As dawn approaches on Boxing Day, thousands of people across the city line up outside Best Buy, Future Shop, Staples, Walmarts, and other big box stores. Others still head to the shopping malls, looking for bargains. Meanwhile, I am fast asleep in my nice warm bed with a turkey hangover. After our annual big Christmas dinner, Don and I have no appetite when we wake up and have no desire to take part in the frenzy within and without malls. However, we do have our Boxing Day traditions, which includes making a stop for a late lunch/early dinner at our favourite neighbourhood Lebanese restaurant, Les Grillades. It is usually our only meal on boxing day.

Les Grillades
The tradition started after Christmas 2007. As with Christmases hence we were feeling exhausted from weeks of shopping for gifts, weeks of baking for care packages, and several days of preparing Christmas dinner for my family. Feeling lazy and hungry, we set out with the goal of eating something delicious in a nearby eatery, preferably a quite one. Walking only a few metres, we found the perfect place at Les Grillades. We frequent Les Grillades somewhat regularly, but never on a holiday. Its food is always tasty and the service, friendly, but slow.


Welcome to Les Grillades!

With healthy appetites, I ordered an appetizer of potatoes and the Kafta Lamb plate while Don chose the grilled boneless half-chicken plate.


turnips and garlic sauce

After placing our order with the server, small bowls of pickled turnips and fresh garlic were soon brought to our table, standard accompaniments for Middle Easter meals. While the turnips tasted like they came from a bottle, the garlic sauce was fresh, incredibly light, and airy.


Warm pita

Our server also brought us a basket filled with a sandwich bagged pita bread, two to a bag, quartered, and warm. Judging from how the bag felt, the pita bread had been heated by microwave. It went very nicely with the condiments, which we were encouraged to eat as we awaited our mains.


Hummus and garlic potatoes

Next, a small bowl of humus came. Made in-house, its texture was coarse, but it was tasty. It was drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with finely chopped parsley. I should mention that all this was served before our appetizer was brought to our table.

When it did arrive, the potatoes resembled halved wedges. Fried and seasoned with coriander and garlic, they sported a nice tang. However, we were a bit disappointed with the somewhat soggy texture. For $3.50, we had been expecting something more, at least freshly fried. Soft and warm, these potatoes had been fried some time ago and warmed via microwave.

Approximately an hour after placing our order, our mains finally arrived. Rather famished, we could not help, but take a few minutes to simply inhale the smell of food before us. The smells of freshly charcoal grilled chicken and lamb was heavenly. Both plates came with generous helpings of seasoned basmati rice with golden sultana raisins and freshly dressed salads of shredded romaine lettuce, green peppers, hot house tomatoes, and cucumbers.


Grilled boneless Half-Chicken plate

The chicken was a bit salty, but it was beautifully de-boned, tender, smoky, spiced and deliciously moist. With garlic sauce, chicken, vegetables, hummus, and pickled turnip, you can make your own mini shawarma sandwiches. Don's perfect bite paired brightly dressed lettuce with dark meat chicken, a little rice, and a drag through the garlic sauce. I could not help but steal a few pieces of chicken when he was not looking. At $11.99, this platter was a steal.


Grilled Kafta Lamb plate

My order of lamb was also a delight. The matched pair skewers of hand shaped grilled lamb was very moist, smoky, well-seasoned, and lovely crusted on the outside. At times, I made my own mini lamb sandwiches with the pita, but also found my perfect bites pairing lamb with rice and salad. Unable to help himself, Don insisted on trading some chicken for lamb. With the Kafta lamb plate at $11.99, this too was a great deal.

Two complimentary boxes of chicklets arrived with the bill.

Cheque

Gum!
Reminding me of those small boxes of gum I used to get in my Halloween bag, these pieces of gum are called Cheques and come from Lebanon.

As we have mentioned in previous posts, service can be rather slow, especially when ordering full platters. Often times, the wait from order to plate is an hour. However, it is often worth it. Les Grillades lives up to its reputation of serving the best charcoal grilled chicken in Ottawa. Its food is always consistent and with generous portions, many customers request boxes so they can finish their leftovers later.

If you have some time free time and are looking for some great Lebanese food, you will not be disappointed here.

In fact, our neighbour insisted we go again later that week. Pictures of kebbe and grilled sujok sausage from that dinner follow after the jump.

Aside: For Boxing Day 2009, we returned and discovered that the prices were still the same.

Boxing Day 2008, itemized

• 1 hot garlic potatoes
• Grilled Boneless Half-Chicken plate
• Kafta Lamb plate

Total (after taxes before tips): $31.06

Boxing Day 2009, itemized

• 1 hot garlic potatoes: $3.50
• 1 Sanbousk (cheese-filled dumplings 4 pcs): $4.50
• 1 soft drink (can): $1.50
• Grilled Boneless Half-Chicken plate: $11.99
• Kafta Lamb plate $11.99

Total (after taxes before tips): $37.85

More after the jump...

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

During lunch one Friday, I found myself on the Gatineau side wondering where I could pickup miniature marshmallows for a recipe I wanted to attempt that evening. Then, something dawned on me. During this past winter's 53 day transit strike, a co-worker friend of mine saved herself taxi fare to the supermarket by walking down Eddy Street to a Giant Tiger. I decided to wander down the same street and found a number of eateries lining it. One of them is named "Le Coin du Chiche", which roughly translates into "Chickpea Corner."

Several days earlier, a friend and fellow shawarama enthusiast told me he spotted something-"du Chiche" on Eddy Street during a walk around the "neighbourhood." A quick search on google turned up both the eatery's full name and an Ottawa Xpress review from 2005. In it, then reviewer Lucy Rest referred to Le Coin du Chiche as "little more than a hole in the wall." However, despite its paltry interior and almost complete lack of seating room, it served "the best shawarma, bar none." She further encouraged patrons to "find a way" to the restaurant despite its short business hours that "catered" to nearby government offices.

With a recommendation like that, I decided to try it out on my way back from the Giant Tiger. Heading Rest's warning about the "Madame who runs the place insanely efficiently", I read the menus on the wall behind the counter carefully while I was in line. When it came my turn, I curtly responded to questions and ordered a full-size chicken sandwich, all dressed, and to go.

Here's what I was served:

Standard looking pita sandwich, wrapped in foil

From my stand-point behind the counter, I just just saw a Madame (not the Madame who took my order) split a full-sized pita and layer onto it white and dark meat chicken from a tupperwear container, vegetables (shredded iceberg lettuce, Frenched onions, sliced pickles, pickled turnips, and pickled hot peppers), and plenty of a white sauce from a large squeeze bottle. She then rolled up the sandwich, surrounded it with foil, and placed it on an antique-looking panini press to heat up.

When I unwrapped the foil I noticed significant cracks in the pita.

Cracks in the Pita
Assuming this was due to it being toasted, I carefully opened the sandwich to examine the filling.


Filling
Contrary to the review, I was not impressed by the chicken. I have encountered non-rotisserie chicken shawarma before. It was griddled. Eye-ing a residential oven in the cooking space behind the counter, I surmise that the chicken in the sandwich was baked, then boned, and chopped. Taste-wise, it was poorly seasoned and carried no spice. Texture-wise, it was somewhat harsh and overcooked.

Further, the sauce used was not garlic sauce common to other shawarma houses. Called "toum", the more familiar garlic sauce is thick and either creamy or airy. According to recipes from lebaneserecipes.com and waitrose.com, toum is basically an aioli made with fresh garlic. What my sandwich was drenched in was a very thin donair sauce. Donair sauce is made with milk, vinegar, sugar, and garlic powder. Unlike toum, donair sauce is slightly acidic.

When I went to put the sandwich back together and started to eat it, I discovered why the cracks had appeared. The pita was stale. It simply fell apart.

Complete Integrity Collapse
Day old pita is dry and brittle. Fresh pita, is soft and folds easily. Even toasted, fresh pita retains some malleability.

All in all, the sandwich, which was a mess to eat, was somewhat palatable. Best "bar none"? Hardly!

Ethnic Middle Eastern - Lebanese?: ---$, ----*

I doubt I will be returning to the establishment and recommend others to avoid it.

Nonetheless, here is their card:

Card

Particulars:
Le Coin Du Chiche
56, rue Eddy
Gatineau
(819)770-6152

This year, I arranged vacation days around the Mother's Day weekend to ensure that there was ample time to celebrate the mothers in my life: mine, my better half's, and her godmother. Best of all, I would have a day to recover afterward. Having a four day weekend and a long list of tasks to accomplish, we rented a car, picking it up Friday morning. Between chasing from one end of the city to the other, foodies both, we indulged in visiting several eateries, normally difficult to get to without a car.

Whalesbone Sustainable Fish and Oyster Supply
For lunch on the Friday, we went to The Whalesbone Sustainable Oyster and Fish Supply, located 504-A Kent Street.

Front

Side Signage
There, we encountered Chef/Manager Kate Klenavic in her characteristic toque, which she seems to be always wearing in her pictures.

What makes the Whalesbone Supply sustainable? According to its handouts, it is committed to sourcing shell-fish and fin-fish from suppliers who practice sustainable farming and fishing. While their product list is small, their targeted species reflect, among other factors, the following:

• populations abundant enough to sustain fisheries
• preference to hook & line caught fish over trawling
• preference to on-shore farmed fish over open water
• preference to string and rack farmed shellfish over ground culture
• minimized catch of non-targeted species
• protection of spawning grounds, sea beds, and kelp beds
• sustainable management initiatives

Together, purchasing sustainable fish from Whalebone Supply ensures that fisheries remain healthy, less species go extinct, the food chain is preserved, "by catch" is reduced, and damage to the natural habitat of fish and other marine life is preserved. They are also honest about their fish being shipped to Ottawa frozen when not in season.

Between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm, Fridays and Saturdays, Whalesbone Supply sells their "Famous Brown Bag Lunches", made from available stock. Because of unfortunate weather patterns in Western Canada, leading up to the day of our visit, the bag lunches were restricted to yellow perch and mackerel from Lake Erie and sockeye salmon from Alaska.

Lunch Board

Jenn had the Perch Dog Sandwich (cost: $5.50)

Perch Dog

Cross Section
Think incredibly fresh tasting, lightly floured, and pan fried fillet of perch in a soft kaiser (with toasted sesame seeds). It was accompanied by lightly pickled onions, shredded lettuce, and homemade mayonnaise. The bite I took was amazing, balancing crispy freshly cooked fish with crunchy lettuce, fatty mayonnaise, and bright pickled onions. The onions reminded us of sauerkraut.

I had the hot smoked salmon sandwich (cost: $6.50)

Hot Smoked Salmon Sandwich

Cross Section
When the Whalesbone Supply opened, the father of one of the co-founders found that he had a hot smoker that he wasn't using and offered it to the establishment. It is now located at the rear of the building. The result: Whalesbone Supply produces some really nice hot smoked sustainable fish, which they sell to a steady stream of customers. Hot smoking fish means that it is lightly cured and cooked in smoke that has not been cooled. As such, the fish is not preserved and will need to be refrigerated to prevent spoilage. Textures different to cold smoked fish are produced, but hot smoking adds a wonderful smoky flavour.

Case in point, the hot smoked salmon. Think gently flaked fish that came from smoker to plate, in a soft kaiser. It was accompanied with a sour cream sauce, lightly caramelized onions, and capers. This take on the classic cold smoked salmon with cream cheese and capers was great. The same balance is achieved between savory, smoky, and bright flavours, all carried by the fat in the sour cream. But, there is added sweetness and texture from the onions. Yum!

Total: $20.00 including 2 drinks, taxes, and tip. This is quite the bargain, considering that the fish came straight from the supplier.

Speaking of drinks, Jenn and I purchased two types of ginger ale, a more traditional canned Schweppes and a much more full flavoured Stewart's Ginger Beer.

Stewart's Ginger Beer
Stewart's didn't carry the strong and searing punch of ginger like the Jamaican ginger beer I tried at the Ottawa Bagel Shop. It was also less sweet than the Schweppes.

Please do not confuse the Whalesbone Sustainable Fish and Oyster Supply with the Whalesbone Restaurant on Bank Street.

Whalesbone Restaurant
Both are affiliated, but one is a supplier. The other is reputedly the go to place for fish and seafood in Ottawa. Further, the Whalesbone Supply has no seating area. Bag lunches are strictly takeout, made to order, and, if 10 or more will be purchased at any one time, they require prior warning by phone.

The Works
After having accomplished Friday's errands, Jenn and I took her sister Jazzie for dinner at, what I feel is the flagship location of locally owned "The Works" burger chain. Its Glebe location on 580 Bank Street is the oldest of the 5 establishments. The others are located in Kanata, Orleans, Manor Park, and Westboro. I believe the Glebe location is where the "legend" was born and it serves as the example for the others. As such, while Jenn and I have had Westfest burgers from the Westboro location, we decided to have our first authentic "The Works" experience in the Glebe.

A description follows after the jump:

More after the jump...

As some of my readers are already aware, I changed jobs recently and shifted office buildings away from Place Du Portage (200 Promenade du Portage) in Gatineau. The move was in response to an offer of a new challenge that I eagerly accepted. As a result, my eating habits have changed. The restaurants and shops that I frequented over the past 5 years are no longer conveniently located within several paces. While I normally bring lunch with me in re-usable containers, I have found that I gravitated to certain eateries when I forgot my bagged lunch in the fridge or worse, on the counter. Before I moved my belongings, I systematically re-visited many of the eateries in and around Place Du Portage's phases.

Portage - Cultures:
Regarding Portage's in-house food court, I usually purchased a quick lunch from Cultures when time was pressing and a cold lunch sufficed. Culture's has quite the variety in its buffet from fresh cut fruit and vegetables to meat and even stuffed grape leaves, all of which patrons purchase by the gram(g).

My favourites include its avocado salad (tart and sweet dressed riped avocado), spinach salad (bright dressing with fresh green leaves), large chunks of processed gouda, and quinoa salad (cooked to resemble buhlgur).

My Typical Lunch from Cultures
With each purchase, patrons can also pickup quarters of complimentary white or whole wheat pita bread. Cost: typically, under $10 for the serving shown.

Here is their business card:

Business Card

Update on Cultures: I have recently been informed that Cultures has raised the flat price for coffee from $1/any size to $1.25/any size to match competing venues in the food court.

Portage - Thai Express:
Thai Express is a relative newcomer to Portage's food court, opening after the 51 day OC Transpo bus strike. Its business model was novel, as ingredients were assembled and dishes were made to order in large carbon steel woks over powerful gas-powered elements. The spectacle of watching highly skilled cooks put together a dish over flames that shot high into the air quickly gathered crowds of people. The distinctive tasting dishes made by exposing ingredients to high heat, caramelizing sauces and giving an oily sear, were habit forming. Hence, property management had to fence off and redirect the long lines that formed and blocked access to other eateries during the lunch hour.

Line Up in front of the Thai Express

Here is a pad-thai from one of my last lunches in the building:

Spicy Chicken Pad Thai with egg, green onions, and...

perfectly post-al dente rice noodles, coated in a tamarind-based sauce
It was served in an updated, but equally adorable box...

Cute Box
along with a cellophane noodle spring roll

Freshly fried spring roll

At $6.38 + $1.99 (combo: drink + spring roll), before taxes or tip, I feel that this is the best deal to be had for a good-sized portion of really decent pad thai. The pad thai from the Thai Express in Place Du Portage is also markedly better than that served at the Rideau Center location, largely due to the cooks. I hope the cooks keeps up the quality as the Thai Express chain makes peanuts optional instead of cooking them into their dishes. If you want to add peanuts, you can sprinkle them onto the respective dish after it is served.

Portage - Teriyaki Kyoto:
It is an odd juxtaposition that a terikyaki/sushi eatery in Portage's food court makes perhaps the most respectful incarnation of former McDonald's franchisee Herb Peterson's McMuffin.


Teriyaki/Sushi eatery

English Muffin Breakfast Sandwich

As I have alluded to before, with its shaped egg, crisped bacon, slice of processed cheese, and toasted to order English muffin, this English muffin breakfast sandwich is the finest that can be had in the Portage complex.

Speaking of juxtapositions, perhaps McDonalds would like to add Egg McBaozi to the menu...

Frequented eateries outside of Portage follow after the jump:

More after the jump...