Thyme & Again — Restaurant in Ottawa

First time stopping into the Carling location for some quick picnic eats before heading to the park. The fam and I knew we wanted to just grab some sandwiches and go so we walked in and headed straight to the fridge. No hello from staff, who made eye contact. I gave the employee a smile and felt the awkwardness. Maybe he smiled back under his mask? Grabbed what we needed and headed to the baked goods section by the cash, where another employee was standing behind the display, who made eye contact. No hello, and the employee stood back, until we asked for a couple baked goodies.

Maybe this is the vibe of the store and employees are told to keep their distance from customers until help is requested? I'm not sure but the whole interaction was kind of just weird. The employee who did end up packing up our baked goods and checking us out was friendly, but to the point. We kind of just wanted to get our items and go, the environment wasn't the most welcoming.

I grabbed the shaved veggie sandwich, hubby got the chicken. Sandwiches came with coleslaw and a pickle. We also got a smores cookie as well as a strawberry shortcake layered cake in a jar and some pita chips, bringing it to 40 bucks before taxes.

We went on our merry way and unpacked our goodies at a nearby park, and realized there was no cutlery in our bag. We weren't asked if we wanted cutlery and I did not see a station to grab cutlery. We made a spoon out of the coleslaw lid to eat it, and the kid and I used our fingers to eat the strawberry shortcake. I did notice when I flipped the strawberry shortcake jar over there was a hair in the jar on the bottom (see pic attached), which was a bummer.

Honestly, everything combined, the experience could've...

This place is a " It depends.." sort of destination. If you searching for a high end dessert for an evening dinner party then bouya! This is the place to come as long as it's not putting you out of you way. Seriously.. do not go out of your way as there are many other options in that category that would rate much higher..However if in the neighborhood then yes absolutely! As for Healthy or at least slightly more gourmet fast dining experience of a sandwich or coffee.. well.. 50/50. Depends what your up for. Menu changes all the time. Mostly this place is for those that need a gourmet meal at home but don't, won't, or can't cook it. PRICING VARIES WIDLY. If your wallet is a tad light, seek other options. Additionally my visit was later in the day and close to closing and the staff seemed cranky and unimpressed with a first time visitor to...

First time visiting the Carling Ave location. I was disappointed to see how few items are available compared to the Westboro location, where I constantly bought sandwiches and other lunch items.

Decided to get the frozen grab-and-go Bulgogi dinner (frozen being the only food options at this new location), because Korean Bulgogi is one of my favourites — but it was HORRIBLE! Even my husband refuses to eat it and he eats anything. I can’t believe how bad it is. $16 for the small, which would feed two - the rice is hard and the only seasonings you can taste are soy sauce, garlic, and way too much sugar. Nothing like real Bulgogi. A complete waste of my money and the special trip I made to visit this new location.

Such a shame considering the Westboro store is one of my all-time favourite lunch spots and would get five...