Brassica
309 Richmond Rd., 613-680-7575,
brassicaottawa.com
,
instagram.com/brassica_ottawa/
Open:
Thursday 5 to 8:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday 5 to 9 p.m., Sunday 5 to 8 p.m., closed Monday to Wednesday
Prices:
five-course take-out dinner for two $85, patio and dining room mains $16 to $32, appetizers $8 to $18
Access:
steps to front door
If there’s one restaurant for Ottawa food-lovers to root for these days, it has to be Brassica.
Not only must the seven-month-old Westboro restaurant struggle with all of the pandemic-based challenges that trouble the city’s eateries at large, but its chef-owner, Arup Jana, and all of his team at Brassica make up a comeback crew, still committed to offering fine dishes and exceptional hospitality after Jana’s first restaurant, the long-running and much-admired Allium on Holland Avenue, was destroyed by a fire in March 2019.
While the novel coronavirus put plans to rebuild and reopen Allium on hold this spring, Brassica, operating four nights a week with just two people in the kitchen, is proof of Jana’s indefatigability.
“It’s Allium II,” our server, Jess, told us Saturday night. For anyone who recalls how good everything was at Brassica’s predecessor during its 14-year run, that’s reason to rejoice.
I confirmed that last weekend when we had dinner on Brassica’s narrow sidewalk patio, choosing from Jana’s dine-in menu that changes weekly. Jana served on-point, elevated neighbourhood-restaurant fare in a neighbourhood already blessed with impressive dining-out choices.
For those who want something familiar, Jana’s fried calamari ($15), fried chicken ($17) and yellowfin tuna crudo ($18) were definitive versions of those dishes dressed up with interesting sauces and garnishes that made their proteins irresistible.
Impeccably fried squid benefited from the richness and mellow heat of horseradish aioli. Juicy chicken pieces were bolstered by house-made pickles, blobs of green chili aioli and a scattering of peanuts, all of which seemed essential. The pristine red slices of raw fish were as pretty as a picture, supported by pieces of grapefruit and cucumber, and the dual treats of canola oil and lime aioli.
A mound of delicious duck rillettes ($14), served with all the right pickled accompaniments, demonstrated true charcuterie prowess.
Toothsome scallops and a strip of masterfully cooked pork belly ($28), brimming with rendered fat and flavour, shared a plate with succotash perked by pickled raisins and a Worcestershire sauce reduction.
The vegetable-lover at our table liked the variety and flavours on his plate of spice-roasted cauliflower ($16), a brassica vegetable dish to make its namesake restaurant proud. The florets were served with chickpeas, cucumber, feta, pomegranate seeds and roast almonds, all brought to life by a herb-y green dressing.
A slab of beef brisket ($24) was tamed and tenderized by a long sit at low heat, and was topped by a bourbon-y sauce and offset by a charred jalapeno aioli. With the meat came a perfect slab of polenta that nearly stole the show.
The award for the prettiest main course went to a plate of shrimp with cavatelli, zucchini, tomato and more, all in a lemon butter sauce ($24). Oh — the dish tasted as good as it looked.
Allium-goers will probably choose the banoffee pie ($10) not just for old time’s sake but for the signature dessert’s reliable, chocolate-enhanced delights. That said, they would then miss out on the sumptuous sour cream blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream ($11) and orange blueberry pudding ($9), neither of which disappointed in the least.
Brassica’s wine list is quite limited, but interesting and affordable. The same goes for its list of beers and cocktails.
Traffic sounds aside, eating outside Brassica was lovely, with service that was not only astute and prompt, but also extremely personable and pleasantly sassy.
Ultimately, although Brassica follows on the very hard knocks that befell Allium, it doesn’t need your sympathy. Sure, it’s yours to give, but the experience at Brassica shines brightly entirely on its own.