Allium Restaurant - Ottawa

BF wanted to go somewhere different and perhaps a bit fancier for his birthday, so I made a reservation to Allium for 4 of us on a Thursday night at 7pm. Please note that unlike what other yelpers have mentioned, the parking behind Allium is not theirs! If you park there you may get a ticket, just a fair warning. Your best bet is street parking near by. I turned on Spencer and easily found a spot, then walked to the restaurant, less than 3 min away. Allium was booming! The place isn't very big but only our reserved table was empty when we arrived. The staff was very friendly and we were greeted warmly. They provided water right away with the menus and we were then able to order drinks and food. I went for the vegetarian option; the fried dumplings and BF ordered the duck. Our friends ordered the pork belly and the chef's choice, along with a variety of appetizers. We enjoyed our drinks and the appetizers came fairly quickly. I was a bit disappointed with the cheese platter, while everything tasted great, I did not think it was worth it. The other appetizers were much more appetizing and worth it in my opinion. But for cheese lovers, I'd assumed it'd be a great choice. It was a bit longer after that before we received our dishes but the wait for so worth it. All of them were amazing! The sear on the duck was divine and the meat so tender. My dumplings were very flavourful, the pork belly was cooked perfectly and the lamb chops were also very good. I was a bit disappointed with the side of fries, it seemed all we got were bits and ends of potatoes, so I would not order it again in the future. After the amazing appetizers and main courses, the desserts were a bit of a let down. The ice cream was not that great (not really creamy, flavour was over-powering) and the pie was nothing special. I would come back to Allium for special occasions and to try out other unique dishes, but I would pass on the desserts!

One of the best meals I had while in Ottawa. If you are seeking a talented chef among Canada's capital, come here. Walking in, it definitely feels like someone's home hosting a fancy banquet. The tequila infused salmon doesn't sound appealing, but it will be once you see it. Excellent plating, to the point where it almost feels like wimmelholden up close. The tequila offers a unique flavor to the fresh, and clearly vocal salmon flavor. All the little details stand out and uphold the dish, from the earthy radish, the jalapeño powder, down to the crunchy quinoa. The cream is the first chair solo violinist that truly makes everything pop. The only complaint I have is you have to consciously pick out all the ingredients on the fork for the full experience. It's quite easy to eat the piece lop sided, whether too much or too little or anything. The chicken éclair might as well be called the chicken éclair sandwich. I was envisioning a stuffed éclair, but it's much better as an open face sandwich with the top piece separate. The chicken was moist, still had some texture to chew on, and had a bold, sweet, low toned profile. The bread and butter pickles help cut through with some refreshing high notes. The dots of cream on the side didn't seem enough, but I still managed without a lot of cream. The éclair itself takes on a new perspective as A savory dish. It's something I'm surprised more chefs have adopted. Maybe it's the chili powder, but I couldn't help that bling this was an elevated sloppy joe. I still enjoyed this dish, but there's a tinge of nostalgia that lingers with every bite for me. The lamb shank is satisfying alone, but the addition of lime aioli and apple chutney make this a standout dish. The best way I can describe this dish is by thinking about the lamb, encapsulated by the chutney, and then encapsulated by the lime aioli. Perhaps the fat of the lamb conjures spherical worlds of flavor, orbiting around the gravitation of my tongue. Make sure you check the perimeter of the plate, as there are different levels of presence for the sauce. One pile is huge, while another is much smaller but not tucked under the meat. The spinach polenta block of whatever that was on the side was ****. The main spice stood out way too much. I took two bites and stopped eating it. The banoffee was a great dessert. But there are some things that I should mention. There isn't any toffee crunch in this and The whipped cream to filling ratio is 3:1. Otherwise, I was quite pleased with the results. Definitely, a European sweet dessert that's never too sweet. The banana is mixed in, but I can't help to feel it sits in the higher registry than the lower registry. The graham crust is delightfully chewy and gooey. The toffee provides most of the low tones in pudding filling form. Although the chocolate is a side counterpart in the profile, it does a surprising amount, dancing around the banana and toffee flavors. The whipped cream was good, but it could have been just a tad creamier in the taste profile. I love that they offer half orders on this pie. Even with some flaws, this place is still one of the best places to eat during my visit. Some other fancy establishments dont even come close to this place. from start to finish, there was not a single dish that was a dud.

We weren 't sure if the restaurant would have parking in the back but we were right to turn in to take a look because they did have available parking for us. Yay! Otherwise, we would have had to park on the street and it seemed fairly tricky given that it was peak dinner service hour at 6:30 p.m. The host took our coats for the coat check and led us into the dining room for our table. It was so nice inside! Our server that night was very warm and attentive and friendly. Allium Restaurant boasted an extensive drinks and wine selection the pages in the menu go on for more than the actual food menu! I liked that they had a surprise appetizer and surprise dinner choice as well as wine pairings for the entrées. For our appetizer, we went with the surprise appetizer. When we asked our server about it, she said she could only tell us the price but that everything else was a surprise. The only other restaurant I 've been to that has had a surprise on their menu was O Noir. After ordering, we received a fresh loaf of sliced bread with a brown sugar butter with balsamic. This was so interesting to have a brown sugar butter! It definitely tasted sweet but was very smooth. I liked how the bread was light and airy. I was hungry and inhaled quite a bit of the bread. The surprise appetizer turned out to be a Tuna Tataki. It was artfully assembled with so many intricate details and ingredients all over the platter. It was like a forest with the herbs and greens. The server described every single item for us on the platter, but I definitely didn 't take it all down to memory. The taste of the tuna tataki was superb!! It was probably one of the best I 've ever had. The tuna was seared so nicely that the meat was soft and tender. It was seasoned just right. I especially liked the quinoa (so unique since it provided a satisfying crunch to the dish. The blend of the flavours of each ingredient worked together so well too. I had a Californian Cabernet Sauvignon red wine pairing with my entrée that I loved. It was so rich and smooth! The Grilled Beef Sirloin didn 't disappoint in terms of its presentation. It was another arty plate! There were three pieces of the beef sirloin with a healthy red medium rare centre as I requested, dollops of puréed squash, thin slices of pickled carrots, and a log of a potato and parmesan gratin. The beef sirloin was gorgeously grilled but was a tad rough for my taste. It did take me a while to slice it up and chew through each piece. I still liked it though. The gratin was very yummy as were the veggies on the plate. In all, it was a much bigger portion than I ever expected. On the other hand, K 's Smoked Tofu Strudel was amazing and so worth ordering! It had broccoli, sesame, yukon gold, marinated feta, romesco sauce, crème fraiche, pickled tomatoes, heart of palm, fresh herbs, and king eryngii mushrooms. It was creatively plated too but not as pretty in colour as mine. However, the tofu strudel was out of this world in terms of taste! It was a flaky pastry with the tofu and cheese and veggies all wrapped up in it. It was soo tasty!! If I had an alternate reality twin, I would have told her to order that instead of the Beef Sirloin. : ' My dish was so large that I was so stuffed by the end. We couldn 't even have dessert since we were so full. Ah well. I loved the service, ambience, and beautiful attention to the plating at Allium. When the cheque came, the business card noted that the chef and owner of the restaurant were one and the same. I loved how the prices for this fine dining meal were so reasonable too! Our total was only $100 ish considering we had an appetizer, two mains, and drinks too. For something of this calibre, I would have expected a higher bill. Allium Restaurant is definitely worth visiting!

I was in Ottawa for a girls trip and read really great reviews for Allium so we wanted to try it. The ambiance was very romantic with candles and dim lights. The restaurant was small so reservations is required. I ordered the duck which looked great in the Yelp reviews however when I received the dish it was tough and hard to eat. My sister had the pork chop and she said it was delicious! The service was amazing and the wine was great. I just wish my dish tasted better for the price I paid. Would probably not come back to this restaurant.

WOW. I was seriously impressed by their Tapas (Monday night only)! I came with a girlfriend and we tried 5 of them (which was way too much, but we wanted to practically try the whole menu)! Chicken Fried Snails Lemon garlic mayo pickled carrots pickled celery hot sauce honey celery cream ! Slow Roasted Pork Belly baby book choy curried peanuts picked button mushrooms garlic ginger soy glaze! Fried chicken ricotta flagjacks spicy honey cucumber pickled onion spring onion cream! Very satisfying crunchy batter and really enjoyed the addition of the cream for dipping! Seared scallops quinoa salad pickled tomatoes radish marinated jalapeños marinated peas pea purée! Nicely seared and really enjoyed the fresh yet hearty taste of the pea purée! Beef tartare pickles hot sauce devilled egg fingerling potato salad egg yolk mayo toasts! Found the tartare nicely flavored and not too salty which is great! My favorite would be the scallops and the chicken fried snails. Overall, flavors were quite complex (which I love), and it was fun slowly taking bites and trying to figure on what part of the ingredients you were eating! Service is friendly as well. Can't wait to come back and try more!!!