Five months ago, the Allium restaurant was closed for 12 weeks due to a fire. The restaurant above it, Les Grillades, suffered a devastating grease fire that spread downstairs, causing fire, water, and smoke damage to the entire building. Les Grillades is still out of commission. Allium, however, used the downtime to perform some renovations and re-opened July 19, 2007.

The renovations added booth seating to the back of the restaurant, next to a now publicly visible wine rack. They also removed the booth seating on the right hand side of the restaurant, replacing it with more tables. The restaurant itself, however did not change its look. It retains its dark mahogany furniture and warm brown shades on its walls and ceilings.

My better half, her sister, and I visited Allium during its grand re-opening. We were one of the first patrons to visit for dinner. The menu included pacific sockeye salmon, ostrich, fine Quebec Cheeses, sirloin beef, rack of lamb, stuffed chicken breast and several seasonal deserts. It became the menu for July.

Allium's menu changes monthly to exploit the freshest and most seasonal ingredients. This includes showcasing fruits, vegetables, and of course, game meats and fish. Regarding fish, Allium is a supporting restaurant of the Endangered Fish Alliance. Allium only serves "sustainable" seafood. It also is a recommended member of the Canadian Restaurant and Food Service Association.

Appetizers
For appetizers, Jenn, her sister and I shared an order of Ostrich Lollipops. The ostrich lollipops consisted of shaped ground ostrich, breaded with panko, and deep fried. Inside each meat ball was melted fresh mozzarella cheese. The lollipops were served on top of a roasted tomatoes and a basil and chili pesto. A side salad of bitter spinach was also included to provide a counter point to the deep fried lollipops.

According to our waiter, Bryan, ostrich has an almost top sirloin after-taste. Indeed, our ostrich meat meat balls looked and tasted like red meat. Unfortunately, because the meat was ground, we could not appreciate the texture of the ostrich meat. The breading however was crispy and provided another texture to the tender and flavourful meat. The mozzarella in the meat balls kept the meat moist.

Entrees
For entrees my better half and I ordered the Wild Sockey Salmon. Jenn's sister ordered the basil stuffed chicken breast.

The salmon entree consisted of a large fillet of wild salmon on a bed of grilled corn kernels and bits of roasted red pepper. It was topped with a peach salsa and garnished with dollops of roasted poblano sauce and several seared green onions.

The salmon fillet itself was cooked to perfection, grill seared crispy on the outside and moist in the center. One look at the dark flesh of the salmon our mouthes was watering. Every bite was savory and rich with slight hints of smokiness. The peach salsa provided tart fresh flavours. The roasted corn kernels and red peppers provided sweet earthy flavours. Each provided necessary flavour contrasts to balance the intense flavours of the wild salmon.

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The stuffed chicken breast consisted of a very carefully carved piece of skin-on white meat with a chicken drummet attached. It was served on a small pool of gravy. Accompanying the stuffed chicken breast were sauteed grape tomatoes, black olives, and thinly sliced grilled eggplant. The stuffing seemed employ a white bread-base and lots of finely chopped basil. Both the chicken and the accompanying vegetables were conservatively garnished with finely chopped parsley.

The stuffed chicken was oven roasted to a beautiful golden colour. The flesh tasted like it were brined. It was moist and very tender, neither dry, nor harsh. The stuffing was moist and provided another texture to the tender chicken and crisp chicken skin. The gravy was meaty. It most likely included some of the cooking juices from roasting the chicken. It also tasted of roasted garlic. What was most impressive was the portioning. The stuffing was portioned so as not to overpower the chicken. Yet, enough was present that every bite of chicken breast came with a little stuffing.

Regarding the accompanying vegetables, the vine ripened grape tomatoes were seared and glistened with olive oil. The roasted red pepper was roasted to add some smoky flavors and bring out their sweetness. The eggplant was grilled and did not taste bitter. Either the eggplant was picked young or its flesh was purged of its alkaloid laiden liquid. It was tender and not at all mushy.

Both entrees highlighted well seasonal fruits and vegetables from the Ontario region for late July: sweet grape tomatoes, fresh corn, red peppers, and newly picked peaches. Their preparations showcased tastes and textures of what will later become the bounty that the oncoming autumn will bring. These fruits and vegetables are the first picks of a new crop and they were cooked flawlessly.

Dessert
What better way is there to finish a meal that was rich in flavors than with a rich dessert? As such, we ordered and shared a creme brulee. This deceptively easy to make dessert is like many classical recipes. It is easy to make but difficult to make well. The custard needs to be light and delicate. The sugar crust needs to be thin, yet crispy. The crust's sweetness needs to highlight the flavor of the custard.

The creme brulee came recommended by our waiter. It was for good reason as well. Unlike other preparations I've seen, the creme brulee that was served was shorter (half the average height) and wider (twice the average width). The increased surface area allows for more crust to form. The signature sugar crust from creme brulee is created by sprinkling white or brown sugar onto the cooked custard and melting it either under the broiler or with some sort of butane torch. Given the highly localized caramelization, a torch was used, which means that either the chef or his sous chef personally finished the dessert for us. Most importantly, the crust was glassy, but paper thin. The custard itself was very delicate, light, and smooth. It was also made with vanilla beans and not vanilla extract. This is demonstrative of the bits of dark vanilla bean at the bottom of the custard dish. Preparing the custard this way yields a more intense vanilla flavor that goes well with caramelized sugar.

The creme brulee was also served with a freshly made short bread cookie. The cookie was sweet, but not cloyingly so. Its texture was light and cakey. From my many hours baking short bread at Christmas, I can definitively tell you that this texture is extremely difficult to achieve. The dough cannot be worked too much as to develop gluten. It also needs to be loose to bake up light. However, it needs to come together. Else, the cookies will fall apart.

The Allium's prepartion of creme brulee is now my favourite. I will be hard pressed to order creme brulee anywhere else. And yes, this means that I will have to wait to eat it again until Allium's chef and owner, Arup Jana, decides to add it to his monthly menu.

The entire meal cost $112.00, including taxes, but not tip. This also includes a pair of coconut rum drinks with pineapple juice and grenadine. Given the sheer quality of the dishes we were served and the care that was taken to prepare them, $40 a person is a bargain. This is especially true of a restaurant in the Wellington Village.

Remember that the most expensive restaurant in Ottawa, Juniper, is located several streets down. There, two entrees, an appetizer, a dessert, and a pair of drinks would easily cost double. Besides, Juniper is located in a renovated portion of a Subaru dealership. It's look and feel is cold, metallic, and modern.

At Allium, its warm colours and wood rich finish provide a better ambiance with which to enjoy its stunning foods.

Allium provides feasts for both the eyes and palate. Just look at the colours and textures displayed. Expert plating is but one example of the care that goes into Allium's exquisite dishes.

After 12 weeks, turning away loyal patrons, what is the first thing that a restaurant should do? The answer is to launch a grand re-opening that reminds old customers what they missed and attract new customers with some amazing dishes. This is precisely what Allium succeeded in doing for their grand re-opening.

Visit the Allium. Go back often.

Particulars
Allium Restaurant
87 Holland Avenue
tel.: (613)792-1313
fax.: (613)792-1414


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