Hum: North Market's garden-to-table dishes should lure foodies to Almonte
We kicked off our meal with six impeccably fresh Northern Belle oysters from P.E.I. ($20), topped with some strawberry shallot mignonette and garden-fresh basil that added layers of flavour. Having visited Halifax less than a month ago, I've eaten an inordinate number of oysters recently, and North Market's might be my favourites.
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The next wave of food consisted of three items that left us shaking our heads with appreciation.
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Strawberry habanero aguachile with ahi tuna ($18), served with house-made tortilla chips, was eye-poppingly attractive and its balanced flavours made it as tasty as it was beautiful. (The Herreras both have fine arts in their background, and Amanda Herrera is self-taught as a chef.)
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Hakurei turnips ($14) were wading in a generous puddle of bagna cauda, the irresistible dip made principally with olive oil, chipped anchovies and garlic. While the turnips were fine, the dip was the star, and we greedily finished all of it with the pillowy challah ($8) that Herrera sent out. (She had recognized me, I have to say.)
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Next came more convivial food to eat with our hands, namely that fine chicken liver mousse, and 'coconut shrimp cocktail' ($17), which I'll put in quotation marks because while those crisp shrimps with a sweet-sour-spicy mayo-based sauce were good, no less tasty were the crudites on the platter.
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Before desserts, we had three more plates. Garden salad with local greens, snap peas, lemon ricotta, herb vinaigrette and crisp prosciutto ($18) extended the streak of excellent garden-to-table eating. Beef carpaccio ($22), perked up by a beet relish and horseradish aioli, ticked off our animal-protein requirements during our plant-forward dinner. Roast beets on a bed of whipped tahini ($18), starred on yet another pretty plate, garnished with pistachio lilac dukkah and pickled leeks and splashed with orange vinaigrette.
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Our night ended sweetly with that rose geranium ice cream, plus two of Nieto's creations freed from behind the showcase, Dubai chocolate eclair with pistachio kataifi crunch and chocolate mousse ($5.25) and almond and pistachio baklava ($3.50).
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What could have been improved upon at North Market? While service was attentive and gracious, the pace of dinner was a touch slow. The absence of cocktails was a wee letdown. That said, the wines on offer made me feel better, especially as we had arrived early enough for the tail-end of happy hour pricing.
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Hum: North Market's garden-to-table dishes should lure foodies to Almonte
Article content We kicked off our meal with six impeccably fresh Northern Belle oysters from P.E.I. ($20), topped with some strawberry shallot mignonette and garden-fresh basil that added layers of flavour. Having visited Halifax less than a month ago, I've eaten an inordinate number of oysters recently, and North Market's might be my favourites. Article content Article content The next wave of food consisted of three items that left us shaking our heads with appreciation. Article content Strawberry habanero aguachile with ahi tuna ($18), served with house-made tortilla chips, was eye-poppingly attractive and its balanced flavours made it as tasty as it was beautiful. (The Herreras both have fine arts in their background, and Amanda Herrera is self-taught as a chef.) Article content Hakurei turnips ($14) were wading in a generous puddle of bagna cauda, the irresistible dip made principally with olive oil, chipped anchovies and garlic. While the turnips were fine, the dip was the star, and we greedily finished all of it with the pillowy challah ($8) that Herrera sent out. (She had recognized me, I have to say.) Article content Article content Article content Next came more convivial food to eat with our hands, namely that fine chicken liver mousse, and 'coconut shrimp cocktail' ($17), which I'll put in quotation marks because while those crisp shrimps with a sweet-sour-spicy mayo-based sauce were good, no less tasty were the crudites on the platter. Article content Before desserts, we had three more plates. Garden salad with local greens, snap peas, lemon ricotta, herb vinaigrette and crisp prosciutto ($18) extended the streak of excellent garden-to-table eating. Beef carpaccio ($22), perked up by a beet relish and horseradish aioli, ticked off our animal-protein requirements during our plant-forward dinner. Roast beets on a bed of whipped tahini ($18), starred on yet another pretty plate, garnished with pistachio lilac dukkah and pickled leeks and splashed with orange vinaigrette. Article content Our night ended sweetly with that rose geranium ice cream, plus two of Nieto's creations freed from behind the showcase, Dubai chocolate eclair with pistachio kataifi crunch and chocolate mousse ($5.25) and almond and pistachio baklava ($3.50). Article content Article content What could have been improved upon at North Market? While service was attentive and gracious, the pace of dinner was a touch slow. The absence of cocktails was a wee letdown. That said, the wines on offer made me feel better, especially as we had arrived early enough for the tail-end of happy hour pricing. Article content As far as garden-to-table dining goes, I had been aware, before I went to North Market, of Ottawa chef Marc Lepine's new restaurant Sauterelle.
Ottawa Citizen
10-07-2025
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Hum: North Market's garden-to-table dishes should lure foodies to Almonte
Article content We kicked off our meal with six impeccably fresh Northern Belle oysters from P.E.I. ($20), topped with some strawberry shallot mignonette and garden-fresh basil that added layers of flavour. Having visited Halifax less than a month ago, I've eaten an inordinate number of oysters recently, and North Market's might be my favourites. Article content Article content The next wave of food consisted of three items that left us shaking our heads with appreciation. Article content Strawberry habanero aguachile with ahi tuna ($18), served with house-made tortilla chips, was eye-poppingly attractive and its balanced flavours made it as tasty as it was beautiful. (The Herreras both have fine arts in their background, and Amanda Herrera is self-taught as a chef.) Article content Hakurei turnips ($14) were wading in a generous puddle of bagna cauda, the irresistible dip made principally with olive oil, chipped anchovies and garlic. While the turnips were fine, the dip was the star, and we greedily finished all of it with the pillowy challah ($8) that Herrera sent out. (She had recognized me, I have to say.) Article content Article content Next came more convivial food to eat with our hands, namely that fine chicken liver mousse, and 'coconut shrimp cocktail' ($17), which I'll put in quotation marks because while those crisp shrimps with a sweet-sour-spicy mayo-based sauce were good, no less tasty were the crudites on the platter. Article content Before desserts, we had three more plates. Garden salad with local greens, snap peas, lemon ricotta, herb vinaigrette and crisp prosciutto ($18) extended the streak of excellent garden-to-table eating. Beef carpaccio ($22), perked up by a beet relish and horseradish aioli, ticked off our animal-protein requirements during our plant-forward dinner. Roast beets on a bed of whipped tahini ($18), starred on yet another pretty plate, garnished with pistachio lilac dukkah and pickled leeks and splashed with orange vinaigrette. Article content Our night ended sweetly with that rose geranium ice cream, plus two of Nieto's creations freed from behind the showcase, Dubai chocolate eclair with pistachio kataifi crunch and chocolate mousse ($5.25) and almond and pistachio baklava ($3.50). Article content Article content Article content What could have been improved upon at North Market? While service was attentive and gracious, the pace of dinner was a touch slow. The absence of cocktails was a wee letdown. That said, the wines on offer made me feel better, especially as we had arrived early enough for the tail-end of happy hour pricing.
