonburg Supper Club visited Absinthe Cafe Resto Bar this week. Here is a photo of #83 ($22) in the Ottawa Magazine's 101 Tastes to Try Before You Die (September 2009 issue):

Absinthe's Signature Hanger Steak Frites
Because the supper club assembled at 6 pm, we still had natural light photograph some good food.

The steak frites was Jenn's main. She and I adore hanger steak at Absinthe, still our recommend for steak frites in Ottawa. Served medium-rare along with green beans sauteed in butter, shallots, and cilantro, we found the frites double fried this visit. Double fried, the fries stayed crisp as she ate her steak. The rest of the meal follows:

First Amuse Bouche

Foie Mousse with Port Gelee, served with in-house crostini

Definitely NOT peanut butter and jam on a cracker!

Second Amuse Bouche

Halibut Chowder with BLT foam, accompanied by smoked Bass

A Beautiful Soup

Bread

In-House oregano and basil bread with balsamic-laced compound butter

My Appetizer

Seafood Trio
From left to right: Albacore Ceviche Taco, Scallop Crudo, Line Caught Coho Salmon and Bass Pogo with Chile Pepper Salsa

We found the salmon pogo's texture somewhat dense for essentially a fish cake on a stick.

Bass Pogo

Texture
But, we loved the corn batter coating.

My Main

Duck Two Ways
From left to right: Vegetables on cheddar aligot, duck Breast, and seared foie gras over pain perdu (French toast). The vegetable accompaniment: sweet potato, turnip, and broccoli rabe (rapini).

Seared foie gras over pain perdu
It tasted at good as it looked.

Dessert (one of our flash-less darker shots)

Organic Maple Sugar Tart with Maple Ice Cream
Absinthe spins its own organic ice cream in house. Even though we're staunchly loyal fans of Pascale's, I had to admit the maple ice cream was pretty good.

And speaking of the 101 Taste to Try Before you Die, here's Number 1:

Beau's Lug Tread Beer

Total Cost: $77.97 (includes one table d'hote, after taxes, before tip)

That evening, I even got to shake Chef "Pat" Garland's hand after the dinner, thanking him for a great meal.

Particulars:
Absinthe Cafe Resto Bar
1208 Wellington Street
(613)761-1138

More after the jump...

At the end of February, Carol Paschal organized another outing for the Hintonburg Supper Club, this time at the Viva Loca Cafe (1233 Wellington Street W.), located inside the Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC). In the months since Viva Loca opened its second location, Don and I have only eaten there once, ordering their delicious oat and whole-wheat pancakes from their weekend brunch menu for takeout. Made to order, they were light and fluffy. When we received the email for February's event, we became excited to try their dinner menu.

In addition to their regular lunch and dinner menu of panini grilled sandwiches, gluten-free wraps, savory crepes, chili, soup, and salads, Viva Loca offered supper club members a table d'hote menu ($17.95). For starters, they offered the soup of the day or a mixed green salad. For the entree, there were three options.

1. Hearty chunky chicken stew loaded with fresh vegetables and served with artisan bread.
2. Roasted vegetable lasagna layered with fresh pasta and cheese and served with artisan bread.
3. Ham and fresh asparagus buckwheat crepe with cheese sauce.

Dessert was a selection of home made treats, date squares, apple & plum crisp, cookies (including a gluten-free option) and carrot cake, along with coffee or tea. Don and I decided to order from the table d'hote for that evening's dinner.

Due to the number of people attending that night's dinner, GCTC closed its doors with a sign to the public, saying it was closed for a private function.


Viva Loca Signage

In the daytime, Viva Loca is a wonderfully bright eatery. The sun streams through its floor to ceiling windows that surround it. Despite the concrete stairs and walls, the dining area is comfortable and the staff, warm and inviting.


Inside Viva Loca

Displays of dessert greeting patrons

Starter – Soup of the Day or Mixed Green Salad

Potato and Leek Soup with Artisan Bread

That chilly evening, Don and I chose the soup of the day to start: a cream of potato and leek soup. Made with a vegetable-based broth, the soup contained thinly sliced leek with large chunks of red potatoes. While I enjoyed eating the large chunks of potato, I was surprised at how the soup was made. I had expected a soup with more body. What we were served that evening was a very thin soup, whose cream finish seemed slightly curdled. The leeks were also slightly overcooked. Despite its loose texture, the soup had great flavour. The accompanying slice of multi-grain artisan bread was delicious. It was nicely toasted, giving off a wonderful scent of toasted caraway seeds in its crust.

Entree – Roasted Vegetable Lasagna layered with fresh pasta and cheese and artisan bread

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

For his entree, Don chose the roasted vegetable lasagna. It was layered with a generous serving of cheese, fresh vegetables, and marinara sauce. In fact the serving was enormous. Overall, Don told me the vegetarian lasagna met his expectations. He would have preferred the pasta cooked more al dente and the sauce, slightly thicker. Again, the slice of multi-grain artisan bread made a nice accompaniment to the lasagna, perfect to sop up the marinara sauce. The salad was fresh and crisp.

Entree – Hearty Chunky Chicken Stew loaded with Fresh Vegetables and artisan bread

Chunky Chicken Stew

For my entree, I chose the hearty chunky chicken stew. Coming in from the cold and watching people walk by bundled in their winter gear, the stew seemed like the perfect choice to me. When the bowls of chicken stew were served, I heard other supper club members express worry the servings were rather small. However, the serving was just right. It was filling. The stew, chunky and satisfying. Each bowl contained a generous helping of fresh vegetables (carrots, mushrooms, potatoes, onion, and celery) and large chunks of chicken breast. The stew was nicely thick and well-seasoned.

Dessert
For dessert, many supper club members chose either the date square or apple and plum crisp. Few chose the carrot cake.

Don chose the date square.

Date Square

Again, as with everything else served that evening, the serving portion of the square was large. According to him, the square was more square than date. The pastry, crisp but thick. The date filling was sweet, but not cloyingly so.

Never one to turn down an apple crisp, I was excited to try Viva Loca's apple & plum ginger crisp.

Apple & Plum Ginger Crisp

It was my first time tasting apple paired with plum in a dessert. When my plate came, the crisp looked delicious. The fruit filling was quite tasty. Not overly sweet, the plums and apples were thinly sliced, skin on. The streussel topping was very thick, crisp, and sweet. After a few bites, it became obvious there was too much streussel and not enough fruit. The distribution of the ginger was somewhat uneven. With every bite, I could taste ginger, but some bites had large pieces of ginger, while others did not.

In general, the meal was rustic and filling. Don and I were impressed with the sheer variety of dishes, flavours, and textures that were made with seasonal and local ingredients. We plan on returning to try their brunch menu.

Total: $40.57 (after taxes, before tip)

Particulars:
Viva Loca
1233 Wellington Street W.
(613)728-8482

More after the jump...

In December, the Hintonburg Supper Club held its monthly dinner event at Pho Van Van (93 Holland Avenue), a neighbourhood Pho noodle house. Interestingly, of the three long tables we occupied in the restaurant's second floor dining room, only three people ordered bowls of pho (beef or chicken), Jenn and I ordering our "usual"'s. She, a medium-sized bowl of pho bo, topped with beef, beef tendon and beef balls ($7.50). Me, a medium-sized bowl of pho bo, topped with beef, beef tendon, tripe, and beef balls ($7.50).

While Pho Van Van is no longer in our top 5 list of Pho noodle houses in Ottawa, it still serves up a decent bowl of pho bo (beef) and, as we hear, pho ga (chicken). That is, along with much more, as other supper club member demonstrated that evening.

Appetizer-wise, Pho Van Van's menu includes pho noodle house staples like Vietnamese salad rolls (Goi Cuon Tom Thit), salad rolls with shrimp or chicken (Goi Cuon Tom Hoac Ga); deep fried squid, shrimp, and chicken wings; and deep fried spring rolls. More exotic is grilled quail ($7.50/pair).

The quail comes quartered on a bed of iceberg lettuce and two sauces (lemon/pepper and a sweet chili). Curious, we first ordered the appetizer in 2007.

Grilled Quail Quarters
Demonstrating consistency, here is grilled quail we ordered this past summer (2009),

Grilled Quail Quarters
The quail tasted marinated, seasoned throughout. The meat was never dry, but it took some finesse to work with the quails' tiny bones. The sauces were great accompaniments.

Noodle-wise, Pho Van Van's menu includes another pho noodle house staple and alternative to pho, Vietnamese vermicelli noodles (Bun). Served dry and topped with a variety of toppings, bun comes with a portion of fish sauce to mix in, moisten, and season the vermicelli noodles. At Pho Van Van we have tried the grilled chicken with spring roll vermicelli ($7.50)

Grilled Chicken Bun with Spring Roll Served

Grilled Chicken Bun with Spring Roll Mixed and Ready to Eat
Please note that if not enough fish sauce is provided, you can ask for more without additional charge. I know of two people who eat bun dry.

Unlike some Pho noodle houses, Pho Van Van also serves up rice platters and chow mein (a more Chinese-style dish). Wanting a change from pho, Jenn ordered the chicken "crispy noodle" with vegetables ($9.95) one evening.

Crispy Noodle with Chicken and Vegetables
The noodles were indeed crispy, but she found the sauce too garlicky and salty. The vegetables were tender, not mushy.

Lately, friends of ours and I have been working through Pho Van Van's complement of milk shakes for dessert. Here is the soursop milk shake ($3.95).

Soursop Milk Shake
It was creamy, but had the texture and flavour of pureed pear. I have been told that the mango and avocado milk shakes are much more enjoyable.

Pho Van Van is a family-run restaurant and we have always had good service there. The waiters are friendly, attentive, and always pleasant to talk to. Regarding bills, as with most Vietnamese pho noodle houses, the waiters will rarely bring the bill to the table as it is custom not to disturb patrons. When you have finished your meal, pay at the cash and till. Your bill will more than likely be awaiting you and so will a bowl of lovely Thai coffee candies as a parting treat.

Here is Pho Van Van's card.

Business Card
Lately, the restaurant put up a more elaborate website that includes more than a link to a .pdf file of its menu.

Aside: To anyone who wonders if Pho Van Van's pho broth is genuinely made from meat and bone, Jenn and I took home some pho we couldn't finish and left it in the fridge overnight.

Gelatinous pho broth
It solidified characteristically of meat and/or bone-based stock/broth, which carries significant gelatin (dissolved from collagen). As per a discussion at a recent pho tweet-up at Pho Bo Ga La (784 Somerset Street West), pho broth solidifying is not itself indicative of significant fat content. Fat will rise to the top of a stock/broth and solidify as a separate layer. This layer is typically completely opaque, white, and brittle.

And, for those interested in pho at Pho Bo Ga La, here are my tweeted first impressions:

Pho at Pho Bo Ga La (#ottawa) is somewhat small in portion, served lukewarm, rather salty, and could do with fresher bean sprouts.

Oh and Pho Bo Ga La (#ottawa)'s pho noodles were overcooked...

You would be better off ordering pho at Pho Van Van.

Particulars:
Pho Van Van
93 Holland Avenue
(613)722-1663

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