In this new biweekly feature, Apt613 asks blog contributors and local food lovers about their recent Ottawa area restaurant highlights to help you find new tasty treats to discover or revisit when someone inevitably asks, “Where do you want to eat?” We want to hear about something that you ate and loved! Leave comments below, and if you’d like to contribute to a future edition of Best Bites, email <editors@apt613.ca>.
Best Bites this week:
- Blue Nile ( 707 Glastone Ave)
- Edinburger (1 Springfield Road)
- Siam Bistro (1268 Wellington St West)
Tucked away between Seed to Sausage and the corner of Bronson and Gladstone you will find Blue Nile, my favourite Ethiopian restaurant in town. There is a small unassuming dining area where you will always be able to find a seat, but the food travels well, if you prefer to eat at home (or in the nearby park in nice weather). For those who have never had Ethiopian food before, I must preface this recommendation by letting you know that it is a meal best eaten with your hands. The “fillings”, so to speak, come heaped onto the injera, a fermented pancake-style sour bread, which you use to scoop everything into your mouth in one delicious bite.
Blue Nile. Photo: RestaurantGuru
So which “fillings” would I recommend? If you are vegetarian, or even if you are not, I suggest you order the vegetarian combination platter – at 13.99$ it is enough food for one and then some – and it is bursting with a symphony of flavours. You get the opportunity to try bites of all their best veggie offerings in one wonderful dish. Another excellent choice is the beef tibbs, which you can get juicy or dry. Both are tasty, but don’t ask me to explain which is which. Both of these dishes are plenty of food for two, but I would also suggest that you try one of their juices. Made in house, they are a great addition to any meal.
-Amanda Armstrong
Nothing beats a good burger, and smash burgers are popping up all over town. I’ve been wanting to try Edinburger for months, and took the opportunity to order it in when a hankering for a good burger and milkshake could not be ignored. The new burger joint opened up on Springfield Road last fall, and you can order online for pickup, check out their fun vibes location, or get Uber Eats to bring it to your door. I ordered the the Edinburger, which is their smash burger with pickles, onions, cheese, lettuce and special sauce. The burger is juicy and carmelized beautifully and is definitely a Big Mac dupe. It was delicious and messy, like a very good burger should be. We also got the poutine, with fresh fries and lots of curds for $10. The gravy is beefy and generous, and the fries are thickly cut and crispy enough to hold up to the gravy and curds.
Edinburger. Photo: Kiersten Vuorimaki
They offer gluten free and vegan options for everything, including gluten free buns, lettuce wraps, vegan buns and cheese and a vegan milkshake that I had to try. Using local Oat & Mill ice cream the milkshake was creamy and oat-y, and while I wouldn’t say it’s as good as a regular milkshake, being able to order a milkshake at all is a joy for the vegan, or lactose intolerant among us. The Edinburger combo is $21 for a burger, beverage and fries or onion rings. The menu is small, so you can work your way through it easily.
-Kiersten Vuorimaki
One of the best Thai restaurants in town has been open in Hintonburg for over 30 years. Siam Bistro is a tiny jewel along a busy stretch of Wellington, that you will definitely need reservations for. The interior is classy and classic Thai, with comfortable booths and excellent, attentive service. When we were there last it was packed with families and diners of all age groups, and it’s obvious why this place is so popular when the food comes out. The menu is huge, with options that span the whole breadth of Thai cuisine, including things that you may not have had anywhere else. We had the chicken satay with peanut sauce to start, which was fantastic and great for sharing with the table. I ordered the Pad Ped Nor Mai Gai, the red curry with chicken and bamboo shoots, prepared in coconut milk with bell peppers and chillies. Red curry is one of my all time favourite meals, so the bar was high, and Siam Bistro definitely delivered. The chicken was juicy, and the vegetable were tender and crunchy. The curry itself had great depth of flavour and enough spice to warm me up on a chilly, wet spring evening. The serving size was generous, especially with the added jasmine rice, and there were leftovers for the perfect lunch the next day. The curry is $19.95, and the rice is an extra $3.75 to soak up all the good sauce. Everything at our table was delicious, so the bistro has made it onto the list of go-to places for all occasions.
-Kiersten Vuorimaki
Siam Bistro Red Curry. Photo: Kiersten Vuorimaki
We want to hear about something that you ate and loved! Leave comments below, and if you’d like to contribute to a future edition of Best Bites, email <editors@apt613.ca>.
.gif)