Restaurant Reviews and an Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar Tasting Bar

Levante at 180 Rideau Street
(Photo by Alejandro Bustos)

As noted in a post this past Tuesday, the number of food-related blogs in Ottawa is immense.  At times, one can be forgiven for thinking that there is a small army of foodies savouring, chronicling and photographing the city's culinary scene.  In order to keep up with this immense body of work, here is a sampling of some recent reviews.

Peter Hum, the new food critic at the Ottawa Citizen, pens a positive review of the Thai Flame in Bell's Corners at 1902 Robertson Road.  Ottawa Magazine, on the other hand, gives the thumbs down to the Hintonburger's breakfast burger.  As for the blog Pickles, it only has positive things to say about breakfast at Stone Face Dolly's.

For those who like soup, Anne DesBrisay of Capital Dining raves about the Dal Shorba, a yellow lentil soup, at Mia located at 917 Richmond Road.  Chef Samsu Mia was the former cook at the Bangladeshi High Commission when he asked for refugee status in Canada after criticizing a government official in his home country.  After receiving ministerial assurance that he would not be deported, Mia started working in area restaurants before opening Mia.  For more details see this CBC story.

Finally, Cool Food Dude pens an interesting write up on The Unrefined Olive, located at 151 A Second Avenue, on the corner of Bank Street and Second Avenue.  Ottawa's first olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting bar, the business carries olive from such places as Tunisia, Chile, Australia, Italy and California.  (Apt613 also published a recent article on this olive oil-focused establishment).