Tim Hortons Tribulations at Ottawa Airport

On an early morning last week saw myself on an early flight to Vancouver. After clearing security with minimum time to spare and no breakfast as of yet, the Tim Hortons (2nd floor beyond security in domestic departures of the Ottawa International Airport at 1000 Airport Parkway, Ottawa)

I waited in the lengthy line at this Tim Hortons storefront off the main hallway leading the airport gates.  The line at times never seemed to move.  Quite a few people nervously looked at their watches or phones to see if they should stay in the line or run for their flight without one last Timmies fix.  I stayed in line patiently but quite frankly the two cashiers seemed overwhelmed while the single employee at the sandwich counter was fantastic in keeping her orders moving.  Add in the odd customer who gets to the front of the line to ask six different questions of the cashier before ordering and whole families ordering their breakfast meals things were slow to a crawl.  To make matters worse there was only one single employee at each of the two cashes meaning they were also preparing the drinks, donuts and muffins preventing other orders from being taken.  Not sure why this occurred as at other Tim Hortons locations normally when there is usually two employees per cash during busy morning rushes. But eventually things progressed and I was able to order.

The Order: 1 Medium Black Coffee and 1 Cinnamon Raisen Bagel, toasted with Cream Cheese

After picking up my coffee at the cash and being impressed with the speed the bagel was prepared at the sandwich counter, I was off to my gate with little time to spare.   Thank goodness you're allowed to bring food and coffee onto the plane purchased post security checks.

The bagel was still warm and similar to what I get elsewhere.  To be fair it is hard to screw it up as Tim Hortons ships everything in and the preparation really comes down to cutting the bagel, toasting it in the automated conveyor belt toaster.

The coffee was also as expected corporate quality that any Canadian would appreciate.  But again, nothing special cause it really is pour the coffee grounds into the machine's filter, etc. and change the pot every 20 minutes.

Overall, this Tim Hortons could do well as it is highly visible right after security. The promise of success is even better as there is a captive audience of airport passengers who now have time to wait for their flight with possibly a drink and something to eat.  Sadly, though Tim Hortons' fails by not adequately staffing this location to keep the line moving in an adequate fashion. If there were just a couple more employees many more customers would instead be enjoying a fine cup of coffee instead of leaving in disgust sans le java to barely make their flight.

MMMMM...Burger at Kelsey's

Earlier last week I was able to take my father out for a beer and dinner while using a Cara Gift Card we had recently acquired by redeeming some Scene points.

We headed to Kelsey's (Elmvale Shopping Centre, 1910 St. Laurent Boulevard, Ottawa) to check out how well this location does in a dated local area shopping centre vs the traditional big box store format.

We entered on Monday evening to find a couple of tables occupied by customers and greeted by what we presumed to be a hostess who promised to be with us in a minute.   Turns out the hostess was also a waitress as she would later be serving us our food and drinks at our table while another person worked the bar area.

We were shortly seated at a booth and handed presented with the menus.   After a quick review of what was on tap and little bit of a wait longer than expected for our beers we ordered our food.

The Order: The Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger (Double stacked 4 oz. sirloin patties topped with double-smoked bacon, peameal bacon, cheese, fresh tomatoes, crisp leaf lettuce, red onions and mayo spread on a toasted pretzel bun) with fries and a Shock Top Belgian White beer.

Shock Top Belgian White Beer

The Shock Top Belgian White beer was perfectly cold and refreshing.  Served in an appealing tall glass with an average fresh orange slice to add a little more flavoring, the beer goes down easy yet tasty.

After a reasonable short wait of 15 minutes of pleasant conversation our orders arrived.  

The Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger with Fries

The Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger was pretty good. For presentation purposes, the burger was skewered by kitchen grade knife to hold it together while sitting on a plate alongside a small bowl full of fries.  The burger itself was pretty decent tasting with the melted cheese, adequately cooked bacon and juicy burger.

The fries were average bar fries at best.  Nothing great but not the worst I've had.  Cara restaurants, including Swiss Chalet and Harveys, though aren't really known for their fries.

Overall, this Kelsey's is similar to a neighbourhood pub as opposed to a destination their other locations are at the big box store plazas.  With a low key leisurely feel it was nice to have a no rush quiet dinner and drinks plenty of space between you and the next table over.  This location serves up average Kelsey's fare along not overly great but not terrible service. It may be worth a return visit on a busier Friday or Saturday evening in the future to see how things change with a few more customers coming through the door.

Don't Bank on this Cramped Tim Hortons

Today for lunch I stopped by the Tim Hortons on Bank Street at Heron Road (1611 Bank Street, Ottawa).

I entered and almost stumbled over the front counter all of three steps in.  Not sure who built designed this Tim Hortons interior layout, but there is virtually zero space for customer queing forcing people to stand in the doorway if the there are more than two customers waiting to be served.

Add in a smaller customer seating area compared to a conventional Tim Hortons restaurant things seem to get worse.  This location is almost like the Tim Hortons Head Office merely pointed at a map and said "let's stick one here", then shoehorned  a store into a too small existing plaza.

Tim Hortons on Bank Street at Heron Road

I strategically waited at the front as two Tim Hortons employees were flabergasted on how to put together an order of 50 Tim Bits for the customer ahead of me. They started with two boxes and the first one, who took the order at the cash, was explaining that with two boxes there should be 25 Tim Bits a piece.  Next, a manager came up and said use the box for fifty Tim Bits and to use that.  The 2nd employee was dumbfounded, he'd just finished computing how twenty five Timbits in two boxes equals fifty.

Eventually after the second employee was told to count fifty Tim Bits into a box of fifty, computed that and then, somehow, was able to also remember to come with manager to do another task after counting the fifty Tim Bits, I was able to order with the first employee.

The Order: 1 Chicken Salad Sandwich on a White Sandwich Bun with Kettle Chips and 1 Medium Black Coffee

 The first employee took my money, made change and asked me to step to my left to wait at the pickup counter for my coffee and wait for the sandwich and Kettle Chips.

The visit get even better as two minutes elapsed and I was told by the lady making the sandwiches that they were out of White Sandwich bun, would I like Whole Wheat?

Really? Dare I ask for a refund of my purchase and walk across the street to the Tim Hortons in the Esso Gas Station and then walk back in hopes of getting a seat?  I digressed knowing that would be at least 45 minutes which would include the time for the employees to figure out how to even process a refund. As well, it's 11 O'Clock in the morning?  How in the heck is a Tim Hortons location out of white buns before Friday lunchtime even truly gets going?

"Sure that'll do" was my reply to the offer of Whole Wheat Bun.

Three minutes later I had the sandwich and Kettle Chips with me and was ready to go.

I found a semi dirty table and sat down.  I carefully straightened the table and pair of chairs. Then I strategically wiped the sesame seeds off the table.  I quickly surveyed the other tables to find them also in need of at least a quick wipe.

Chicken Salad Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bun

The Chicken Salad sandwich was o.k., but obviously would have been better to my tastes if served on a white bun as requested. Otherwise, the sandwich was decent with average toppings of tomato lettuce along with chicken salad mix.

Small Kettle Chips

The Kettle Chips at Tim Hortons are usually kept warm slightly.  Not so at this Tim Hortons location as the sandwich bar preparer dished them out of a white bag with a ripped hole in it into the standard paper bag the Kettle Chips are served in.  Presumably the Kettle Chips are shipped via the Tim Hortons freight system in these white bags and are supposed to be transferred into the standard warming trays in the Tim Hortons franchise locations before being dished out to customers.  It seems the last step was missing.

Overall, combined with dirty tables, askew chairs, missing food items and being behind on food preparation, this Tim Hortons location is need of corporate office attention and training.  Sure the food was average for Tim Hortons, but the lack of following straight corporate procedures to ensure on hand quantities are sufficient and food preparation procedures are followed is concerning.  I wouldn't bank on this location for a standard Tim Hortons meal.

It's a Farm Boy Day! So Shop the Farm Boy Kitchen!

Sunday for lunch my wife and I decided to try out the Farm Boy Kitchen (665 Industrial Avenue, Ottawa).  Located within the grocery store itself, the food is laid out in a buffet serve yourself hot table style format and billed by weight.  Current pricing was $1.99 per 100 grams for salads and regular entrees plus $2.99 for 12 oz of soup.

After selecting from an assortment of options including chili, soups, spaghetti and more, customers check out via the regular grocery store checkouts before being able to sit in the front food court style seating area or exiting the store to take their food home.

We gathered our order, checked out and seated ourselves in the food court seating area.  But we had made a big mistake.  We didn't get the Farm Boy Salad Bar Card that entitles customers to purchase ten salads and receive one free.  With out combined order we would have had two salads.  We tried later on, with our receipts, to obtain a Farm Boy Salad Bar Card and load the points we would have had with the same cashier, but we were out luck and needed to do that at time of purchase.  Ah well, at least we tried.

The Order: "Power Packed Quinoa Veggie Chili" with Potato Salad and an Organic City Roast Coffee.

After checking out and sitting down I noted I made a big mistake.  I somehow had loaded up on twenty dollars worth of potato salad.   That is one of the dangers of paying by weight, some foods weigh more than others and this potato salad was apparently pretty chunky in the weight category.

Potato Salad

The potato salad itself was quite tasty with potatoes sliced into chunks and mixed into a mayonnaise based  potato salad dressing. Worth having again, but in lesser quantities.

Power Packed Quinoa Veggie Chili

The Power Packed Quinoa Veggie Chili was indeed power packed.  Yes, in the spice department! Otherwise the Quinoa chili was an interesting texture as I slowly ate it due to the spiciness.

Organic City Roast Coffee

The Organic City Roast Coffee was labelled a "medium blend" but it turned out to be a little more of a dark roast.  Sure the coffee was flavorful but a little strong on average taste buds.  At $0.99 for a cup about the size of a Tim Hortons Medium and better quality coffee it's worth a trip.

Overall, the Farm Boy Kitchen is worth the trip to try it out.  Lots of selection to choose from but be careful in the weight department to avoid a nasty surprise at the check out.  Apparently some people try to forgo purchasing the Farm Boy rice and instead cook their own at home while purchasing other items at the Farm Boy Kitchen like the curried dishes to save on cost but still take part in the convenience.  If you're in the area for groceries and are looking for a quality lunch, the Farm Boy Kitchen is worth a look.

A Pricey Continental Bagel

Friday for lunch I headed to the Byward Market to try out Continental Bagel in the Byward Market Square building (55 Byward Market Square, Ottawa).

  It was 11:00 a.m and one customer was just leaving after having their order prepared at a Subway sandwich shop counter like set up.  Another customer in front of me was putting in their order which, ironically, was the same as what I was going to order.

In the background was another employee working at a wood fired oven carefully rolling, placing and inserting the bagels into the oven on long wooden planks to bake. The whole restaurant set up looked like a Kettleman's Bagel set up fined tuned to fit into the historic Byward Market Square building.

I waited patiently for the single server to ring up the previous customer's purchase, slowly put the bagel sandwich together. I almost considered going elsewhere to grab a bite as I watched the previous customer's order come together slightly faster than a snails pace.  But eventually everything was wrapped up and, knife polished and I was ready to order.

The Order: 1 Turkey Sandwich (lettuce, tomato, deli sliced turkey, etc.) on a Poppy seed bagel. $6.75 including taxes.

The server punched in my order, I paid, and he proceeded to put together my order at the sandwich bar.  First grabbing a poppy seed bagel from the glass front display, cutting it and then going from container to container of ingredients.  Nothing fresh looking about any of the ingredients.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if, like subway ingredients, they come presliced in a package from some warehouse and placed in the containers then brought and inserted into the sandwich bar.  After the sandwich was completed and placed in the container, the server then went onto wipe his knife and the sandwich bar before then handing me my sandwich.  

Next, I headed over to Maple Valley Tea World for a Peppermint Tea before finally landing in Major's Hill Park for a fabulous lunch outdoors while being overlooked by Ottawa's Parliament Buildings.

Turkey Bagel Sandwich from Continental Bagel

The bagel sandwich was average.  A slightly hardened crust outside gave way to an average tough inside similar to any store bought bagel.  Nothing really fresh about this, perhaps the bagel I had a was mere day old.  The toppings, as expected, weren't that special at all in freshness.  But to be fair, the bagel bakery is meant for fresh bagels and not fresh lettuce, tomatoes or toppings.  But at six dollars and change with tax I had expected a little more than an average bagel put together like fast food subway sandwich.

Overall, an average nothing special sandwich.  Was it decent? Yes, but is it the best food offering in that building let alone the Byward Market?  Nope, far from it.  This place will be fine for the picky eaters under the age of eighteen looking for something to eat while Mom and Dad enjoy better quality food from elsewhere along with the ambiance of the market.

Original Souvlaki from a Food Truck....Er...Trailer at Ottawa Street Eats

For August 1st, I received an invitation from TW Events to attend the first ever Ottawa Street Eats festival.

Basically the Ottawa Street Eats festival, located at the Aviation & Space Museum, was an assortment of the Ottawa area's food trucks accompanied by interesting special event only food stands and craft breweries.   Before the event, I reviewed who would be attending the festival to get a feel for who would be there and which food and drinks I would have.

There was quite the collection to choose from with everything from Asian to Greek to Hot Dogs & Fries, heck there was even Brewbar's awesome caffeinated beverages available.  Lots to choose from to be paired by some of Ottawa's best craft beers.

Ottawa Street Eats Banner

After arriving at the Aviation and Space Museum on OC Transpo and easily finding the Ottawa Street Eats festival, I reviewed my selection of food trucks to confirm my original first choice, The Original Souvlaki food trailer. I had my heart set on having a traditional souvlaki platter with either pork or chicken souvlaki, rice, potatoes and salad accompanied by tzatziki sauce.

The Original Souvlaki Trailer

With not many festival attendees having arrived yet, I was able to order.

Souvlaki Platter

The Order: 1 Souvlaki Platter.

The Souvlaki platter was $10.00, not bad overall and, like Jimmy the Greek, only had one skewer.  Hmmm, seems to be a theme, less Souvlaki than the traditional two skewers found in the Toronto area.  I paid for the plate and left to find an outdoor table at the festival.

The Souvlaki itself was not bad from a food truck, but not gourmet either.  Just plain straight up Souvlaki served on a skewer displayed with all the usual food offerings like any Greek fast food location.  Nothing gourmet but nothing terrible either.  Just regular straight up Greek style Pork Souvlaki.

The Pita bread was a nice touch.  Add a Tzatziki sauce with it, and the odd vegetable, it was delicious!

The rice was a little to be desired, it was dry and slightly overcooked.  This was probably because for speed of service in assembling orders the rice needs to be cooked and held to be served. The rice, thus, can't be served up fresh as perhaps a regular restaurant might on a per order basis.

Overall, the Original Souvlaki food trailer is a welcome addition to the Ottawa food scene.  Since the Ottawa Street Eats festival, the trailer has secured a permanent home at 680 Bank Street next to Kunstadt Sports in the Glebe.  A little fine tuning of the rice and this new addition will be a welcome addition to the Glebe.

Ottawa Streets Eats festival was an enjoyable experience once inside.  A variety of food trucks complimented the craft beers of such Ottawa area breweries like Kichesippi Beer, Mill Street, Whitewater Brewing Company, and many more.

Brewbar

The final best piece of the festival was Brewbar, the portable coffee bar that appears at many of Ottawa's events.  With the skilled hands of Paul Klutchert at the coffee bar, I enjoyed a creamy Latte to go.  The Latte provided a fine end to a great day out investigating this interesting, yet tasteful, hopefully yearly event.

Lot's of Space at Spud's Barrhaven Potato Bar

Last week for lunch I found myself in Barrhaven following a client meeting for my business and decided to visit another Spud's Potato Bar & Poutinerie (80 Marketplace Avenue, Ottawa) like my previous visit to one across town at the Elmvale Shopping Centre.

This Spud's is located in a large big box store plaza in suburban Barrhaven. This location is easily accessed either via the nearby parking lots off Marketplace Avenue or using OC Transpo's Marketplace Transitway station.

I entered about 11:45 a.m. to an empty storefront with two employees behind the counter.  I appeared to be the first customer of the day as I walked up, reviewed the menus on the overhead digital screens and placed my order.

Spud's Potato Bar & Poutinerie Storefront

The Order: 1 Macho Nacho Poutine and 1 500 ml bottle of Pepsi.

The two ladies behind the counter started preparing my order as soon as the cash drawer closed on the register.

Spud's Potato Bar & Poutinerie Interior

I sat for perhaps five minutes reading the newspaper I brought with me.  The interior is nothing special with traditional wooden restaurant tables for groups along with a counter running along the window for those singles wishing to people watch those passing by on the sidewalk outside.  The main colour scheme is what I call "obnoxious burnt orange".

Eventually my order was ready and I returned to the counter to pick it up and schlep it back to my table.

Macho Nacho Poutine

The Macho Nacho Poutine was interesting.  It started out a little lacking with all the toppings tasting like they were just out of the fridge.  My first forkful was unappealing as my tongue was expecting warm poutine fries with a side of ground beef nacho taste.  Instead it was met with a mix of cold salsa and sour cream.  I guess this dish is meant to be stirred like "fruit on the bottom yogurt" as the hot fries were buried underneath while the cold nacho style toppings were on the top. A little stirring seem to do the trick and I was finally able to enjoy a nacho themed poutine.

Overall, this Spud's Potato Bar & Poutinerie has decent service, but that was to be expected with two employees and only one customer.  Later I found out one employee was in training which was perfect as it was a slow day for customers coming in the door. So kudos to Spud's for that!   I enjoyed my meal and would definitely return if I was in the area.

Two Guys at a Five Guys? Why so?

Earlier this month I made a couple of trips out to Barrhaven to visit clients for my business.  After a client visit I usually stop off for a meal before heading home.

Five Guys Burgers & Fries (1181 Greenbank Road, Ottawa) is near OC Transpo's Strandherd Transitway station and also easily accessible from the nearby Greenbank Road.  I use this as great spot to both transfer from nearby streets to Ottawa's transit system to head homewards.

This Five Guys Burgers & Fries is located in the Riocan Centre located at Greenbank & Strandherd.  During the weekdays it is a nice quiet place to have lunch as most locals are either in school or gone to work in downtown Ottawa.

I entered shortly after noon on two occasions about a month apart.  I was warmly welcomed by one "Guy".  There was another "Guy" at the grill with burger flipper in hand eagerly awaiting my order to begin cooking.  

This brings me to an eternal question I have of this franchised set of burger places. Sure Five Guys, as you'd expect, was founded and operated by five guys.  However, each store isn't operated by five guys working the kitchen. Today there were only two.  Heck, one time I visited the Ottawa Trainyards location to find the store worked by "Five Gals".  And no, they don't change the sign when that happens.  But I hilariously digress.

I, of course being a Five Guys periodic attendee across town at Trainyards, already knew what I wanted to order...

The Order: 1 Little Hamburger, 1 Regular Fries and 1 Regular Coke.

I paid and received my regular size fast food style beverage cup to fill at the nearby fountain drink station nearby.  The kitchen "Guy" started his magic by unloading one paddy onto the grill and the other "Guy" started the fries.

As I waited I loaded up on the free peanuts and started munching as my burger and fries cooked.

It's pretty quiet on the two occasions I ate there.  Only the odd area worker and stay at home moms and dads stop by with their little charges bringing up the rear.   This makes for a semi-quiet atmosphere that probably changes after school and work lets out. But for a daytime lunch spot I'll take it!

The burger and fries usually are ready about ten minutes after ordering.  I visit the counter, grab the paper bag and return to my seat.

The burger, as usual, is awesome with it's own unique taste as they grill burgers using peanut oil.  I usually top the burgers "All the way" which includes ketchup, relish, mustard, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, grilled mushrooms, and grilled onions which provides a delectable tasty burger combination.  The only complaint is the burger's appearance after unwrapped.  Both Five Guys Barrhaven and Trainyards have burgers that appear "smushed" when unwrapped from the tin foil.  Is there no way around this?  It's like the burgers are put together and then roughly wrapped by the kitchen crew using cinder block hands. Is there not cardboard burger packaging like McDonald's has for their Big Macs.

The fries were overflowing as usual.  The key thing with Five Guys Fries is they first take the regular size container, fill it and then add another heap of fries into your bag.  Sometimes they can be a little oversalted to some tastes but I usually find them just right.  Make sure to get ample enough ketchup for your fries.  Pro tip: After opening your paper bag and unloading the hamburgers, strategically rip the paper bag to lay flat at on the table to provide a communal french fries station!

Overall, the Five Guys Burgers & Fries in Barrhaven is a great spot for lunch.  Quiet atmosphere and good service accompanied with the taste that Five Guys' is known for makes it hit with me.  I wouldn't hang around till the evenings though, especially on the weekends, when this location must be hopping with the area locals and tables must be hard to find. When in Barrhaven, I'll be back!

A Zomato Meetup at EVOO Greek Kitchen

A couple of weeks ago I received an invite from Zomato to attend Ottawa's first Zomato Meetup at EVOO Greek Kitchen (438 Preston Street, Ottawa).

After purchasing Urbanspoon in January 2015, and after many months of Zomato's tech team amalgamating and sifting through reams of data,  finally turning out the lights on Urbanspoon on June 1st, I was intrigued about learning more about Zomato and what their meet ups entailed.

I arrived at  6:25 after a tour of Ottawa's Little Italy, Preston Street to find one other local food blogger already there.   While waiting for others to arrive water and red and white wines were offered. Our waiter, Michael, stopped by periodically to refill our drinks even with asking. There were some times throughout our meal I could have sworn I emptied my glass only to look back two seconds later to find it full again.

EVOO Greek Kitchen on Preston Street

The Zomato Community Managers Samantha (Ottawa Community Manager) and Kevin (Canada East Lead Community Manager) handed out the set menus for the evening.

Michael gave our party of ten an explanation of how things are served at EVOO. All the meals were served "family style" with individuals being able to dish out to their own plates.  This made serving from the kitchen pretty easy as all they had to do was to artistically arrange the food on large wooden cutting boards and add utensils to serve to the smaller plates provided to each diner.

Greek Spread for Appetizers

The appetizers were a mixture of Greek dips to be spread on pita bread. The dips were melitzanossalata, spicy feta dip and taramosalata. These all had different textures and tastes ranging from similar to a yogurt to a spicy aftertaste.  This was accompanied by a separate dish of Cypriout Halloumi Cheese.  This is a fried cheese was quite interesting as it was soft and chewy.

Fried Octopus, Greek Salad & Calamari

Next was the interesting part of the evening. Fried Octopus and Calamari with Greek Salad. Terrific except at our table of four (the other table had six) there was 1 vegan and three who didn't care for seafood.

I was willing try one of the offerings and thought the Fried Octopus seemed interesting.  But where do we begin? The four of us had no clue as seafood wasn't really our specialty.  A few sheepish looks at each other and gazes to the other table finally brought some helpful guidance to avoid the more charred end.    The Fried Octopus was a surprisingly tasty dish that I equate to a pork chop.   I finished the whole thing and had a second tentacle.  For the record, the suction cup like pieces of a traditional octopus  after cooking do not stick to your mouth or throat on the way down.

Roast Lamb & Greek Chicken

Next was the Roast Lamb and the Greek Chicken. The best part of the night! The lamb was perfectly prepared being tender.  The chicken was too die for!  Great preparation all around.

Luckily, out of the four at my table, one person had to leave for a soccer game, another had her own vegetarian dish (which also received rave reviews) and the Zomato representatives switched!  So I got even more of the Lamb and Chicken deliciousness!

Overall, the food was excellent and the chef even came out to greet us. He was originally from Greece and started this restaurant after coming to Canada.  He fills an Ottawa need superbly, well made Greek cuisine that simply isn't fast food prepared by mere high school kids.

The service, as you would expect was awesome with probably their best waiter and supplementary assistance. This is really the only thing that bothered me. Of course I'm going to get the gold plated treatment when your expecting me and other writers there looking to write about their experience.  It kind of removes the intention of writing about the average experience a regular person off the street might encounter.

The Swag!

Zomato meetups are interesting and I would gladly do this again as it was fun to meet other local bloggers who not only write about restaurant food but also fashion, recipes, newspaper (local neighborhood newspaper editor) and social media.  It was also interesting to put a face to a name on the old Urbanspoon and new Zomato Leaderboards.

UPDATE: In February 2023, Zomato contracted their website to only serve India and United Arab Emerits (UAE) and removed any content outside those countries.

It's Tea Time at the Rideau Centre!

A couple of weeks ago I found myself walking through the Rideau Centre on my way to a client's office downtown.

I stopped in for a cup of tea and check out one DavidsTea's (50 Rideau Street, Ottawa) newest stores.

I walked into the store, near the Rideau Centre's Food Court entrance to find three DavidsTea employees behind the counter working on different customer tea concoctions and one employee working on the shelves.  The shelver greeted me with a smile while welcoming me to the store and said if I had any questions feel free to ask! I politely said I was here for a cup of tea and she guided me to the counter where one of her accomplices would serve me.

I waited at the counter for a minute and was greeted by yet another overexcited "I need to restrict my caffeine intake" DavidsTea employee. I placed my order with her for the "Tea of the Day".

The Order: 1 Medium Size "Secret Weapon"

With so much pep, the employee whizzed around behind the counter grabbing a cup, filling it full of hot water and tea, taking cash and my "Frequent Steeper" card.

When visiting DavidsTea I normally go for the "Tea of the Day" special promotion for a couple of reasons. The first is the ability to try different teas and to keep things interesting.  I really don't have a particular preference for teas so each cup is a flavorful surprise and I get to learn which blends I prefer vs those that I do not.    The second is pricing, at $3.00 per cup as opposed to $3.25 I save $0.25 plus applicable taxes.

The tea was a normal regular taste.  Nothing secret really about it, it was plain boring tea with no special flavoring. This was not my favorite.

Overall, DavidsTea continues to be a favourite destination of mine when I look for tea.  With warm and friendly staff at the Rideau Centre location, I'm sure to return in the future when needing,l as the British call it "a hot cuppa".

Whoooooose There at Morning Owl?

A couple of weeks back, I had the pleasure of being downtown to visit a client to go over recent work my company had completed.

I had saw that the old Quiznos store at 139 Bank Street had closed and was undergoing renovation to a Morning Owl Coffeehouse. I had heard rave reviews about their other location on Rochester Street but, for whatever reason, never went there.

I ventured in a lunch time on a Friday after hearing about their specials on Twitter and was interested in their Turkey Club Sandwich with perhaps, them being a coffee house, a cup of coffee.

The new location at 139 Bank Street has a modern looking coffee shop interior with a counter overlooking the sidewalk at the front and a few small tables inside.   Along the right hand side of the narrow store is the main counter where the food is ordered, prepared and paid for along with the coffee products.

I waited in line that moved fairly quickly to order with one of the two employees behind the counter who were preparing the food.  From there I gradually moved forward to the cash to order the sandwich (again!) and coffee.  Everything, except for the sandwich ordering, seemed somewhat smooth as the coffee came quick and, after a return back to the two friendly ladies prepping food, I got my sandwich.

For $10.06 including tax (or thereabouts) I had a turkey club sandwich, which seemed to be regular bread sized, and a cup of coffee.  Not great value wise but what about quality wise?  Only one way to find out...

I sat down at the front counter overlooking the sidewalk.  All the other tables were full of downtown office workers enjoying their lunch time.  The sandwich was the first victim.   The bread, if you call it that, was a tasty artisan crunchy layer that was like a bready pie crust.  Not bad, but I wasn't sold on it totally.  The rest of the sandwich tasted like it was "cared for".  The lettuce and tomatoes were noticeably as fresh as could sourced for February in Ottawa.  The mayonaise was noticeable but not overbearing.  The turkey was excellent.  A pretty good sandwich with only one change I would make, perhaps some locally sourced old school baked bread that is more bread like and less artistically inclined?  Is that so wrong?  It probably would sell well considering the pubs around this place only really don't concentrate on the freshness aspect as well as Morning Owl seems to.

The coffee was exquisite.  Fresh tasting with a decent decadent taste to it. I'd probably return to Morning Owl Coffeehouse if I was in the area again.

Overall, Morning Owl Coffeehouse is not your local Tim Hortons.  Freshness and quality is top of mind instead of volume and cost effectiveness.  Don't bother entering the door looking for cheap items as you will leave empty handed.  But customers can expect quality prepared food that seems to have that old school local business touch along with decent service.   That's really "whoooooooose at Morning Owl!  People who care!

Bank on Wild Oat Bakery Cafe & Restaurant for Good Hearty Food!

On a previous Friday for lunch I decided to spin my luck on the old the Zomato wheel of fortune to see where I would end up.

First, a Sushi place.  Nope, don't like Sushi (please leave all hate mail down below...tried it a couple of times from real Japanese places, just never acquired the taste for it).

Second, a nice interesting spot, Wild Oat Bakery, Cafe & Restaurant (817 Bank Street, Ottawa).  In past visits to the Glebe I had never set foot in this store figuring it would be some hipster coffee hangout.  I decided to go and visit to check it out.  If it didn't work out, shrug, no loss as there are a couple of other places I could investigate or just go and have pancakes.

I entered the store around noon and strolled past the bakery and through a doorway.  There was another counter where they served coffee.  My glasses had to defrost due to the change in temperature from the cold minus twenty Celsius outside to whatever warmth they had inside.   After defrosting things got more interesting.  In the coffee shop side (i.e. "The Cafe") there were tables to sit down at plus a long counter for singles to sit at to people watch the traffic going by on the sidewalk.

I perused the menu at the coffee shop which had some specials and then ventured over to the bakery side.  With a refreshed view from my now defrosted glasses things were a little more appetizing.   I even noticed the soup and chili counter near the front door I came in which had almost a dozen options to choose from along with what appeared to be a freshly made roll to accompany your selection!  I scooped up some chili and headed to the cash with roll in hand and headed for the cash at the bakery.

The Order: 1 Vegetarian Chocolate Chili, Roll and a coffee.

After picking up the chili, I headed over to the coffee bar to grab a cup of their regular black coffee before finding a seat.

I found a seat near the window and dug into the chili.

The Vegetarian Chocolate Chili I chose because it sounded interesting.  Why would you add Chocolate to Chili?  It never crossed my mind to do so but I thought it was worth a try.  The Vegetarian part?  Didn't bother me as I had tried non meat chilies and other vegetarian concoctions that have been a culinary delight.

The Chocolate part was lacking.  I couldn't even taste it and my tongue was looking for either a milk or dark chocolate flavour but came up empty.  But besides that the chili was excellent with just the right amount of spice to provide the odd kick but nothing over the top "quick turn on the tap my mouth is on fire" spiciness.  It would be a solid contestant in any neighbourhood chili contest.

The coffee was a decent tasting coffee.  A real effort, like the chili, was made to ensure the coffee was of the right quality.  After all, one of the key ingredients of a good "cafe" is a solid cup of coffee, and the Cafe at Wild Oat has it.

Overall, Wild Oat Bakery Cafe & Restaurant specializes in old style home cooked meals that would make your grandparents proud.  With special attention to ingredients for vegetarians as well as taste, the bakery, cafe and restaurant produces quality food.  At less than $10 for a solid portion of Chili and a cup of coffee it's a great lunch spot.  Add in a vast selection of breads, soups, chilies and other items it is a great spot to explore with your taste buds.

Skimping on the Souvlaki at Jimmy the Greek

Last Saturday after doing some shopping downtown and returning back to OC Transpo's Transitway I decided to stop off at the Rideau Centre's Food Court for a bite to eat.

I settled on Jimmy the Greek (50 Rideau Street, Ottawa ) as Big Smoke Burger had both cash registers tied up trying to figure out a customer's debit card transaction.

After waiting behind one customer, I was ready to order at Jimmy the Greek with a friendly smiling young lady brimming with exuberance.

The Order: 1 Chicken Souvlaki Dinner with 1 Can of Coke.

Jimmy The Greek Rideau Centre Dining Hall Storefront

After finding a table to sit down within the busy Saturday lunch time mall food court scene, I took a look at my meal to be disappointed.  Sure there was plenty on the plate in terms of rice, Greek Salad and potatoes, but there was just one measly skewer of chicken. You would figure with the dish being called "Chicken Souvlaki Dinner" that the "Chicken Souvlaki" would be both plentiful as it is the centre of attention. Sadly, no, just one skewer was available.  

Chicken Souvlaki Dinner

The dish was satisfactory with the chicken being grilled but slightly on the dry side.  The salad was an average in freshness but saved by the Greek Salad Dressing.  The rice was just about right but nothing my wife and I couldn't master at home.  The potatoes were an interesting take on Greek style potatoes with an interesting taste to them which went well coupled with the leftover tzatziki sauce from my consumption of the chicken skewer.  

Overall, Jimmy the Greek isn't that special.  At $11.69 for a food court meal including canned soft drink and taxes, it's over priced.  If there had of been just one extra chicken skewer the price may have been reasonable.  Hopefully Jimmy will pull his socks up and listen to his mother about proper Greek hospitality and not skimping on the main part of a dish. 

Nestle Chocolate Cookie Accompanied by M&Ms on a Saturday

Last Saturday I found myself downtown to do some shopping along Ottawa's Rideau Street.  Knowing I would be down there I grabbed a coupon with the idea of stopping off for a warm drink and a cookie at the Nestle Toll House Cafe (140 Rideau Street, Ottawa).

Nestle, the kid famous chocolate maker, looks to have started their own chain of chocolate based cafes featuring chocolate inspired baked goods coupled with specialty coffees and teas.

I arrived shortly after 10 am to find the location at Rideau & Nicholas empty except for one employee behind the counter.  This employee kindly continued about her business after looking up and noticing I was perusing the menu and the large display cases at the front of the store.

Once I figured out what cookie I wanted and what was my best hot drink of choice, I merely let the employee know and I ordered.

The Order:  1 16 Oz Regular Hot Chocolate and 1 M&M Rainbow Chocolate Chip cookies.

Nestle Toll House Cafe's 16 Oz Regular Hot Chocolate & Rainbow M&M Chocolate Chip Cookie

The odd part came after ordering.  I had handed over the coupon before and the employee looked at it, read it, and read it again.  She tried at least three times the order with the coupon discount.  Each time she failed and ultimately worked out just charging me on a calculator for the hot chocolate and gave me the total.  From there I handed over payment and received my change.  Still can't figure out how the coupon process had not been implemented considering the coupon I was using I had held onto for more than three weeks before using.

The Hot Chocolate was average store hot chocolate with nothing overly chocolaty or special about it. At $3.95 it was a o.k. but nothing to drive out of the way for.

Rainbow M&M Chocolate Chip Cookie

The Rainbow M&M Chocolate Chip Cookie was pretty good. The mixture of the traditional gooey chocolate chip cookie that Cookie Monster would give a fury thumbs up too, coupled with the addition of the crunch of M&Ms makes it an interesting snack.  ]

Oddly though Nestle decided to concoct the delectable cookies creation using Mars' M&Ms instead of Nestle's very own Smarties.    Perhaps this is done to ensure conformity in the manufacturing process of the cookie as Smarties in the chocolate version are not widely found in the United States.

Overall, Nestle Toll House Cafe is an interesting addition to the coffee / cafe scene in Ottawa and beyond. With a bright modern interior and friendly service this cafe is a great addition to Rideau Street.  However, most concerning was the emptiness of the cafe on a Saturday morning.  But perhaps it fills up later in the afternoon as more shops and services open for a busy afternoon. One can only hope as without customers this beacon hope on an otherwise sketchy Rideau Street may be snuffed out.

Busy Bookish Starbucks on Saturdays

Recently I found myself down in the South Keys Shopping Centre's Loblaws for a few items and then over to the Wal-mart.

In between I stopped off at the Chapters store to grab a coffee from the Starbucks (2210 Bank Street, Ottawa).  Upon entering, on a Saturday afternoon, I noted the decent line up and had second thoughts about going elsewhere.

But upon waiting in line for two minutes, I noticed it moved on a frequent basis.  Two Baristas were manning the cash with one taking orders and one running.  But if the one on cash was slowed by a customer who couldn't  make up their mind, the second Barista would pitch in on a second cash and run herself until the other was available again.  This team work seemed to be keeping everyone moving at a decent clip with another two Baristas working the specialty coffee machine.

I was, impressively, in and out in five minutes holding my order of 1 Tall Pike Roast (Medium Roast) coffee.  

The coffee itself was pretty standard Starbucks fare without any mistakes either.  The only complaint, there was nowhere to sit as the tables were taken within the Starbucks store proper in the Chapters.  Sure I could of wandered Chapters looking for some reading material, but I had stuff to do!  And left for Wal-mart.

Overall, this Starbucks is pretty busy as it is one of the only coffee shops in this large outdoor Shopping Centre that is the main shopping attraction for the South Keys neighbourhood.  With that in mind this Starbucks see perhaps more than it's fair share of traffic, especially for one located within a Chapters book store.  So don't expect to get a access to a table, especially on a Saturday, as there probably won't be one available.

Bland Downtown 3 Brothers Shawarma & Poutine

Last Friday for lunch I decided to try my luck with another poutine I noticed from my last journey for Poutine a couple of weeks ago.  I wished to see how Smoke's Poutinerie and 3 Brothers Shawarma & Poutine (160 Rideau Street, Ottawa).

The main difference location wise is 3 Brothers Shawarma & Poutine is right on Rideau at the Corner of Dalhousie whereas Smoke's Poutinerie is set back a bit from the main street (Rideau Street) on Dalhousie Street resulting in less foot traffic.

Upon entering at 11:30 am., I noticed only one other customer in the store who happened to be finishing up his meal.  No worries, still early for lunch so the number of customers really didn't worry me.  What did worry me was the menu, with "Poutine" in the restaurant title one would figure there would be more than one simple offering of the Quebec specialty dish.  Sadly there was not, in fact, the menu photo showed a mere fast food style fries doused in gravy.  Not very appetizing for a place supposedly pushing poutine.

With poutine out of the picture, I perused the rest of the Shawarma based menu to settle on what I thought to be a fine choice and ordered...

The Order: The Chef's Special: 1 Chicken Shawarma (all dressed) with potatoes and can of Coke.

Within a about two minutes my order was prepared and served up.

I studied the small take out storefront for the best place to sit.  With not to many options, I chose right at the counter overlooking Rideau Street to watch passing customers.

The Shawarma was nothing special. I had it "all dressed" to see what the chef would put together to make it's best.  Nothing special was the result, just bland everything is there no special seasoning.  It was like the basic boring McDonald's hamburgers of shawarma.  Just there take it or leave it.

The potatoes had promise.  The potatoes were fried and seasoned with some type of seasoning and presented with a white garlic sauce. An interesting culinary take that should compliment Shawarma.  However, these were served stone cold!  There was more interest in the Toronto Maple Leafs would win the Stanley Cup than interest in keeping these potatoes even room temperature.

Overall, 3 Brothers Shawarma needs some help.  Formerly located in the Union Canada Building that is now being converted into a hotel by Claridge, this once thriving Poutine and Shawarma restaurant seems to have lost it's way.  Uninspiring Shawarma coupled with serving up cold dishes that should be served at least warm, seems to point out that this restaurant has lost its way.

A Red Velvet Cookie at Tim Hortons?

Last Thursday I stopped off for coffee at a relatively new Tim Hortons (90 Elgin Street, Ottawa) located within the new federal James Michael Flaherty Building at the corner of Elgin & Albert Streets.   Facing Albert Street, this modern looking Tim Hortons location takes advantage of the significant number of federal civil servants who occupy the building, tourists enjoying the sites of downtown Ottawa and those using the nearby OC Transpo eastbound Metcalfe Street Transitway Station.

I visited last Thursday mid afternoon to a semi bustling Tim Hortons store.  The federal civil servants were busily enjoying their coffees as they chatted.  I patiently waited in line to order an mid afternoon snack.

As I waited in line, I noticed something kind of amusing...

Yes, the muffin I was about to order was trying it's darndest to masquerade as a cookie!

I eventually got to the front and made my order.

The Order: 1 Medium Black Original Blend and 1 Red Velvet Muffin masquerading as a cookie.

The cashier looked at me quizically about the muffin.  I told her I wanted a muffin but the tag said "cookie".  As she was going to fill my order I took the above picture and showed it to her.

She laughed, apparently there used to be a Red Velvet Cookie a while back.   After handing me coffee and muffin she then changed the sign.

Later on I was puzzled, how could there have been a Red Velvet Cookie tag in the store if a while back they had the cookie itself?  The store was less than three months and I don't remember seeing a Red Velvet Cookie.  Perhaps each store is issued the same set of display tags across Canada and updated as new products come out.

I scanned the store for a scarce seat to rest.  That is the major issue with this restaurant, few tables are available as it is not as wide or as deep as a regular Tim Hortons.  So the only thing they skimp on is the table space.  This results in running out of space for customers like me who wish to stay for a bite before continuing on with their downtown adventures.  The only thing I can think of is that someone at Tim Hortons miscalculated and figured more office workers would take their items to go than actually happened. Either that or the Tim Hortons franchisee just shoehorned the store in as best as possible to meet the space constraints.

The Red Velvet muffin tasted delicious!  Moist smooth semi chocolatey taste with a little white sugar filling to add additional taste.  

The coffee was the usual Tim Hortons corporate made to spec they have been doing for 50+ years now.  Great to wash down the Red Velvet Muffin.

Overall, this Tim Hortons location is a decent addition to Ottawa's downtown.  Yes this is now the 3rd Tim Hortons location south of Albert, West of Elgin, North of Laurier and Metcalfe.  But with the location on Metcalfe street being busy during rush hours and the Laurier location doing steady, this 3rd location provides some needed relief.  I find it less busy and the staff more excited yet exuding the same friendliness as the employees at the other two locations.  Orders are usually filled quickly and I'm on my way.  Now only if they could figure out the difference between a Red Velvet Muffin and a Red Velvet Cookie...

Holy Smoke's Poutinerie

Saturday for lunch I found myself downtown running a few errands here and there.  Shortly after 11 I was heading towards Shoppers Drug Mart and Loblaws on Rideau Street. Before shopping, I thought I would stop off at a place that had intrigued me for some time but never got around to visiting, Smoke's Poutinerie (407 Dalhousie Street, Ottawa).

Tucked away on the southern leg of Dalhousie Street (that ends 1 block south of Rideau Street near Besserer Street) off main Rideau Street, this restaurant is almost hidden.  Add in being located where OC Transpo has a lay up area for their buses that begin and end at the nearby Rideau Centre stop and this storefront can be a little difficult to find for the average passing person.  Luckily, the nearby University of Ottawa campus and two major downtown hotels (Les Suites and Novotel) provide a decent sized clientele that both are geographically close (university and hotels) and in the right target market (university students).

I entered shortly after 11 a.m. to be met by one customer who had just finished ordering and the employee who immediately asked what I wished to order.  I politely, with a smile on my face, said "order?  I just got here and need to see the menu"  He smiled and said he would start preparing the other order and to let him know when I was ready.

I perused the overhead menu going over the extensive options of poutine.  Everything from just fries, to regular poutine, to beef, steak, chicken and pork variations are available.

After making my choice I waited for the employee to make eye contact and signal I was ready.

The Order:  1 Nacho Grande with a Coke.

Next came the interesting wait of anticipation.  One employee and, after three minutes, another three customers came in.  Great! Things seemed to be picking up for Saturday lunch, yet the single employee had to take orders, scurry around to the kitchen, make orders and bring them back up.  It really did seem this location was understaffed.

After a ten minute wait, things started moving.  First up the first customer received her order.  With a line up of receipts on the counter put there in order of arrival, the employee scurried through each one with the only question being "for here or to go?"  With each reply the orders were either bagged up to fly out the door or handed over to salivating customers like me.  

My order came up with a "Nacho Grande with Coke" and I was handed the nachos.  I stopped and waited, next order was called.  Um... where's the Coke? After the next order was dispatched the employee looked sheepishly at me and then went and grabbed it out of the fridge.

I'll chalk today's Coke forgetting episode up to him being overwhelmed by working alone.  The failsafe was there with each receipt in order and calling out the order to double check to make sure everything was there.  Just lack of an extra pair of hands seemed to be the issue

The wait was decent for what should be considered "fast food".  But was it worth it?

Nachos Grande with a Can of Coke

Presentation wise it was one of the better looking fast food style plates I'd seen in a long time.  But taste wise would it hold up?

I dug into the Nachos Grande with the required and duly issued fork.  The fries were thin supposedly handcut fries mixed in with all the usual toppings nachos would have including ground beef, jalapeno peppers, salsa and artfully drizzled sour cream.  With a touch of a spicy kick, you'd think you were enjoying a favourite plate of the mexican version sans le nachos chips.   The only other thing I thought was missing, besides the nacho chips, was a little cheese.  Perhaps that could be an add on option in the future.  Other than that, the nachos plus fries were delish!  Yes the fries stood up as, even fifteen minutes later, didn't suffer of over sogginess caused by all the other moist offerings coagulating together.

Overall, Smoke's Poutinerie is an interesting addition to the Ottawa restaurant scene imported from Toronto.   With several well thought out variations of the mainly Canadian dish of Poutine, this restaurant is decent see.  With the price bordering around $10.00 but decent portions provided there is some value here as well.  Tucked in on a somewhat side street, the location is a little hidden from the usual passing tourists and whoever walks by on Rideau Street.  But this place seems to have a following as even on Saturday lunch a steady stream of hungry customers arrived.  Smoke's may be the new favourite place on our list of downtown locales when in search of a bite to eat.

Lots of Potential Missing at Torino Grill

Since opening in August 2014, the Rideau Centre's new food court has presented some interesting new food choices. Big Smoke Burger and MLT Down have provided some interesting dining concepts.

Last Saturday upon starting a downtown shopping trip, I decided to try out one of the other food court restaurants that seemed interesting: Torino Grill (50 Rideau Street, Ottawa). The restaurant is supposedly a Mediterranean inspired grill that specializes in grilled chicken.  The menu seemed promising with various grilled chicken and other Mediterranean inspired dishes.

It was a 11:30 A.M. on Saturday and I approached the counter.  One of the employees behind the counter trying to encourage passing customers to visit the restaurant's storefront by offering chicken samples.  If you fell for the bait, he would quickly get into his sales pitch to explain the chicken was in such a such dish and today's specials.   Nice salesmanship if you can encourage more customers to come forward during your slower times before and after the lunch rush.

Torino Grill Rideau Centre Storefront

I of course took advantage of the free sample and took the opportunity to order.  The only problem, the samples were handed out near the cash register at one end of the counter while the actual line up to order was the opposite side.  No worries, I was able to order with the lady standing beside the gentleman slinging free chicken pieces without interrupting the other two customers who had already ordered.

Club Sandwich with Cole Slaw & "Fries" with Coke

The Order: 1 Club Sandwich combo with two sides (1 fries and 1 coleslaw).

My order took a little time to prepare.  The club sandwich came out of the back of the restaurant as opposed to over at the grill.   No worries at least the sandwich was together.

A nice touch of Torino Grill is the choice of sides that are available.  There are an estimated ten different options to choose from with each menu item having a certain number (i.e. 1, 2 or 3 sides) available included in the single price.   Each menu item, of course, has suggested pictures to wet your appetite on the menu including what could be considered suggestions for sides.  In the Club Sandwich menu entry, for example, there were fries nestled next to the triple stacked sandwich pictured.

The so called "fries" pictured on the menu looked like shoe string cut fries.  So imagine my surprise when hashbrown sized potato wedges were served up. Not sure if this was due to a cutback by head office, over supply of hashbrowns sized potato wedges (garlic potatoes sans garlic?) or simple mistake by the staff.  Whatever it was, it wasn't the fries I had in mind.   I didn't complain just figured these wedges were worth a try.  Add in the offer of humus for no additional charge and it didn't seem to bad.

I took my plate to find a seat in the already filling up mall food court.

The sandwich was nothing special.  Straight plain white bread with average chicken, lettuce, tomato  put together and put on a plate.  No extra taste, no seasoning, no freshness, no nothing, just lackluster.

The "fries" were simple fried potato hashbrown wedges served up similar to any pub.  Nothing special here either.  No seasoning to make it just perfect, just simply cook it and serve it.

The hummus was also nothing special.  No "grandma's recipe" type take either.  Just straight bland hummus made from some corporate recipe probably.

Remember "Chicken Man" tempting passing prospective customers?  All throughout the time I enjoyed my meal he was still slinging his chicken samples.  Even when the counter was lined up with hungry lunch time customers he didn't stop.  He was even, at times, standing in the way of his coworkers trying to prep orders and move them towards the cash.  Instead of paying attention to the ever changing scene around him, he was more interested in slinging his chicken to passing customers instead of helping his coworkers to increase the pace of the growing line in front of him.

Overall, Torino Grill has plenty of promise  the chicken sample was good and an eager staff.  However, slinging chicken samples that disrupts the orderly pace of a busy lunch time.  Serving up potato wedges in place of fries is also a little questionable and probably borders on false advertising. A decent grill restaurant with a Mediterranean flair would provide a welcome addition to the Ottawa scene.  This restaurant has great potential but only if service and food is stepped up.

Waiting for Someone at the Airport? Grab a Timmies!

One of my favourite places at the Ottawa Airport is the arrivals area where hopeful people like me get to wait for whomever is arriving from distant lands to descend the escalators from the second floor, get a hug and walk past the waterfall feature to say hello to statues of Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir George-Etienne Cartier.

Before all of that of course is the wait for either your visitor or your visitor's baggage to arrive.  Of course if you are grabbing OC Transpo's route 97 to downtown, there may be another opportunity to wait for the scheduled bus to arrive.  With all this theoretical waiting for time to catch up to you, a coffee shop may be in need.

Located on the ground floor opposite the baggage claim area, is a Tim Hortons Kiosk (1000 Airport Parkway Private, Ottawa) featuring a modest selection of Tim Hortons' regular fare.  For a more complete full service restaurant, another Tim Hortons is located on the third floor in the food court area.

Today, after seeing off my Mother-in-Law and enjoying lunch, I thought I would stop by for a quick cup of coffee before heading to the OC Transpo Route 97 bus to return back downtown.

I joined the line of about five people and slowly moved forward.  The major downfall of this Tim Hortons location is it is only staffed by a single person.  So if a major flight is expected to arrive or does arrive this Tim Hortons can be quite busy.  At other times, this kiosk is a ghost town with the Tim Hortons employee glad to see a warm body looking for a hot cup of coffee.  It really is hit or miss.

Tim Hortons Kiosk on the ground floor of Ottawa Airport.

I gradually worked my way to the front of the five person line and ordered.

The Order: 1 Medium black coffee.

A simple pour of the cup and adding of the lid along with the exchanging of some cash and I was on my way.

The coffee was fresh, probably due to the frequent turnover of customers this Tim Hortons kiosk was doing helping to make sure the coffee was also moving.  

Overall, this Tim Hortons is a nice touch to the Ottawa Airport experience.  Strategically located on the main floor as a snack option for those waiting for someone or to pick up their luggage before heading out the door.  I tend to stop by this location on a regular basis as it is conveniently located near where both OC Transpo bus tickets can picked up at the counter just to left and to board the bus outside on the airport road.   Service at this Tim Hortons is decent along with a quick grab and go menu, the line moves quickly.  So when I need to pick up someone at the airport, I stop by here and grab a Timmies!