The Albion Rooms

When I think back to the cities I’ve traveled to, long after the memories of beaches, landmarks and museums have faded, my greatest memory is of the food.

My first sampling of peanut satay served in a boat-like vessel crafted out of palm leaves from a nearby tree.

The taste of piping hot Um Ali, a middle eastern bread pudding specialty, paired with dates and rich, turkish coffee.

The End of the World restaurant that served up giant shrimp, straight from the sea, with their eyes, head and tail still in tact.

Food- the epicentre of culture- is  the gateway into history, culture and tradition.  And it is always what I remember most vividly.

My cardinal rule when dining in a foreign land is to stay far away from the restaurant that lies in the lobby of the hotel. In my experience, those locales usually caters to clientele’s familiarities and rarely offer an accurate representation of local cuisine.  This has been my rule of thumb.

Though I am not a traveler or tourist in Ottawa (although I sometimes pretend to be), I still maintain that when I go out for a meal I steer clear of hotel bars and lounges. But after hearing a buzz in the Byward streets about one particular hotel restaurant, it seemed like the right time to bend my rules for The Albion Rooms.

Located in the lobby of the Novotel, The Albion Rooms is exactly what you DON’T expect from a hotel restaurant. Cozy wing-back chairs are stippled throughout the lounge, with dim, low hanging lights. Dashes of rustic wood and stone lead the eye to mason jars filled with confitures and preserves and a glass case displays a charcuterie cutting wheel. As you wander through the cavernous “rooms” you will discover a closed off nook, perfect for intimate gatherings. The decor and ambiance is welcoming, but it was the food that made me stay.

Let’s begin with the charcuterie plate: a $22 dollar plate with heaping portions. The foie gras was mouthwatering, sprinkled with Himalayan salt and accompanied with sweet and salty honey.

The tuna special, served that particular evening with pickled peaches, pistachio and avocado crema,  was a fan-favourite among myself and my co-diners. Fresh flavours, bright acidity and a colourful palette made an impression on everyone at the table.

The cornish hen, another stand out of the evening, was lathered in a peach-rye BBQ sauce served with savoy slaw and fresh cut roast garlic potatoes.

Even smaller items like the roasted cauliflower (saffron, mayo, raisins, parsley and pine nuts) and scotch egg (with Mexican chorizo and a paprika aioli) were culinary marvels.

If you’re simply in the market (quite literally) for a quick cocktail, make a stop at The Albion Rooms for a “Rideau Ruin” where savoury meets sweet in a genius concoction of gin, thyme, honey, peach and citrus. Although we didn’t indulge, it is rumoured that The Albion Rooms is also home to Ottawa’s best caesar, The Marcus Brutus. This variation of the Canadian classic libation is allegedly “so good that it killed the original caesar”, with house made rim, pickle juice, hot sauce and spiced syrup, combined with dill infused vodka and a dash of red wine, garnished with S2S capicola, chorizo and salami.

The wine list too, boasts a balanced selection of Canadian wines, old world and new. Taste worthy wines include the Tawse Gamay from Niagara, Kung Fu Girl Riesling and the Norman Hardie Cab Franc from Prince Edward County.

The Albion Rooms personifies Canadiana fare and, based on Chef Stephen La Salle’s mandate of sourcing locally and changing the menu frequently to keep in line with local suppliers, you will be hard pressed to find a more accurate representation of our nation’s great love affair with food.