The generous folks of Mena, Ottawa’s premier French cuisine restaurant on Preston Street, invited me to a 5-course tasting of their new winter menu “Game Night”. There was nothing trivial about this meal. Every well-thought-out dish featured Canadian Wildlife delicacies paired with the most unique selection of wines. I am a huge fan of Sommelier Rob Nellis’s work. We seem to have a similar pallet when it comes to wine, so I always look forward to his recomendation. What I loved most about the pairing? The wines were mighty when consumed on their own, but never overpowering the taste of the meal. Now that’s a true partnership!
Chantsy Eats: Common Eatery, new Ottawa restaurant, opens on Elgin Street
I think I can pretty much say that I have accomplished one of my many life goals. Being invited to a new Ottawa restaurant opening and having the chance to sample half the menu… and loving it! This is exactly where I wanted to be, when I started blogging about 5 years ago. It goes to show you that hard work does pay off, and that sometimes you just need to start doing and stop dreaming!
Back in November 2015, I gave you a glimpse of 380 Elgin street’s Common Concept Shop, and even planted a seed about the soon-to-be “eclectic eatery”. Well, it’s open now! It’s called Common Eatery and it’s anything but common. The moment I walked in, I knew this was going to be my new hang-out spot. What a great use of large windows, street views, natural lighting with an urban vibe. This space is perfect to host events or throw a wicked party! In fact, I am sure they are already hosting hip hop nights (*adds upcoming events to calendar and books babysitter)
The food was fantastic: All carefully prepared, with wild contrasting ingredients and beautifully plated too. The cocktail list, blew me away. Also, it’s a danger zone, because when you use really good mixes and high quality ingredients, it’s easy to get carried away! I realize now that I don’t hate liquor, I hate cheap liquor! I am also now switching from bubbles to cocktails (anything with egg whites, St- Germain or Gin, please!)
I don’t want to talk you through this, but more so let your taste buds salivate over my pictures. By the time our meals arrived, I was famished and didn’t take any pics of our actual dinner. I had the bison slider where the patty tasted like we make at home. Lots of fresh Mediterranean flavours with herbs in the meat (delicious!). I tasted my friend’s steak and ravioli which was also excellent.














