I spent part of Canada Day tending to the unwieldy back log of images foodiePrints has amassed over the past two years or so. My digital camera's image numbering reset itself once again (3rd time) and I had to establish yet another "unsorted" folder of images in the archives. In their defense, I don't think Casio ever figured a food blogger would be lugging one of their cameras around with him everyday. The camera's on board software is only capable of incrementing 4 digits of numbers in its file names. And yes, this means that a little over 30 000 pictures have been taken throughout the years.

That evening, Jenn and I watched Ottawa's annual fireworks show from a vantage point outside of the downtown core, on the Scott Street bridge, across from the Bay transit stop, thereby avoiding the crowds and making our Canada Day festivities quieter than usual.

Jenn and I did however walk by Parliament Hill two evenings later, to find the surrounding areas picked clean of litter and the main stage being dismantled.

Parliament Hill 2 days after Canada Day
Along the way, we decided to see how much of our own neighbourhood we could walk during the upcoming weekend.

Wellington West
That Saturday, we took a stroll with a family friend into Wellington West to go to an outdoor art exposition and fundraiser, called "Art in the Alley." It was organized by local artist Alison Fowler of Ali Cat Art and proceeds went to the Ottawa Humane Society.

Art in the Alley

The event was held in the alley way beside the Chick Pea children's store (1395 Wellington Street W), which shares the building with the Ali Cat Studio.

Gorgeous Paintings
Featured artists also included Tammy Shane and Andrew King, whose art we recognized from the the galleries in the Hintonburg area.

Speaking of which, if you frequent Holland Avenue, there is a large piece by Allison Fowler in front of the Foolish Chicken eatery (79 Holland Avenue). Interestingly, Saturday's chalk sandwich sign advertised something beyond rotisserie at the Foolish Chicken.

Jerk Chicken with Dirty Rice
Given our previous experiences with the restaurant, we took a pass.

On our way to the outdoor art exposition, I insisted we take a detour to see Allium's monthly menu. We found the restaurant (87 Holland Avenue) closed and a paper sign stuck to the door.

Closed for Renovations
Accordingly, Allium will be closed for the month of July, re-opening in August. Reason: renovations. I guess Jenn and I will have to wait until next month to sit for a Monday tapas night.

Across the street from Ali Cat Studio, we noticed that the former location of Hair Rods Salon and Spa (1356 Wellington Street W) has been replaced by a soon-to-open Asian tea-house, TeaShop 168.

TeaShop 168
This Toronto-originating chain of tea-houses specializes in bubble tea. I last visited one of their establishments in downtown Toronto on Yonge Street (768), near the Bloor intersection. No doubt, it will give the local tea chain Bubblicity some much needed competition.

We also noticed that Harvest Loaf (1323 Wellington Street W.) was advertising something very seasonal on its menu: strawberry shortcake.

Limited Time: Strawberry Shortcake
With the disappointment from seeing Allium temporary closed, we picked up a cake. For $8.95, the tall and luscious confection generously serves 6 people.

Tall and Luscious

Cross Section

Slice
Covered in a light pastry cream and garnished with quartered strawberries, the shortcake consisted of layer of more cream, sliced strawberries and airy slices of vanilla cake. Realizing that we couldn't possibly make a dent in the cake ourselves, we invited our neighbour to give us a hand.

I should note that, on our way home, cake in hand, Jenn discovered a new beverage enterprise that employs some very innovative marketing.

50 cent lemonade

Available almost daily
Honestly, have you seen anything so daring? And, the advertisements are water proof! Besides, the lemonade is aggressively priced. As our neighbour pointed out, a glass of lemonade downtown during Canada Day easily cost $5. Unfortunately, business must have been brisk because we could not find the young entrepreneurs that day.

Hintonburg and Chinatown
Sunday, we walked to Chinatown to satisfy my craving for pho (Vietnamese noodle soup), taking some of the lesser trafficked roads to avoid the construction on Wellington Street.

On our way to Chinatown, we passed by Credible Edibles (78 Hinton Avenue N.). Finding it closed, we took a picture of something that may interest local cyclists.

Cyclists' Discount
According to the sign, to "reduce greenhouse gases and support good health", Credible Edibles is offering a 10% discount on their "edibles" if you ride your bike to eat-in or take-out. Good stuff!

We also came across the most darling birdhouses along Armstrong Road in Hintonburg.

Water Melon House

Tea House
Cute, adorable, and food-related!

Pho, Fruit Vinegar, Fruit Ice, Mayonnaise, and Scallion Pancakes follow after the jump...

More after the jump...

Sometime after yesterday's workday ended, I noticed that the twitter account belonging to the former CJOH, Ottawa's local branch of CTV, was asking for suggestions for cheap places to eat in town.

ctvottawa Jun 16, 12:57 PM
CTV Ottawa is looking for cheap places to eat. We'll share our findings tonight at 6. Share your tips now!

ctvottawa Jun 16, 02:52 PM
Now, you can recommend your top choices for cheap eats to other viewers on our website... www.ctvottawa.ca. We'll have a full report at 6.

I quickly cobbled together an e-mail and submitted a handful of mine, including establishment names, addresses, what to buy, and links to the corresponding blog post on foodiePrints.

Several hours later, I discovered the e-mail had been posted verbatim to the CTVOttawa website. Here's a screen capture for posterity:

foodiePrint on CTV
Today, I was sent a note of thanks for my suggestions.

ctvottawa Jun 17, 10:37 AM
@foodiePrints Yes! Thank you for your suggestions!

Personally, I think it's pretty cool to have links to foodiePrints on one of the city's news station's websites.

Hopefully, CTVOttawa will get more suggestions. I have another. Sushi Umi on Wellington Street has started serving a $10 lunch special that runs from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm. It isn't restricted to weekdays either as my better half and I discovered on Sunday.

The special changes from week to week. Here is the one we caught:

Lunch Special Signage
Consisting of 6 classic California roll pieces, galbi, salad with sesame dressing, 2 gyozas (fried dumplings), and a small mound of rice, the special is a great value.

Here's what it looks like served:

Lunch Special

Galbi
The galbi, also known to be spelled kalbi, is actually the name of a traditional Korean barbecue dish, consisting of one short rib whose meat is sliced into a long ribbon. When ordering it in a Japanese restaurant, the dish consists of cross cut short ribs that are glazed with a teriyaki sauce on a flat top or grill. Having had both, I can tell you they are markedly different, but both, enjoyable dishes.

What I was served was a bento box, containing freshly steamed Japanese rice (soft and sticky), a fresh salad with a great sesame citrus dressing, two freshly fried pork gyozas (more than likely made in-house), 6 beautifully made classic California rolls (sprinkled with black sesame seeds), and a pile of short ribs. Everything was delicious. I especially enjoyed the substitution of dark sesame seeds over light with my Cali rolls. They looked great and tasted just slightly of caramel.

That said, the lunch special is very filling.

Since Jenn generally dislikes maki or nigiri sushi, she ordered something off the menu: a fried udon noodle dish.

Fried Udon Dish
It came out beautifully. The chicken was wonderfully cooked, tender and sweetly sauced. The vegetables, crunchy, but not raw. The noodles, not very oily. The shrimp, tender and tasty. She thoroughly enjoyed her meal.

Along with her dish, she also ordered a tempura appetizer

Tempura
I found it greasy, but otherwise crispy and well done. It consisted of 2 shrimp, one onion ring, one piece of zucchini, and 4 slices of sweet potato.

Since Jenn insisted on buying, I have no idea how much her noodle dish or appetizer cost.

Mine: $10 before taxes or tip.

I should note that during our meal, one of the cooks from the Ottawa Bagel Shop, next door, dropped by for a "special" to go. He seemed like a regular, greeting the chef/owner warmly. Perhaps the special is a good deal to someone working in the culinary industry as well.

Update: Here's a pic of Sushi Umi's sidewalk sandwich board, advertising an earlier week's $10 lunch at Sushi Umi

Another $10 Lunch Special

Particulars
Sushi Umi
1311 Wellington Street W.
(613)724-2488

More after the jump...

A little over two years ago a sushi shop opened on Promenade Du Portage, called Fuji Sushi. It happened to be situated nearby two large government office complexes, "Place du Portage" (4 phases) and "Terasses de la Chaudiere", in which workers are known to start their days at 7:00 am so that they can put in an hour's workout at the gym when they clock out. As someone who enjoys sleep, I do not understand the propensity to leave home everyday at 6:00 am. However, I do share these early risers' interest in a nearby food purveyor that sells something less greasy than pizza, burgers, or fries.

Besides, at the time, I had a young director and his assistant was very interested in Asian cuisine. Both were caught up with the trendy new sushi shop. Along with another colleague, the four of us set out on several sushi lunch expeditions to close off a particularly long week.

Then, there were some eager workers on the line, fashioning sushi to order and stockpiling 8-20 piece pre-made trays ($9-$24). The following are some of the first trays we dined on:

Three trays

Close up of a 20 piece tray
The sushi was actually decent, conscientiously made and fresh. Such is quite the achievement as the operation employed no seasoned itamae (aka: sushi chef). In fact, the cooks on the line were rather young, some more than likely schooling at one of the culinary schools in the national capital region.

Regarding the nigiri and maki, the rice was loosely packed and lightly seasoned with vinegar. The ingredients were evenly cut and carefully assembled. This was sushi that was slightly higher quality than supermarket.

Please note that, while there is some nigiri, the majority of the sushi can be considered "western-style." There was futomaki (thicker rolls) with tempura shrimp or tempura crumbs (Crunchy roll); futomaki with smoked salmon, avocado, and cream cheese (Montreal roll); hossomaki (thinner and shorter rolls) with mango and cream cheese (Tropical roll); and more common inverted maki or California rolls. "Western-style" sushi differs from traditional "Edo-style" sushi. I highly doubt I would ever find cream cheese in a maki roll were I to visit Tokyo. Were I to suggest it, I seriously expect to be escorted to the nearest water front and asked to swim home...

Recently, a fellow office worker in Gatineau reminded me that Fuji Sushi is still quite popular. I actually hadn't frequented the shop in a year and a half, often finding myself working through most of my lunch breaks. Last Friday, I decided to pop in and pickup a random tray, forgoing my standard packed lunch. Cost: $10.31, including taxes and tip.

Here's what I ended up with:

14 Piece Tray with New Menu

Sushi
I was literally shocked. While Fuji Sushi still included more pickled ginger, wasabi, and light soy than can possibly be eaten with their trays, the tray's contents were astonishing. The hossomaki had next to no rice around their overstuffed cores. The avocado was unevenly cut and clearly oxidized (brown due to prolonged exposure to the air). The tuna on the tuna nigiri was so sloppily sliced thin that it had cracks in it, revealing the rice bed beneath. The shrimp on the shrimp nigiri was so overcooked that it lost its natural texture. The rice beds were also densely packed, requiring much chew to eat.

Worst of all, the rice was hard and it is no wonder.

Rice Bed
Looking closely at the rice bed of the shrimp nigiri, the rice used did not look like sushi rice. It looked like long grain rice. Traditional sushi rice is short grain, like Italian Arborio rice, which is used to make risotto. Unlike short grain rice, long grain rice hardens when cooled.

When I purchased my tray, I also saw someone literally hacking at a side of salmon on a work table with what looked like an 10" scimitar-style knife without a granton edge. Smiling, the cashier told me that he was preparing fish for a party order to be picked up that evening. Looking around, I saw neither Japanese carbon steel knives nor honing steels, typical of a sushi restaurant.

What had a year and a half done to this poor establishment to cause such a drop in quality? Suffice it to say, I won't be returning.

Determination: Domestic North American - Sushi: ---$, ----*

For completeness, former and current menus follow after the jump. However, I advise you not to use them...

More after the jump...

The microwave just blinked 8:00 pm (EST) on this, a restful, Easter Monday. The setting sun against a clear sky seems to corroborate the determination. The Easter weekend has ended. It is time to take stock of the holiday and share highlights with the masses, well my loyal few.

That said, Jenn and I decided not to run the Easter gauntlet this year as we did the Thanksgiving and Christmas ones, opting for a more low key holiday. We went to a newly opened sushi restaurant on Good Friday. We made a somewhat elaborate meal on Saturday for our neighbor, Viv, to celebrate her surviving yet another harrowing week at "the office." And, we served up decent bowls of noodles to family on Sunday.

Friday Sushi
On our way back from our culinary excursion through the Wellington and Westboro villages, we stopped by the newly opened Sushi Umi that was once Amate on Wellington (1311). There, we had a chat with its chef/owner and took a take out menu, promising to return.

Sushi Umi

That evening, we think we were its only patrons. The restaurant was unfortunately empty. Its tables and chairs were untouched since we visited that afternoon. Its Asahi Beer sushi a-la-cart menus were gleaming and unmarred by hot cups of fragrant sesame tea.

Untouched Seats in Sushi Umi's red interior
On the bright side its chef/owner and his wife lavished their entire attention on us and served a very decent meal.

We started with a pretty good miso soup, which is so common as to be cliche, so I won't bother you with pictures. For starters, my better half had the tempura. I, the sashimi martini.

Tempura ($5.95)

Martini Sashimi ($7.95)
Jenn found the tempura fresh, crisp, and pleasantly crunchy. The magic to tempura is impossible light batter, encasing carefully cooked vegetables and shrimp. It was executed well here. As was the martini sashimi. It was a wonderful concoction of whimsy, marrying both form and function. Martini glasses are meant to keep cocktails cold by sequestering heated palms to the stems. Sushi is, as much texture, as flavour and must be served chilled. Regarding the glass' contents, both the surf clam and salmon sashimi were fresh. The tamago (egg) and shrimp were pre-cooked and chilled. I didn't care for the shrimp as it tasted like the bad cocktail variety (overcooked and watery), but I forgave the shrimp for the presentation. I honestly was hesitant to eat such a feast for the eyes.

For mains, Jenn had the salmon terriyaki bento. I, the "Wellington" combo. Hers came with a tail piece of salmon, two freshly fried beef gyozas (dumplings), salad with a squirt bottle of dressing, two cali rolls, and rice.

Teriyaki Bento ($19.95)
Regarding the squirt bottle, the restaurant was newly opened and the chef couldn't find a smaller container, so he gave us his bottle. In it was a very pleasant sesame and ginger dressing. Jenn seemed to have enjoyed her meal, making only one negative comment. The salmon was slightly more done than she preferred. I tried a sliver and pointed out that she clearly hadn't eaten salmon at any big box restaurants recently. I found the salmon done but quite tender. I also enjoyed the piece of gyoza that Jenn put on my plate, crispy skin with a soft and savory beef filling.

For my main, the chef/owner apologetically came to me to tell me that they had no tuna. Having enjoyed my salmon from the martini (never imagined ever typing that phrase), I asked him to substitute more fresh salmon.

Wellington Combo ($11.95)
The fish (salmon and red snapper) was fresh and served at the appropriate temperature. Though, I've never been served nigiri long and narrow before. The rice in maki rolls and nigiri beds were loosely packed and neatly made, so they fell apart in my mouth as I ate them. Don't worry, I used my soya sauce and wasabi prodigiously, as the chef already placed some wasabi in the nigiri. I was sated, but, if you are truly hungry, I recommend opting for Jenn's bento box.

All in all, it was a decent sushi outing, good by Ottawa standards, average by Vancouver standards. In the coming weeks, the chef/owner told us that he plans multiple menus per dinner service. That evening, he operated from the take out menu as his hired cook was off because of the Easter weekend and not all of his supplies had arrived.

Saturday Shawarma
Between picking up duck confit and Niagara bresola (more on this later...promise!) from the Piggy Market (400 Winston Avenue) and preparing dinner for our neighbour, we had takeout for lunch: two trios to go from Istanbouli Shawama House's newly opened Holland Avenue location (81).

Istanbouli Take-Out Trio
Here's a picture of the unwrapped sandwich from another outing.

Istanbouli Eat-In Trio
Think succulent crusted chicken with fresh vegetables and pickles in slightly toasted pita. Accompanying is fresh (sometime microwaved hot) and always crispy potatoes with creamy garlic sauce. There's enough carbs here to fuel a couple days of cooking, let alone the couple hours that followed. Jenn burned off the rest of the calories with a bout of Wii tennis. Me, I attacked the dirty dishes, pots, and pans.

Saturday Dinner Party
Yes, we served rabbit Saturday evening. No, I don't think it inappropriate. Bunnies are celebratory in pagan rituals and have very little to do with the Christian holiday that is Easter. That said, the following images may disturb some (Ryan), so I am going to include pictures of Saturday's meal after the jump.

More after the jump...

As I watch the game of "pitch and toss" that is restaurant ownership east of Westboro, I am reminded of the first four and second last lines of Rudyard Kipling's "If."

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;...
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it

Of its 32 lines of verse, that have born both books and film, these five apply to eateries in the Wellington Village (aka: Wellington West).

Island park marks the beginning of the transition zone where the bohemian (Wellington Street, from Holland to Island Park) turns into the yuppie (Richmond Road from Kirkwood to Woodroffe). Merchants east of the trendy Westboro Village are facing what the Ottawa Business Journal deems "gentrification." Essentially, the area, replete with one and two story buildings and formerly entry lots, is predicted to "mature", following the example of its posher neighbor to the west. Severe road work was performed last summer, widening the walking spaces and laying down interlocking stone. High end loft condominiums are breaking ground in multiple locations. An inopportune property re-valuation before the onset of the recession caused property taxes to increase. Where once landlords felt lucky to be able to charge $10 or $11/square foot, today the same tenants can expect to pay $30/square foot in rent. As a result, businesses are finding it increasingly difficult to cope.

Ever since the Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC) opened its doors, significant business turnover has occurred. Some Wellington regulars have moved either nearby into Hintonburg (Heaven's to Betsy, now 1111 Wellington Street) or out of the area (Cakes, Catering & Party Supplies). Others have been replaced, one by large chain drink purveyor, Booster Juice. Another, by a high end clothing shop. Age old Alexander and Co.'s Label Factory and House of Staples closed.

Label Factory and House of Staples for Lease
The former Destination Hair location (1335 Wellington Street) will become a Greek Tapas restaurant called Aroma Meze

Aroma Meze
Destination Hair moved down the street on Wellington into a smaller space in a converted house.

Several of the most vulnerable businesses, eateries, have failed altogether. Indian restaurant DiWali's (formerly Roses Cafe) changed hands and has been closed by its landlord.

Diwali's bright red Restaurant Signage

Diwali's Street facing Signage

Notice of Closure
The property is now for sale.

For Sale

The owners of Amate (formerly the Trillium Bakery) closed the doors to their authentic Mexican food venture.

Amate

Out Of Business

The Istanbouli Shawarma House (35 Richmond Road) and its neighboring Indian Food Centre and Convenient Store (33 Richmond Road) are being forced to relocate because their land owner feels it more profitable to replace its tenants with yet another 6 story "mixed use" luxury condo building and potentially a baby store underneath.

Site Proposal
Now the landlord has put the property up for sale as a development opportunity.

Site Development Opportunity For Sale

As the owner of the Harvest Loaf Bakery (Wellington 1323 Street) remarked in Ottawa Business Journal, he hopes that the landlords will maintain the eclectic range of businesses that have kept the Wellington Village vibrant. He moved his bakery from Westboro to the Wellington Village nine years ago because of the gentrification challenges he faced there. He is more than likely facing the same today.

Interestingly, the former Harvest Loaf Bakery location in Westboro was taken over by Derek Watkins who opened the Westboro Bakery - Bread of Heaven. He too was eventually forced to leave Westboro when, within a 5 month span, rent increased from $700/month to $3500/month. In a rather public conflict between he and his landlord, Watkins was quoted in the Ottawa Citizen, likening owning a business in Westboro to returning to medieval times, serfs just working to pay rent. Despite a petition to the landlord, he eventually moved and opened the now failed Allo Allo bakery in the Wellington village.

For now, there are signs that the "eclectic" range of businesses will remain. A family owned and run Japanese sushi restaurant opened in Amate's place this past Good Friday. My better half and I saw the new restaurant owner remodeling the interior the week before.

Announcement

Open
We also went to Sushi (Cafe) Umi during their opening night. The food was good. The staff, very friendly. A write-up will follow.

Also, an environmentally conscious business has replaced the former Allo Allo bakery at 78 Hinton. When we found it, Credible Edibles was still renovating the location.

Credible Edibles

Under Renovations
According to the latest edition of the Kitchissippi Times, Credible Edibles has since opened and sells "slow foods for fast times."

Related Links:
Hintonburg Community Association
Wellington West Business Improvement Area
Westboro Beach Community Association
Westboro Community Association