“La bonne cuisine est la base du véritable bonheur.”
— Auguste Escoffier
If good food is the foundation of genuine happiness, then newly opened Gitanes is my new happy place.
Located on Elgin Street, this gem of a restaurant specializes in French cuisine, made with carefully sourced Canadian ingredients.
I absolutely adore the interior. Despite being underground (and nighttime), it feels bright and clean, with lots of windows, including skylights.
I could see the kitchen from where I was sitting. There was also a large marble counter to the left of me where cold bar offerings were plated. Black and white decor, with large plants and exposed stone, felt elegant and clean. The attention to detail was impressive, including having the restaurant’s name on serving dishes!
I was delighted with their French wine selection, including eleven different champagnes! They do have a decent cocktail and beer list as well. I started off my meal with a Paris Paris Sour (Rittenhouse Rye, lemon, simple syrup, whites, and red wine). I’ve never thought to add wine to a sour and found it refreshing.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that everything on the menu sounds delicious to me. From seafood platters to vegetarian eats, charcouterie to duck, there’s really something for everyone.
My friend and I opted to split four different plates. Spoiler: we loved all of them!
I have been hearing about how good sea urchin is for years, but have not seen it around Ottawa, except for the odd special event. I was over to moon excited to see it on Gitanes’ menu!
Sea urchin, or uni tastes has a creamy ocean flavour, without being fishy, kind of like caviar. It’s a beautiful golden yellow colour. It was served on ice, with homemade mini English muffins, cultured miso butter, and sauce made from the urchins.
It was definitely a wonderful first impression of this delicacy! I could have happily eaten a whole bunch of these as my meal. They were that good!
Next up was the tuna tartare with plum gelée, preserved meyer lemon, and crème fraîche, with housemade crisps. The presentation was pretty — the gelée looked like gold! The flavours were outstanding and the portion was perfect for sharing.
You cannot go to a French restaurant without having foie gras. Gitanes’ foie gras and chicken liver pâté comes with a tasty arugula salad with cherries and pine nuts. The foie was flavourful and I liked how the salad lightened up a typically heavy dish. This is actually how I prefer to eat it. (This dish can also be eaten with the housemade crisps).
To change it up a bit, we also tried the spaghetti, with Nova Scotian snow crab, Calabrian chili, and mint. With a creamy sauce, this hearty dish was bursting with flavour. Bread crumbs on top gave texture and crunch. I thought that crab and mint sounded like an unusual pairing, but it was so good that I am craving it!
Dessert was such a lovely surprise! Foie gras ice cream with fried bananas, and caramel sauce. It was decadent and possibly one of my favourite desserts ever now. It even had a cherry on top!
Overall, Gitanes is a sublime addition to Ottawa’s restaurant scene. Amazing dishes, impeccable and friendly service (especially Louis!), comfortable atmosphere. Congratulations to Chef Luke Reyes, Chef Mitch Lacombe, and Chef Matt Hinds on such a fantastic place! Looking forward to my next visit soon.