Cacao 70
51-53 William St., 613-860-1991, cacao70.ca
Luna Crêpes & Café
29 March Rd., 613-254-5551, lunacafe.ca
Mon Resto
532 Boul. Maloney Est, Gatineau, 819-893-3344, mon-resto.ca
A Thing For Chocolate
1262 Wellington St. W., 613-695-3533, facebook.com/athingforchocolate
While visiting Quebec City last fall, I was struck by the notion that within a few basse-ville blocks there were seemingly as many crêperies as in all of Ottawa-Gatineau.
The abundance reminded me of what our dining scene had lost — not just the former ByWard Market fixtures Le Crêperie and Café Crêpe de France, but also the more recently closed Gatineau restaurant L’Argoat, which specialized in buckwheat crêpes, and even the shuttered little eatery Crepella in South Keys. From its Facebook page, and other online information, it seems to have been “closed temporarily” since the middle of 2013.
Fortunately, the Mill Street Crepe Company in Almonte, which in late 2011 was reviewed in this space, and favourably so, hasn’t gone under.
And yet, once I poked around a bit, I realized the region’s stock of crêpes is not as depleted as I’d thought. It’s just that the new venues serving crêpes can be more casual and far-flung. They usually give crêpes secondary billing, and the selection is generally more limited. Also, you’re more likely to order crêpes for breakfast or lunch, or perhaps an early dinner, at the four restaurants I recently surveyed.
One was Luna Crêpes & Café, which has been open for a few years in a Kanata strip mall. Despite its name, Luna is as much about paninis, sandwiches and gelato as crêpes, with 10 savoury fillings that can be had between bread (grilled or not) or wrapped in a crêpe.
Here, I found the crêpes (two savoury and one sweet) to be pretty ordinary — satisfactory, but lacking in finesse. If anything, a crêpe that bundled some pesto-sauced chicken ($9.99) seemed a little gummy, and a dessert crêpe ($5.99) was too tough. A bit of mitigation is that a scoop of gelato comes for dessert with each savoury crêpe.
Chicken pesto crepe with Caesar salad at Luna Crepes & Cafe
Meanwhile, at the bustling breakfast-and-lunch spot Mon Resto in suburban Gatineau, a few crêpes figure on the menu. A rolled crêpe with ham, asparagus topped with thick Hollandaise sauce, served with fried potatoes and a complimentary coffee ($9.95), was amply stuffed and well-proportioned. But a vegetarian crêpe ($8.95) felt quite run-of-the-mill and bland.
Ham and asparagus crepe at Mon Resto
Much more memorable was the house special crêpe ($12.50) at Cacao 70, which opened in August on William Street in the ByWard Market. This pillowy affair, very much suitable for sharing, was stuffed with lots of assertively seasoned chicken, spinach, mayonnaise and cheese.
House special crepe at Cacao 70
Its proportions were in keeping with the generous specialities at Cacao 70, which is part of a franchise that has two Montreal locations. Waffles, fondues, hot chocolates, drinks and the like are large, indulgently sweet and worth the linger.
Crêpes here are also available “pressed,” like a cross between a stuffed pancake and a panini. We tried the ham and smoked-turkey pressed crêpes, but neither matched the saltier and more saucy impact of the unpressed house special. Also, their side salads were a little tired, with too much of a too-sweet dressing.
Pressed crepe at Cacao 70
I’ve also tried Cacao 70’s simple, thin buckwheat crêpe ($12.75), available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It was a spartan plate that layered egg and thin, lean ham in its pancake. It was a nice, light lunch (and gluten-free to boot), although I would have liked it more had it been more tangy or nutty.
Buckwheat crepe stuffed with ham and egg at Cacao 70
I think most highly of the crêpes at A Thing For Chocolate, a small and charming coffee, crêpes and dessert shop that opened about a year ago on Wellington Street West. There, the friendly owner Omar Fares turned out slightly smaller but consistently tasty and conscientiously made crêpes.
Fares has the largest selection of crêpes I’ve seen in the area — more than two dozen, including savoury, sweet and even vegan options. Every one that I’ve sampled has had the right texture and a balanced proportion of filling to pancake to crêpe. I though the best savoury crêpe was Fares’ La Med ($8.50), filled with chicken, aioli, tomato and mushrooms, but my companions were just as pleased with a pulled pork-filled crêpe ($8.99), bolstered by some not-cloying barbecue sauce and beets, as well as a cheese steak crêpe ($11.99) that featured marinated beef, mozzarella and Swiss cheese.
Crepe at A Thing For Chocolate
No complaints either about the house special sweet crêpe ($7.50) made with Fares’ house-made hazelnut chocolate spread rather than Nutella, plus fruit. It was better, in fact, than a slice of hazelnut chocolate cake ($4.75), which was a touch dry.
House special dessert crepe at A Thing For Chocolate
Only now, at the conclusion of my crêpes tour, do I see from the fine print in Fares’ menu that for an extra $1, he will make buckwheat versions of his many crêpes. An option worth investigating on another day, I think.
phum@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/peterhum
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