Flapjack's Canadian Diner

Scott loves pancakes. I don't really get it, but they are his food of choice. For breakfast on his birthday in Ottawa, we decided to go to where hopefully the best pancakes in the city would be waiting for him. After a little bit of internet hunting, it became pretty clear we wouldn't find something to compete with The Early Bird's Full Stack of pancakes here in London. We decided to try Flapjack's Canadian Diner. When we pulled up, it was immediately obvious this was a tourist trap. Everything was Canadiana to the extreme, but we still kind of loved it, after all, we were in Ottawa as tourists! All the lumber, plaid, and maple syrup imagery was really setting the bar high. While we waited, we played Barrel of Monkeys at the table, which was a nice addition - except everything was sticky with syrup from previous little hands. I instantly loved the music they happened to be playing, it could have been one of my own playlists with Of Monsters and Men, Mumford and Sons, and other folksy indie artists (although I didn't notice any Canadians). Scott started with a Cookie Dough Milkshake that in theory sounded great, but was a real mess. The straw was one of the cheapest thin little straws that had no business anywhere near a milkshake. The drink was thick, with chunks of cookie dough at the bottom that just doesn't make sense for a beverage. At least it tasted good! The coffee was decent, too. Service was slow and erratic, I can only assume our server spent a lot of time talking in the back, and then came out when she felt like it. It wasn't busy, just us and a couple of other tables. Despite us sitting there with our menus closed, she put in the orders for the table that came after us first, which is always annoying. Coffee top ups were sparse, and she didn't check in much. We had a lot of time to play Barrel of Monkeys. Too much time.

So what about the pancakes? Scott ordered buttermilk pancakes filled with blueberries and topped with banana, and a side of sausage. The pancakes were as promised, fluffy and delicious. The way the options are, you can go as crazy as you want with fillings and toppings, and I think Scott made some decent fruit choices that made these pancakes not too ridiculous. Each meal came with house-made tomato jam that we both found way too acidic. It was actually kind of surprising to see that they had jars of it to be sold, since it really wasn't very appealing. Maybe we just didn't have the right combination of food for it, or got an off batch. Sorry for the blurry picture on this one - I had to be quick before Scott devoured the pancakes!

Buttermilk pancakes filled with blueberries & topped with banana

I am more of an eggs-for-breakfast person, so I went with The Big Feller omelette. Each of the omelettes came with home-fries and toast. I should have taken another shot of it cut open, because you really can't see what was going on in there, I guess you can see a bit of the meat coming out the end on the left but... oh my goodness this omelette! First of all, of course cheese curds belong in an omelette! Why haven't I seen this before? It is genius. Also, all the usual suspects of breakfast meats are always invited to my omelettes - and they didn't hold back on amounts here, this omelette was packed. Unfortunately, only half the plate came to impress. The home-fries were the most bland pile of lazy potatoes I have ever been served. I am not sure why they even wasted their time cutting them up. There was no seasoning, and smothering them in ketchup made them a little tolerable, but since I was filled with delicious omelette there was no point in even trying.

The Big Feller - bacon crumble, chopped sausage, diced ham, onion, and cheese curds

And then we got the bill. This was way too expensive for how hit & miss it was, or how little the ingredients actually cost. The real tourist trap nature was made extremely evident. I would never go back here, and would never encourage other people to even try it, instead I am just hopeful more restaurants use cheese curds in everything!

Likes: Cheese curds. Scott liked the pancakes too.
Dislikes: Value. Tomato jam. Home-fries. Stickiness. There was a lot of room for improvement.
Food: 2.5/5
Service: 3/5
Would I go again?: Nope. I would rather make my own breakfast.

Elgin Street Diner

After a long car ride, we made it to Ottawa! This was our first time using Airbnb (if you want to join & get a $30 travel credit, click here). It was actually fabulous, we had a studio apartment for 4 nights that was walking distance to everything with underground parking & rooftop patio for just $314. We didn't have to meet anyone or check in or out with anyone, everything was through keyless entry that I got the codes for through email. I am glad it was a great experience, since we have 2 other Airbnbs booked in the future!

As weary travelers, we headed to an Ottawa staple:  Elgin Street Diner. I ordered the Chubby Checker Chicken Burger, and made my side poutine instead of just fries. The poutine is really what it is all about here. The gravy is thick and meaty, and the St. Albert cheese curds are fresh and squeaky. If you haven't been eating St. Albert cheese, you have been missing out entirely. Go get some now, I want to. The chicken burger was fine, nothing special. It hit the spot in terms of the greasiness I was there for, bacon & cream cheese are rarely a mistake. That pickle was delicious, but the coleslaw... not my thing.

Chubby Checker Chicken Burger - Grilled chicken breast with cream cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato, served on a fresh bun

Scott decided on the Smokey Burger, also with poutine. He said the smoked Gouda was great and the burger was cooked well, so what more can you ask for?

Smokey Burger - All beef patty topped with bacon, smoked Gouda cheese, house BBQ sauce, lettuce and tomato, served on a fresh bun

This was 9:30 at night. and there were only a couple other customers in the diner. We got the food we imagined when we chose a diner for dinner. Not only would I go back, but we did! For breakfast on our last day we both ordered the Hangover Breakfast before starting our long drive home. Again with the poutine, how could we not? The beans were delicious, and we both ended up breaking our poached eggs over the poutine, a decision I recommend. The bacon was cooked perfectly for me, crispy and delicious. The egg bread toast wasn't a hit. it was over toasted in a lot of ways that didn't make it great. The coffee and the service were on point. Between both meals, our water and coffee was never long between being topped off. Our service was friendly, yet still felt genuine.

Hangover Breakfast - 2 poached eggs, bacon, baked beans, poutine, and egg bread toast

I had been here before when I lived in Ottawa and knew the Hangover Breakfast was a personal weekness. I was excited to see that things hadn't really changed, and we lucked out with our timing not having to wait for a table. The diner is also a Pokestop, which is a new thing you have to deal with. It means you can hear people playing all the time, and maybe it will wear off as the novelty does, or maybe they will incorporate it into their marketing, but at the time it was a cheerful thing that everyone was in on, and no one seemed too annoyed (yet).

Likes: The poutine is one of my all-time favourite things to eat. The atmosphere is great.
Dislikes: Coleslaw and egg bread are not my thing. I knew about the coleslaw, but I thought going in that the egg bread would be a good choice. Now I just wish I ordered Rye.
Food: 4/5
Service: 4.5/5
Would I go again?: Yep. Next time I am in Ottawa I will probably try. The poutine is just so delightful, and I love the diner vibes.