I stopped by True Loaf Bread Company located at 573 Gladstone Ave today to pick up some bread.  This is one of my favourite bakeries in the city as  it focuses on savoury bread  products such as sourdough, ciabatta, seed loaf  and focaccia but does always have a few sweet treats available.   True Loaf is a truly local family run business that bakes all of its bread fresh daily at the bakery on Gladstone, the attention to detail put into every loaf really make their products stand out. If you are a fan of fresh bread True Loaf is a must try.

Today I purchased a fantastic Seed Bread.  It contains whole wheat and white flour, water, pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, flax, poppy seeds, sourdough, fresh yeast and sea salt. The loaf was a good combination of a chewy crust and a nice soft fresh middle, the seeds add a lot of flavour and a little bit of crunch.  It would make a wonderful loaf for sandwiches but also went down beautifully lathered in butter which is my preferred method of consumption.

 I also picked up a Rosemary Focaccia. It contained white flour, water, dried rosemary leaves, olive oil, sourdough, fresh yeast, sea salt, sea salt flakes.  The flavour of the rosemary immediately comes with the first bite, the crust is a little softer than the seed bread but the inside is more dense.  It has a slightly oily texture which is typical to focaccia and is absolutely delicious.  It would make a great side to pretty much any meal I can think of. 

Open Tuesday - Saturday from 7am-1pm so get in early to avoid disappointment.  They also offer an order in advance option where if you order before 1pm the day before, your fresh bread will be available to pickup by 9am the next day.  True Loaf breads are also available at several stores throughout the city, including but not limited to Thyme & Again, Jacobsons and Continental Delicatessen.  For more information on ordering online or where to find the bread, check their website. https://www.trueloaf.ca/

 This week, I visited Kung Fu Tea at 1167 Bank Street in Old Ottawa South, a spot I’d passed by numerous times and finally decided to try. I went with my family so I got to try a few different flavours.

 Kung Fu Tea specialises in authentic Taiwanese-style bubble tea. It offers a rotating daily special with all of the drinks being customisable and also has an interesting selection of instant ramen available.

We tried three different flavours:

The chocolate was very tasty; it had a very distinct flavour of cocoa and wasn't at all too sweet. My kids weren't a big fan of the tapioca balls in the bottom, but that might have been because it was their first time. I enjoyed that it had crushed ice and it was very refreshing on a warm day. 

The Mango yoghurt was more of a smoothie and again not too sweet at all, it had a fantastic mango taste that was bringt, fresh and reviving.  The honey sweetener at the bottom was a nice touch. 

The Jasmine green tea was my favourite, it was a nice strong tea flavour that was well balanced with the sweetness, I enjoyed the sago pearls at the bottom although next time I would get a few less which is no problem as all of the drinks are fully customisable with options for size, sweetness, amount of ice and toppings.

Overall it was a very pleasant experience and the restaurant itself is a great community space, with plenty of cool plants and Taiwanese décor and seats for about 15 people inside as well as a few patio seats.  In the past it has held salsa dancing nights as well as paint nights and is open until 10pm weekdays and 11pm on weekends.

There is an art to making good tea and at Kung Fu Tea they have taken that to heart.

BSB

Over the weekend I stopped by Roberto's Corner at 1134 Bank street to continue my journey of trying everything they have to offer.  Today I ordered #2 on the menu which was the black forest ham. I arrived just before they closed on Sunday at around 6:30pm, so this was a dinner sandwich.

For the Black Forest Ham sandwich I got it toasted with provolone cheese, lettuce, roast peppers, banana peppers, red onion,

grainy mustard and hot mustard.

Once again the bread is phenomenal, crispy and chewy and holds up to the toppings and sauce. This was the last sandwich of the day and it is a testament to the quality of the bread that it was still so fresh.  The ham is  juicy and slightly salty, with a generous amount of meat and vegetables. You could easily include more veggies if you wanted as all of the sandwiches are customisable. The sauce is quite vinegary, which nicely balances the saltiness. 

Overall another great sandwich, not quite as good as the Turkey as that one is still living rent free in my head.

Roberto's Power Rankings:

1. Turkey

2. Black Forest Ham

 Located at 1158 Bank Street, this social space is a neighbourhood gem. Featuring a constantly evolving menu of local and seasonal produce and espresso since it opened in October 2025, owner Dr Hassan Moghadam has developed the café to showcase his private collection of vintage cars in the community. His passion for cars and community really comes through in this unique café. The private car collection is on display in the back half of the room, separated by a glass partition; a feature car is on display in the café for a closer look.  (Check out his Instagram for some of the other cars in the collection https://www.instagram.com/vintagemotorsportsca/  ).  The venue has room for around 40 people + an outdoor patio, it is available for events and private bookings.

The menu features several items, mostly sandwiches and sweet treats some made in house and some brought in from local businesses.  Today I just had time for a quick coffee so I went with my standard order of a flat white.

 The coffee was a little hotter than I would have liked and not particularly strong, but it was well balanced and creamy. I would say this is more of a latte, but that might just be my Australian perspective. The ambiance of the café was nice: a mix of clientele, with some students on laptops, some people who work in the neighbourhood getting takeaway coffees, and some people socialising. In addition they have an impressive collection of automotive books, magazines and memorabilia to enjoy while waiting for your coffee and a recently opened patio.  Also notable is the giant mural of Sofia on the side of the building and the selection of Italian drinks inside.

 Overall, I had a very enjoyable experience at the café, even if the coffee wasn't fantastic—it was still very decent. For car enthusiasts, this place is a must-visit, especially for one of the events. If you sign up for the mailing list and make a small donation to Hospice Ottawa, you can join the next tour of the vintage motorsports area.

BSB

 An Old Ottawa South staple since 2014, previously known as the Belmont Snack Bar, this was actually the first restaurant in the neighbourhood that was recommended to me. Over the last 10 years, I have been several times and had nothing but good experiences. From Trini doubles and dumplings to prawn toast and huevos rancheros, this restaurant casts a wide net of culinary delight. Located at 1169 Bank street, The Belmont is also known for its cocktails and good music.  Its a relatively small venue with space for around 25 people at tables and another 8 or so at the bar.  The restaurant had a bit of an industrial vintage vibe going on.

 The Belmont has just started serving brunch on Fridays, which is why I've chosen to visit then. I'll cover the dinner menu in a future review. 

I got the Turkish eggs, which consisted of three medium poached eggs in a garlic sumac yoghurt, topped with chili oil and a side of apple sage sausage. It also came with two pieces of sourdough bread from True Loaf bakery (https://www.trueloaf.ca/), which was a great bonus as I am a big fan of their products. 

The eggs were cooked to a perfect medium with lots of runny yolk, the garlic yoghrut was zesty and fresh.  The chili oil on top worked well because I got the  fried bits of chili adding a nice crunchy texture on top of the egg and then the oil combined with the yoghurt and egg yolk to make wonderful dipping for the sourdough bread.  The apple sage sausages were tasty and I am glad I got them as the eggs alone would not have been a that much food.

 My partner got the falafel bowl, which had fried haloumi, falafel, baba ganoush, arugula, dukkah, preserved cabbage, and a pickled egg.  

The falafel was very fresh with a nice crispy exterior and a moist filling, the haloumi was a nice salty contrast and the buba ganoush tied it together although it didn't quite have the creaminess we were hoping for.  The pickled egg was nice and tangy.

Overall  both meals were excellent as with all of the other meals I have had there.  I would recommend to anyone looking for a small intimate brunch (or dinner) spot. The website has brunch and dinner menus, as well as information about catering and reservations.

 https://www.belmontottawa.com/

 When I was in Japan, I attended a cooking class that taught us how to make sushi and tempura. Yesterday was my first attempt at recreating the sushi at home. I used Nishiki sushi rice that I got from T&T. I cooked it in the Instant Pot, cooking rice for 3 minutes on high pressure mode with 1.5 cups of rice to 2 cups of water.

  

To make the sushi rice seasoning, I used 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 3 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, and a 2" x 2" square of kombu per cup of uncooked rice. Combine in a saucepan, heat, and stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Based on this recipe from Serious Eats: http://seriouseats.com/sumeshi-seasoned-sushi-rice-recipe-7253896 (in the foot notes at the bottom is the original recipe from J. Kenji López-Alt ). My kids helped me make the rice into football-sized balls for the nigiri and roll the rice out onto sheets of nori about 2 cm thick for the maki.

  

I purchased the salmon from Pelican Seafood Market and Grill. It’s a fantastic restaurant that also has a small market area that specializes in fresh fish and seafood. (https://www.pelicanseafood.ca/ I will do a deeper dive into the produce there in a future post.) 

For the maki I lay the salmon and cucumber in the middle of the rice and then rolled into long tubes before slicing into piece.  I put the sliced salmon directly onto the rice for the nigiri. 

Overall I was pretty happy with how it turned out, the family enjoyed it all for dinner.  Next time I will try to add a bit more variety, with some avocado and maybe some tuna if they have some fresh tuna available.  I also think I need to invest in some nicer plates to make these final product photos a little nicer. Any feedback is always appreciated.

BSB

   Salvatore Nicastro purchased a ticket to come to Canada in in 1959.  In 1972 he was one of the founding owners of the original Nicastro Bros. Food in Centertown, the hub for the Italian community in Ottawa at the time. Over 50 years later his family continues to provide high quality produce and service throughout the city.

Located at 792 Bank St. in the Glebe as well as 1355 Wellington St. this small Italian grocery story boasts some of the best cheese and cured meat selections in Ottawa.  They also offer catering services with platters, paninis and cheese board as well as prepared salads, pastas and sweets.  A more in depth inventory can be found on their website https://negozio.ca/

Today I am grabbing a selection of items for a mothers day charcuterie picnic lunch.

 This is the new second location of Roberto's Corner, an Italian sandwich shop that also sells pasta, soups, salads, desserts, and more. Located at 1134 Bank Street, this location opened in February 2026.
https://robertoscorner.ca/

Today will be the first in a series of Roberto's posts as I will attempt to try all of the sandwiches on the menu. Starting with number 1, the Oven-Roasted Turkey.
All of the sandwiches at Roberto's are fully customizable with salads, cheese, and optional toasting. For my turkey sandwich today, I have gone with provolone cheese and toasted, with roasted red peppers, lettuce, jalapeños, and garlic mayo.

 

My first impressions after a bite are that the bread is so fresh and tasty that it doesn't need toasting; it's the perfect combination of soft and chewy, but still holds together nicely with all the toppings. I take my bread pretty seriously, and this bun has put us off to a very good start.  The meat to salad ratio leans pretty heavily in the meat direction, which isn't always everyone's cup of tea, but it's exactly what I had hoped and expected from an Italian-style sandwich place. 

The turkey is extremely moist and a bit salty; it complements the sweetness of the roasted peppers very nicely. The garlic mayo adds some creaminess and leaves me with a very nice taste in my mouth.  Turkey isn't usually my go-to, but this sandwich has been fantastic and I cant wait to try the next one.

Thanks for reading, if you are enjoying the blog please share!

 Earth’s Harvest farm, located around 65 km south of Ottawa, has 100 acres dedicated to off-grid, sustainable, organic, grass-fed farming. Farmer Luke was born in New Zealand and brings his environmentally sustainable method of rotational pasture-raised farming to Ottawa and the surrounding areas.

I purchased 4 artisanal turkey sausages with tomato, feta, and garlic.  I cooked them on the stove top in my trusty cast iron skillet for around 15 minutes and then popped the it in the oven for around 10 minutes (while I was warming up some bread)

 The sausages were delicious, moist, and juicy without being greasy—the tomato and garlic flavors were notable, and the feta blended seamlessly into the sausage. They held together well, which is not always the case for sausages that include additional ingredients. I recommend them and am excited to explore more of their products. 

You can find their products at the local Ottawa farmers' markets:
Westboro Farmers' Market
Saturdays 9:30–3 (May–Nov)
Carp Farmers' Market
Saturdays 8–1 (May–Nov)
Lansdowne Farmers' Market
Sundays 10–3 (Jan 7–April 29)
Sundays 9–3 (May 6–Nov)

For more information or to order directly, check the website:
http://www.earthsharvestfarm.ca

 Little Victories Coffee is a boutique, independent roastery in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, run by two experienced coffee professionals—a roaster and a barista. The company is committed to enhancing Ottawa's coffee culture and enriching the vibrant Canadian coffee community. 

 I visited the cozy location at 801 Bank Street for a flat white around 10:30am on a Thursday morning.  They have 2 other locations, one on Elgin street and one on Queen street.  For coffee reviews, I will be starting off with a flat white as a standard order, just to keep things consistent.

The coffee was smooth and creamy, with excellent micro-foam that blended beautifully with the espresso. There was no bitter aftertaste at all. The temperature of the coffee was spot on—hot enough to enjoy, but no danger of a burned tongue. The presentation of the coffee was good, and the café itself has a very clean and simple style. Little Victories is clearly a bustling community hub with shared tables and diverse customers.

 

Overall, the coffee was fantastic and definitely lived up to the hype.  I would definitely recommend a visit if you are a fan of espresso style coffee and I cant wait to try the other locations.

If you are after more information, they have a great website with lots more information about how they source and roast their beans as well as information on the other two locations. 

https://www.lvcoffee.ca/

Thanks for reading, I will try a new coffee place shortly to contrast and compare.

BSB