In this throwback review (circa October 2015), I’ll be sharing my experience visiting one of the food stalls inside Byward Market Square in Ottawa.  Walking through the building, I noticed one particular vendor, Le Casablanca, which was a bit more exotically decorated and serves healthy Moroccan cuisine.

I was particularly drawn to their display case of food which made my mouthwater with how good the food smelled.  The display featured lamb shank, merguez sausages, kofta balls, and stuffed eggplant.

As an eggplant lover, I was definitely drawn to their stuffed eggplants.  They looked very home-style and delicious!

The restaurant had a casual, relaxed atmosphere.  I liked how some of the banquettes were covered with vibrant decorative fabrics and throws.

On the menu are a variety of appetizers, main platters, daily specials, drinks and desserts.  The food is taken from the display case and then re-heated on order from what I saw.

We went with a lamb shank platter ($14.95) which comes with chickpea, vegetables and choice of couscous or rice and potatoes.  The lamb shank was tender and fell off the bone easily.

And of course, a stuffed eggplant platter ($8.95) which drew me in to try them in the first place.  I opted for the couscous and salad as sides.

While I liked the home-style feel of the cooking, I did find it to taste a bit bland.  Looking at a few other reviews, other people have commented the same about the food at Le Casablanca.  One review did stand out to me by saying that, “Moroccan food can taste bland to some people as the focus is more on aroma rather than spicing up the taste.”  When I did Google “Morroccan food bland,” I did find quite a few search results on that.  In most cases, it seems that Western palates have found some Morroccan food served to be underseasoned.  However, there were a few comments that authentic Morroccan food is supposed to be lighter in taste.

Overall Impression of Le Casablanca

The food we tried at Le Casablanca was light in taste but probably more authentic.  Since the food is just reheated on order, Le Casablanca is closer to a fast food place.  Rating: 3/5

Website: www.lecasablancaottawa.com

Hi everyone!  I hope you had a lovely Canada Day yesterday.  In the spirit of all things great and Canadian, here’s a throwback review of my visit to Beavertails in Ottawa’s Byward Market.  The Beavertails there is just a kiosk at the corner of George and William Streets and is probably one of the oldest Beavertail locations in Canada.

For those who may be unfamiliar, Beavertails are fried dough pastries which are individually hand stretched and flattened to resemble a beaver’s tail.  They are then topped with sweet toppings like cinnamon, sugar, banana, chocolate hazlenut spread and more.  The only part about Beavertails that I would say is healthy is the fact that it is made with whole wheat dough.  The rest of the toppings are certainly decadent.

My family and I shared the Maple Butter and Avalanche Beavertails.  Firstly, the dough was very warm, thin and nicely crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.  Next, both flavours tasted like what was noted.  I found the Maple Butter to have a nice balance of maple and butter flavours.

The Avalanche had Skor cheesecake spread which was caramely and chocately in flavour and crunchy in texture.  I personally liked the Maple Butter more which was more as the Avalanche was a bit too sweet for my liking.

Overall Impression 

I thought the dough was perfect for the Beavertails I tried.  The Maple Butter tasted the best for me.  Next time, I’d be interested in trying a savoury option: garlic butter and cheese.  Rating: 3.5/5

Website: www.beavertails.com