Pür & Simple — Restaurant in Ottawa

UPDATE REVIEW!! So happy to have been invited back by the owners to experience what they really can be like! Below is an edited first review for perspective but what is important here is that you know the efforts that the team here took to make things better. Not just for us but in general. After our last visit and review, Ravi (the owner) took immediate ownership of shortcomings and asked for us to revisit to make things right. So we did. This time, we were greeted by Ravi, seated and met by our server Ciara in short order. Pleasant and attentive was a good start and it went up from there. We ordered a couple of smoothies which took a little while to arrive but were absolutely delicious, and our kids meals...the crepes. We then decided to order the exact same meals to compare apples to apples. It was busy but the food came quite quickly and it was for the most part stellar. The kids' crepes were stuffed with fresh fruit and a very generous portion. They were inhaled! My wife's mish mash omelette with dry brown toast was fantastic and again a generous portion with the only misstep being the toast was buttered heavily instead of no butter. Unfortunately my club suffered some of the same problems. The bottom toast ( a non thick cut style bread) was pressed thin from the weight of the sandwich and was again, soggy due to trapped steam. Along with this, the tomatoes were prepped poorly and were the stem end cut thereby being too hard to eat. That being said, when Ravi came to check on things and it was pointed out he took the tomatoes and immediately went to go ask about the situation with the prep team and kitchen staff.

I can honestly say that I am really backing these guys because of the true effort they put in to try to be better and learn from the mistakes. The ownership of the situation is commendable! From the bringing of the crayon box for the kids to select their favs to ensuring that the errors are being dealt with, the team at Pur & Simple Barrhaven are really trying. A few technical fixes (some of which are due to corporate mandates) and this will be a home run. It's my pleasure to recommend Ravi and the team at Pur & Simple Barrhaven!

OLD REVIEW FOR REFERENCE What a waste of time and money! We expected SO much more!

Our server came by with a smile and the generic "How are WE today?" The "we" was in everything she asked we were soon to find out. "We" were ready to order ( my wife had the mish mash omelette and I the club sandwich which is impossible to mess up and a true standard). The omelette was generous with the ingredients and the potatoes were simply deep fried cubes with a bout 3 strands of burnt onion mixed in that may have been on purpose???? My club sandwich and fries was a whole different thing. It was one piece of dry and proper toast and a properly grilled chicken breast as a lump in the sandwich with the other required ingredients then the wafer thin soggy piece of what once was toast which had been transformed by the weight of the sandwich pushing down as it sat flat on the plate for waaaaaaaay too long trapping all the steam and making in gooey. I actually flipped my sandwich upside down to allow for it to dry out prior to eating.

When our server came over and asked if "WE" are all done I said yes, thankyou and that my wife would like to take the rest of hers home with her and that we would like our bill (lunch dates don't last forever). She said of course the picked up my wife's food and started to pile dirty dishes on top of the food! I quickly told her that my wife wants that food (not to put dirty baskets and plates on it) and yet again we got the old faithful "oh yeah...my bad!" Not...

My wife and two adult children had been here prior and were happy to recommend it to me. So the four of us went there and were quickly greeted and seated. It was maybe 3/4 full and 130pm on Sunday. One of our tables was so wobbly, we were looking for a new 4 spot. After 6 sugar packets, we were able to level it to usable. I wasn't going to look for the leveler on the bottom. Our server was polite, but everything seemed to take longer than expected. For transparency, I worked in the business as a breakfast cook and bartender for 10 years and my had extensive service experience in the breakfast industry. So we know we shouldn't be asking ourselves "where's the coffee. This is a breakfast place, right". The food was relatively quick, but the table beside us got theirs just prior and were overheard to say "finally". Son #1 was good with his, son #2 says his was ok. My wife asked for a classic with no potatoes which was repeated back. She got extra. The bill shows no potatoes. No big deal but small things. And gluten free toast was $.75 a slice. I ordered eggs bene and med cooked. My first egg was done properly, but the second egg was cooked as if it was for egg salad. More than cooked. Sending it back would have left me watching the others. A small mistake. As a former line cook, I know the difference between these two eggs and never would have put that overcooked egg and smother it in hollandaise sauce. Our plates were finished and on the table for a longer than necessary time. As were other tables. Possible, our server was on break to which I don't begrudge. But all this time, a staff member was windexing shelves. Busing services seemed to be absent. We got our bill and I was disappointed that the tip options started at 15%. And the 12$ HST was part of the tip total. All standard today, but still disappointing. My wife actually apologized saying this was not the experience she had prior. I thought I was going to a new brunch event, but it turns out that it was just average. Barely. And I'm being generous considering that it cost $31 each where water and two coffee were drunk. Nothing here...

I was really excited to see that Pür & Simple opened up so close to where I live—I’m a big fan of breakfast spots, so I decided to check it out today during the Victoria Day long weekend.

The place was absolutely packed, which wasn’t a surprise given the holiday. I was put on a waiting list and initially told it would be about 45 minutes, but I was seated in under 15, which was a really nice surprise!

The decor is beautiful—lots of natural light, and I really appreciated that the music wasn’t loud, so you could actually have a conversation. It gave the whole place a relaxed, welcoming vibe.

I ordered a guava margarita (I think it had tequila, though I don’t remember the exact name) and a chicken burger. My friend got the double patty beef burger with fries, and he loved his meal—especially the fries.

For me, the experience with the food was more mixed. I found the chicken burger a bit bland and the fries were over-seasoned for my taste. That said, the portion sizes were generous, and clearly others (like my friend) had a great time with their food—so I think it really depends on what you order.

Service-wise, it took quite a while before our server came to take our order (maybe 15 minutes after we were seated), and the food took a while to arrive too. But again, it was a busy holiday, and the server was friendly and polite, which I appreciated.

Overall, I had a good first experience, and I’d definitely go back—just to try something else off the menu. I love that it’s in the neighborhood, and with such a great atmosphere, it’s worth giving it...