Brassica — Restaurant in Ottawa

Mediocre. Not worth the hype or the price.

It's a busy restaurant, so make sure to make a reservation if you want to give it a try. We had an early reservation at 5:45 p.m., and that's pretty much when the resto opens for dinner. The interiors were okay, nothing exiciting, but the service was good. We were seated at our table as soon as we got got there and a waitress came over pretty quickly. So, service wise, I am happy. However, it was the food that just killed our experience. I guess my expectation was quite high, given how this resto was started and the background of the founders. Sadly, it was bit of a disappointment. Also, I found the menu a bit confusing. It's really a sharing menu, but it's not very clear, is it? You need to order at atleast two items per person, but to be honest, that won't be enough.

We ordered the following items:

Fried Cauliflower (4 stars). It was good. Loved the sauce.

Crispy Calamari (3 stars). It was ok. It wasn't actually crispy.

Fries (1 star). Terrible. Jees! Don't waste your money.

Lamb Spaghetti (2 stars). Total disappointement. This was one item I was looking forward to eat. A soupy lamb spaghettti, that's what it was. Chunks of lamb was just thrown in and felt like the pasta was picked up from a grocery store. :(

Yellowfin Tuna Crudo (3 star). It was good. Small portion.

Crispy Duck Confit (3 star). It was okay. I would say, the skin was cripsy.

Also, the overall presentation of the food...

We enjoyed a delicious dinner from Brassica this past weekend. It was our first time ordering from them and we will be back! I had ordered the dinner for two (x2.5) for my mother's birthday and we were honestly blown away. It takes an exceptionally skilled chef to really meld together diverse flavours so beautifully, but they've mastered it at Brassica. This was easily the best "take-out" we've had, ever. It was like fine dining in our home. The tomato & corn salad was a refreshing medley of flavours. The arancini were cooked to perfection - not greasy or too dense. Everyone raved about them. The braised short-ribs were delectably tender and the pickled squash added a zing of tartness that was refreshing. The chocolate & coffee pudding was the perfect ending to our meal. Portions were large and we had some leftovers as the meal was very filling. We really appreciated the notes for reheating (if necessary), ensuring that our meal tasted just as good as it would have in restaurant. Also really appreciated Brassica adding in a candle for the celebration (especially since stores are closed for non-essential purchases and this allowed us to make the celebration a bit more special). If you haven't tried...

We were a group of 11. The total restaurant capacity is roughly 46, and there is a bar area. The location is not wheelchair friendly.

For the table, we started with the calamari. It was perfectly prepared with a light batter and very fragrant sauce. It was really tender.

For mains, a few selections were made. The most popular was the Steak&Frites medium rare. It was done to perfection! It was not your average striploin for sure! Melted in your mouth. The Pan Seared Pickeral was also delicious.

As for the service, I really can't complain. The staff was very tentative to the table and frequently ensured that the glasses were full and that dishes were taken away promptly. Jason was very professional! Ask for him if he is available! Bread was constantly being refilled without asking. The staff clearly keeps an eye on the table. I did notice that there was no salt and pepper on the table though don't think it is needed. Crushed black pepper offering would have been nice as I do love the extra pepper on my food.

Background music was not too loud, so we could keep the conversation going.

Washrooms were clean and fresh.

Parking is limited on the street.

Ensure to book a spot as I suspect it...