Tucked into a heritage mansion in Somerset Village is an oasis of modern, Middle Eastern cuisine — the restaurant known as Fairouz.
Fairouz combines farm-fresh local ingredients with traditional herbs and spices of the Middle East. They have a sophisticated wine and beer list, as well as thoughtfully crafted cocktails that match the theme.
They have been on my bucket list since they first opened in 2016. I finally had the chance to visit on Friday and was absolutely blown away!
For starters, the patios are beautiful. Fairouz now has multiple patios, including the mansion’s veranda, a side yard, and the street. Right now, the section of Somerset between Bank St. and O’Connor St. is closed to traffic. The restaurants on that stretch banded together to transform the area into large patios, with all tables properly distanced! The atmosphere is fantastic; bar carts, floral arrangements, and propane patio heaters separate the different patios. Strands of Edison lights illuminate the alleyways. People walking along the sidewalk were overheard saying, “This doesn’t look like Ottawa!”
Something else that’s interesting to note: Fairouz (فيروز) is the Arabic word for turquoise (as in the stone), which is probably why the signs, plates, and interior are all that colour.
Right away, the service was friendly and attentive. My best friend and I dropped by without a reservation, but they still took down my name and number for the next available table. When we returned after being contacted, we were recognized right away and were sat at a freshly sanitized table — even the chairs were wiped down. The service throughout the entire meal was wonderful — very helpful and cheerful. Big shout out to Brittany and Laura for making our evening so awesome!
Starting off with drinks, I ordered an herbal and spirited Libertas, a unique concoction of orange & cardamom infused gin, Strega, Lillet blanc, and Vermouth. I liked that I could actually taste the cardamom, but it was not overpowering. It also tasted good with the meal. My bestie enjoyed her citrusy and refreshing Bee’s & Q’s, a blend of Tito’s, lemon, honey anise syrup, orange juice, and lemongrass bitters.
There were so many items on the menu that we wanted to try. I grew up eating Middle Eastern food, so while I was familiar with pretty much everything on the menu, they were still presented in a fresh and unique way.
We decided to order a couple dishes of the Mezze menu (small plates served as appetizers), as well as the special, with the intention of ordering mains and desserts afterwards. The portions were quite generous and definitely shareable. We ended up being SO FULL after the appetizers and the special that we had to skip the mains (we were eyeing the Pulled Lamb Sandwich and the Eggplant Mashi for anyone curious — will have to return for those!). We did have just enough room for dessert though.
The special of the night was zucchini blossoms stuffed with kibbeh nayyeh (lamb tartare with fine bulgur, spices, and mint), on garlic labneh (very thick yogurt), with sumac, pickled kohlrabi, and extra virgin olive oil.
This dish was absolutely sublime, my favourite of the night. Actually, one of my favourite dishes that I have eaten recently! The flavours were exceptional: a mix of savoury, a little bit of sweetness, sourness, and mintiness. There was A LOT of meat and the zucchini blossoms were quite large. It was a filling dish and it also looked beautiful too. I wish this was a staple on the menu! I regret not ordering a second plate of it, but I was lucky enough that my bestie let me eat some of hers too.
The second mezze was stuffed artichoke with olive oil braised romano beans, celeriac, and carrot. This is a light and refreshing dish that complimented the heavier special. Simple, but full of flavour, easy to eat, and shareable, as it came with two. I would order this again, especially on a hot summer day.
Our third dish was falafel fries with dill tahini and pickled veg. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw this on the menu. I actually thought it was going to be regular potato fries with sauce and falafel pieces crumbled on top, like some sort of Middle Eastern-French Canadian fusion poutine. This was so much better than I expected! The falafel were cut in long thin strips so they were deliciously crispy. I really enjoyed the pickled carrots.
I always feel like Ottawa has a serious problem with desserts. So many restaurants put a lot of effort into the apps and main courses, but their desserts are uninspired and boring. I usually skip them. But this was not the case at Fairouz.
They have two desserts on their menu. Both sounded inviting, so we decided to try them all. As with the other menu items we tried, the portions were generous and shareable, so we were able to swap desserts. I HIGHLY recommend doing this if you visit!
For drinks, we ordered another round of cocktails. My bestie ordered the smokey and spicey Smoking Gun, with Urfa pepper tequila, mezcal Leyenda, lime, and pom syrup. I had the bright and nutty The Rum Also Rises, with Havana Club, Wray & Nephew, Galliano, grapefruit, lime, and zaatar. My cocktail went really well with the second dessert (see below).
The first dessert was a chocolate tahini cake with pistachio crumbled on top. It looks heavy and dense like a brownie, but was actually surprisingly light and fluffy and moist. It had a pleasant nutty flavour from the tahini (sesame paste). I really liked how two cakes were served, so we could easily share!
I realllyyyy liked the second dessert. It was summery Sfouf cake, a Lebanese semolina and turmeric cake that was served with coconut lime foam, strawberries, and pickled rhubarb. The flavour combo was spot on — not too sweet, a little nutty, with a hint of tartness from the fruits, and refreshing citrus from the foam. This also paired really nicely with my cocktail (see above).
Overall, I adored my (long-awaited) visit to Fairouz. The food was mind-blowingly delicious (especially the zucchini blossoms and the sfouf cake!); enjoyable for people who grew up eating Middle Eastern food, and for those new to it, alike. The service was lovely, the atmosphere charming. We felt welcome from the moment we walked over. This restaurant has made its way to my list of best restaurants in Ottawa and I can’t stop recommending it!
Shukran to Chef and staff for such a lovely experience, looking forward to returning!
