tap my glass

When i was in Vancouver a few weeks ago i got to partake in the glorious transcendence that is all you can eat sushi. It was good, great, amazing… but now, upon my return, i have heard of not one, but 2 all you can eat sushi restaurants in Ottawa!!! Yes, its true!!!!!

Having heard that, and having spent the vast majority of my weekend 5 feet underground under extreme physical duress (more on this later), i knew the only thing that would appease me was a mountain of raw fish. It was risky, considering the place we were going hadn’t been open long, but i was game.

The place we went was on carling between maitland and the 417. It is called 1000 Sushi Islands. O man, we were not disappointed.

There’s just nothing like the tenderness and flavour of fresh raw salmon sashimi (i don’t know how they get it here so fast, but man i’m glad they can!!!). The texture is like a really thick al dente noodle, but a little more forgiving. The smell, o so good. No need to bathe in soy/wasabi, these babies are islands unto themselves. The quality told me right away that this place was legit. Their seaweed salad was probably the best i ever had. Tempura, of which we tried the shrimp and squid (i know, squid tempura, wow!!!), and it was all delightful. They did rainbow rolls which were killer, and their spice salmon rolls were a little different as far as ingredients, but man were they good. Unagi. Awesome. The pieces were a little small, but it was ALL YOU CAN EAT!!!! SO WHO CARES!!!! The only thing that didn’t blow me away was their hand roll thingys, but i’m not a big fan of those anyways.

The service was good, but it seemed one or 2 of the things weren’t what we ordered, or stuff we ordered went to the wrong tables. They come around and fill your water and tea quite regularly, as well as take additional order sheets whenever you have new ones ready (i think we went through 4 sheets). No liquor license yet, but pops are included with the buffet, as is everything - nothing on the menu had a price, except the whole buffet which was 20.99 for fri-sun, and 19.99 (lunch was cheaper, and there are kids and seniors discounts). The menu does say you’ll be charged for what you don’t eat, but i assume this is only if there are piles of things untouched (if anyone has experience with this i’d love to hear about it).

So ya, 1000 Islands Sushi is an ALL YOU CAN EAT sushi place. Its in ottawa. I think the food was better than sushi 88. Which might mean i never go back there, as even being the cheapest sushi restaurant in town i’ve never left there with a bill under 50 bux, and never full, and our bill was 43 and change… o man. I’m totally stoked.

The best thing about it: sushi full. Normally when i’m full, and i mean stuffed, with other types of food, i kinda want my body to digest. I go for indian buffet, i stuff myself on 2 plates or so, and i feel like i’m going to die. I recognize it is not healthy to eat so much in a sitting, but when i do so with sushi, i feel like i’m in heaven. No bloating, no barfing, no tooting, no burping, no nothing. Just pure peace. Pure sushi full. And this is something you only get with all you can eat, cause i never eat “enough” at a regular place to reach this level of gastronirvana. O baby, ottawa has never seen so bright.

I’ve had some dealings with the post office lately, i’m hoping someone can shed some light on some possibilities i have not considered.

A few months ago i placed an order with amazon.ca for 8 or 9 music cd’s. About a week and half after i received their shipment email, i still had not received them. I checked canadapost’s tracking site, and it said the parcel was delivered to the recipient a week ago. I phoned canada post, and they said they can’t do anything, i should call amazon. So i did, and they said “this happens”, and said they’d resend the entire parcel. It surprised me how easily they agreed to do this, but whatever, i was happy.

This time I followed this tracking number a little closer, and when canadapost said this package had been delivered and it had not, i grew worried. I called amazon again, and again they were very nice. They said they rarely send a parcel 3 times, but made an exception for me cause i really wanted these cd’s (they also would’ve just refunded my money at this point). The availability of one of the cd’s was a little off, so they graciously offered to split the shipment up into 2 chunks.

Again, i followed the tracking info, the bulk of the items being the first thing shipped. I added myself as an email recipient for updates on changes to the status of the package tracking. When i got the email telling me this package was delivered i was home. I of course went straight outside, again to find no package waiting for me. My guess is this info isn’t “up to the minute”, and likely was reported delivered the previous day (when i was not home).

A few days later, the lone late cd did arrive in my mailbox. My mailbox is pretty standard, big enough to fit a small parcel, but any larger parcel would stick out the top. I’ve gotten books from amazon before, and they did stick out the top. This was the first time i’ve ever had any issues.

I called amazon again, they were apologetic, but we both agreed there was nothing left for them to do. They refunded my money, and someone out there might very well have 3 copies of neon bible, joel plaskett’s new cd, and a variety of other kickass albums. I ordered all the missing cds again, this time shipping them to my work, and they arrived safely there within 5 or so days.

So what happened? Is it possible that “bad people” stole these parcels off my doorstep 3 times, when previous amazon packages that were sticking out of my mailbox arrived in my safe hands? This is the only possibility i can possibly accept. Did someone in the middle (ie an employee) scam them? Unlikely considering the parcel did arrive to my work. Is it possible amazon never actually sent them? Very unlikely considering canada post did note tracking info. Can anyone think of any other possibilities?

I was told by someone (can’t remember who) that you can request canada post not deliver parcels to your door without a signature. I called canada post and asked about this. They said i can not do this, but i can ask that parcels not be left at my house. They referred to this practice as “safedrop” (not sure whats safe about it though!). You are allowed to request that letter carriers “do not safedrop”. The lady asked me to put a note on my mailbox that says “do not safedrop” and that she would put a request in to the depot marking my address with this same bit of info. So i did these 2 things. I got a call today from the local centertown postal outlet. The lady there informs me that letter carriers never leave parcels that do not completely fit in the mailbox. I said… ok. I didn’t know what else to say, as well, i had no additional ideas. I was tired, frustrated, and bewildered.

With the package that i did successfully get delivered to my office i debated filling it with cat poo, arming my house with cameras, eagerly hoping to catch a culprit… but i lost interest. The cat poo woulda been fun, but some possible outcomes could’ve been disastrous for my property, so i opted against it.

I really hope it isn’t skids walking by scoping out folks’ mailbox’s in hopes of treasures… i really really hope this isn’t the case… but the whole situation has added to my cynicism, which was sparse before but increasingly grows as i do. Which kinda blows.

So it’s official, “Jaks Kitchen” has moved in down the street, replacing the iconic original location of “Stoneface Dolly’s” gourmet homestyle eatery. I am, tres triste. I’ve been going for brunch still, albeit not as often, regularily over the past few months during the long transition. I’ve got a few things to say about the changes, and what i like and dislike. I realize some of the things that have changed will improve over time given that it is technically a new restaurant, but i’m going to mention them anyways.

Good Changes
Fruit - the new fruit is good. Big chunks of cantelope and pineapple. The fruit has gone from a whole variety, big pieces to small, on the plate to a bowl, and then back again. I actually can’t remember how it was originally, but i remember the occasional blueberry. Now i’m not so sure this is a good change.
Renos - they did some renovations that gave the place a bit more space, which is definitely good.

Ambivalent Changes
Decor - i really liked the old art, then the transitional chunky art, and now i like the mirrors. The new paint is nice too.
Service - the old girls and guys served great, and so are the new. I miss the old cause they knew me of course, and i’m saddened the new may not get to know me as quickly, but i can’t hold that against them.
Coffee - perhaps it hasn’t changed, i’m not sure, but its still damn good.

Negative Changes
Service Times - No matter how busy it used to be, i used to be able to be in and out in 30 min or so. Last time, i was waiting at LEAST 30 min just for my food, and it wasn’t that busy.
Homies - they don’t even call them homies anymore!! They used to have chunks of onion and peppers in em, at least on occasion, and they just tasted better. The new ones are probably healthier tho, less butter, but the old ones definitely tasted better
Omlettes - um, hello?? Can i have cheese in my omellete. Both myself and my friend got omlettes, her the goat cheese, me the fruilano (now called peppers and spinach). Neither of us could taste the cheese, and my friend asked them to check that it was in there… they said it was. I’m skeptical. Mine was just not cooked right, the egg was too cooked, and i don’t think the spinach was saute’ed at all before going in. Thats just a no-no, especially when you can’t taste the cheese.
Portions - the portions are smaller, not by much, but by a little
Coffee Creamers - different company now, used to be organic creamers, now its just regular stuff.
Brunch Specials - there is a complete lack of these alltogether! The specials before were what i went for, only occasionally did i not get the semi-special eggs blackstone or mexican fritatta. Now, there are no specials, and thats just uninspired.

Let me now say this. Breakfast, was awesome, no doubt about it! One of the best breakfasts in ottawa, was and still is. But when you mess with a winning formula, even just a little, its liable to piss a few people (aka me) off. I will go back, i will grow to love it i’m sure, but i’m a little bitter that such an awesome place would every change, even a little bit.

Thanks to the ontario’s governments great new idea/plan to return various liquor bottles to the beer store, i’ve come up with another idea.

The amount of garbage i create has gone down considerably since i’ve got a compost.  The most massive thing that gets added to my garbage these days is take out bins, styrophoam, and i guess the tops of the metal ones.  What if various environ-concious restaurants (ie green door, table) joined a program where their take outs were actually decent plastic/pyrex/ceramic containers with good tops (microwavable of course) and charged a deposit for them, say, 5$.  Each of the bins/containers would have some sore of id/barcode/something on the bottom so as to discourage falsifying them for the 5$.  Any store that took part could have the (dirty) containers returned to them.

I’m thinking a place like the yangtzee could cut down massively on landfill if they did this.  Think about the amount of landfill they take up in a night for their hot and sour soup take outs?  I must take up a cubic metre a year just on those styrophoam things…  i’d gladly pay a 5$ deposit for each thingy, could exchange them with the delivery guy after the first purchase, etc..

Well?  Would it fly??  Been done?

Apparently this, the original location, was sold to a couple a few months ago. They’ve slowly been changing this n that, and as we arrived last weekend there was no art on the walls, different paint inside, and a different cook n sou. The sign is supposed to change soon (if it hasn’t already) to “jaks kitchen” (not sure of the spelling). This blows imo, the new owners are going to be more evening menu focused, which is ridiculous cause they make shiteloads on their weekend brunch. Hopefully it doesn’t change too much and they get a chef that can make homies, cause the dude there this weekend could NOT! That and they were almost out of potatos, they were out of sourdough, and their fruit sucked too. None of these are good signs that encourage growth or continuance of one of my favorite weekend rituals.

Change blows.

Who knows where corktown is/was? I just recently found out. I think its interesting, i used to live at the end of somerset st., right in the heart of old corktown, and without knowing all the facts or considered any of the various options, i urge you my fellow readers, to sign the following petition:

http://www.bytownmuseum.com/Corktown.html

Yay corktown!!!!

And if any of you want to relieve me of my ignorance, it is at your service.

What is up with crime in ottawa???

Gang affiliated males confine and sexually assault a pregnant female.

Makes me sick it does…

A korean-japanese restaurant opened up near my place recently, called “Miga”, its on bank and waverley. What can i say, i’m thrilled!!!

Had dinner there last friday. With massive expectations we went in, and with great thirst i found out their liquor license is still pending. I fretted not, got some water and their brown rice tea, it was kickass. Their menu is a lot like the only other korean place i’ve been to in town, that bbq place on rideau, but perhaps not as big. They’ve got traditionalish korean dishes, japanese noodle dishes, and all the regular sushi stuff (nigiri, rolls, etc..).

Their main korean dishes come with miso soup and korean salads, ie sesame greens, kimchi, and what seemed like incredibly canadian potato salad. The kimchi might’ve been from a jar, but it still rocked (if bad kimchi exists, i’ve never tried it). The miso soup was well, just warm and kinda tasteless… but it was the only low point of the meal, and i still gulped it all back. We also ordered a spicy tuna roll for an app which was kickass, but again, how can you go wrong??

So we both ordered main dishes with all the fixins i mentioned above, I ordered the dolsot bibimbap pictured here. It arrived pretty much first, ie with the apps, which they apologized for, but because of the uncooked egg and the rockin hot stone bowl in which it can be cooked by the consumer, they probably didn’t want to wait. It says on the menu its veggie, but it normally comes with beef, which was confusing, but i got them to omit the beef anyways. It was kickass. I liked cooking my own eggs, and with all the veggies and some funky red spicy sauce it rocked my world. But again, if you haven’t learned by now, i’m kinda easy to please with food.

After it all they gave us this iced dea that was douced with cinammon to refresh us, and holy crap did it ever. The next time i go (possibly for take out) i’ll try some of the japanese noodles. And yes, i will be back. It was reasonably priced (8-13 i think for a dish) and mostly filling, although for me i’d need an app and a dish to be fully satisfied. We were quite stuffed, but still went for gelato after, which didn’t jive too well, but meh, it tasted good.

Read the one review here if you like. These people are a lot harder to please than myself. Its true, the portions might be improvable, i’ll have to go check soeul house for sure, just to get a better frame of reference.

Violence begets violence, yes, and its all so frickin stupid it almost makes me want to be violent, but i won’t fall victim to useless and stupid cycles, i’d like to think i’m above all that crap.

I hope these catch this mother f*cker:
http://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/serving_ottawa/media_room/news.cfm?nr_id=3419

I hate seeing this crap happen in ottawa, just like that incident outside sin a few months ago. It totally disgusts me.

So over the past couple of months, i’ve finally gotten off my ass and hit up some thai restaurants in my area. Heres a brief review/synopsis:

Coriander Thai (Kent St.)
Very dark and quiet decor, awesome food. First time i’ve had tom yum soup, and won’t be the last, it was phenominal! Had the soup, and a salad and red curry dish, all tasted absolutely superb. Have since had takeout, and it wasn’t nearly as good, and the portions seemed awfully small (hint, trend beginning).

Savanna Cafe (Gilmour St.)
Ok, not pure straight up thai, but pretty damn close. Only had one dinner here, a friday night job with some good wine and a desert… my meal was ok, not super kick ass, i think i had the ramen noodles with a bunch of seafood. Not nearly spicy enough, but still ok. I’ll definitely go back though, the decor was nice, and its just a good spot. Service, very friendly. Portions were pretty consistent with coriander. No tom yum here, i think we had some rolls, must’ve been some freshish rice paper cause it was thick - and good.

Hot Peppers (Somerset & Lyon)
Finally hit this spot up. Never even went to zibbibo, which is what this place was a year and a half ago, but finally checked this one. Decor was nice, cute little wine bar upstairs, friendly and helpful staff. We did have the tom yum here, and while it wasn’t quite as spicy as coriander, it was better - not by much, but it was, and it was absolutely amazing. For mains we had one of the salads and a seafood dish (i think), and neither was super kick ass, but it was pretty good. The cocunut rice was pretty good too.

Green Papaya (now on Preston)
Definitely nice decor. The place was quite busy for a sunday night, and the food took its time, but it was a nice meal. Tom yum - kinda flavourless. The food itself was good, we had the jungle curry and a shrimp salad, but man the portions were quite small. Even all the rice went with no problem. Lots of sauce with the curry which was good, but the whole meal left me wanting more. Even after the cheese cake (cheese cake isn’t thai!!) i was still hungry.

Conclusion
All in all thai food costs way to frickin much. For a regular dish you’re looking at 10+, and one dish ain’t gonna cut it (for me anyways). The tom yum soups are awesome though, and hot peppers takes the cake. I think coriander has the peppiest stuff, full flavour just exploding, but the one time we had takeout it was less than desirable - these resaurants definitely have their best dishes and i’ll have to figure out what those are. Unforutantely for 60+ per person its a bit of a kick in the teeth, especially for me who can go to cam kong (review pending!!!), spend 15 bux, and be ridiculously full and satisfied (and for another few get a mango slushie which is an explosion of satisfaction).

If anyone knows of any other thai restaurants i should hit up, i’m all ears - and once i figure out how to harness the flavour of the thai chile pepper from my mortar and pestle, i ain’t ever going out for it again (actually i’ll need to figure out what yum truly is at the bottom of my soul, then make it, and then i’ll be good).