Le Cordon Bleu Restaurant in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada).
Another dining adventure in Ottawa, Ontario. Eating French cuisine can be overly expensive and sometimes stuffy. I learned that the key is to book a table at Le Cordon Bleu in downtown Ottawa, where Chefs are being trained for fine dining excellence.
Part of the famous Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Institute, this is the only campus in Canada and offers diploma programs. Travellers can also plan their trips to coincide with one of their short courses: Valentine’s Day Desserts, Gourmet Vegetarian Dishes and Dishes from the South of France, for example.
This new bistro, Le Cordon Bleu Bistro @ Signatures Restaurant allows the public to be the guinea pig to some gorgeous meals. C’est dommage :)
Le Cordon Bleu Restaurant Dining Room in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada).
But the meal starts when you drive up to the magnificent manor. The 1873 building has done its time as a private home, a women’s naval residence after the wars, a convent, a private dining club and a restaurant.
Le Cordon Bleu @ Signatures is the latest incarnation of a restaurant that lets the Chefs in training tempt diners with their creations. I was only too happy to oblige.
Like my meals at Zen Kitchen and Domus Café earlier in the week, I must mention the superb wine that I discovered. The Frédéric Magnien 2006 pinot noir from Bourgogne, France (can you tell I like light reds?) was easy to sip and a respectable $10 a glass.
Le Cordon Bleu Restaurant Lava Cake Dessert in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada).
To pair, I went with the Market Salad ($7) that was piled into a dense tower of carrots, radish, Belgium endive, mâche and radicchio, showered with Sherry vinegar and zante currant dressing. My entrée, house made spinach and ricotta gnocchis ($19), was swimming in fresh wild mushroom and fennel stock that added much punch.
Dessert, you ask? I wouldn’t dine at Le Cordon Bleu and not test the dessert, dear readers. I couldn’t resist the soft dark chocolate lava cake served with mint and chocolate chip ice cream ($8) to save my life. It was the perfect mix of cold, smooth mint chocolate chip and dreamy, rich lava cake.
I vaguely remember floating out of the restaurant with a goofy smile on my face, drunk from the food, not the wine.
Lori Henry is a freelance Travel, Health and Hockey writer based in Vancouver, Canada.
