The Whalesbone Oyster House

There are some restaurants that have a special combination of creative, consistently delicious food, fantastic atmosphere and great finishing touches. When you find them, it's hard not to want to go anywhere else! I had the pleasure of visiting The Whalesbone in Ottawa...for a third time...and it wowed me just as much as the first time.
Accompanied by a worldly, handsome and suave gentleman who also happened to be in ottawa on business at the same time -  we sat at the chef's table and had a great time watching the cooks in action, listening to the great music and having scintillating conversations...(hehe - thanks dad :) 

photos: www.thewhalesbone.com

Now to the food:

• Relish: It might be blasphemous to go to an Oyster bar and not have oysters...so we did. Shared 12 to start, 4 from BC, 4 from New Brunswick and 4 from Ireland. These come with 7 sauces, 3 of which are homemade (a seafood sauce, vinaigrette and spicy sauce, a few types of tobasco, and then whisky...which I stayed away from). We then shared a starter of seared swordfish: three beautifully put together mounds of swordfish, home-grown cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes and fresh cheese...delicious. I then had the scallops, soft and juicy, accompanied with radish, some fritters, blue benedictin cheese and tiny tomatoes - a sublime and beautifully balanced combination of tastes, all displayed with precision on a wooden board. Dad had the haddock - I stole a taste, and it was cooked to just-flaky - yet moist and savoury. Oh, I almost forgot - we also started with a few slices of fresh bread, filled with poppyseeds, nuts and seeds, and paired with a lovely melted-butter that tasted like a gourmet buttered popcorn. Wow. Sitting perched at the chef's table we saw a lot of food pass by en route to tables, and so I have to mention the lobster...a trio of lobster mac and cheese, a lobster tail, and a lobster bun...oh my goodness - that might be what I have to try next time.
• Quaff: a great wine list for pairing with seafood, about 10 whites and 8-10 reds. We were given a quick taste of our white before ordering, a server recommendation that paired perfectly with the oysters - a Sokol Blosser 'Evolution: Luck' from Oregon. 
• Feel: Hip-checking and laughing chefs in the tiny open kitchen, an oyster shucker working hard at the bar, great tunes, humming conversations, packed tables - this place has tons of character, with a fun, food and drink loving vibe, super friendly, smiling staff, and happy customers. The bathrooms deserve a special mention here - framed love letters in the ladies are a beautiful touch (and I've heard the men's has some creative decorations as well). 

My Dad summed up the take-away on Whalesbone quite nicely: "the food is amazing - but the best thing is the personality!".

w: The Whalesbone Oyster House