To-MAY-to or to-MA-to? Neither. Zomato.
Let’s talk about this for a second here. This website is brilliant. You pick a location, you pick a meal of the day – or something more refined than that like drinks, cafés, or even delivery (freaking delivery!)- and then they ask you to pick an even more specific location (like where in the West end of Ottawa are you looking for?) and it wonderfully generates a list of restaurants. Never again will you have to say “so where should we eat?”.
On top of all of that, you can jump onto the website post-meal and rate your experience. You can visit the website here!
Zomato invited Her Campus uOttawa to attend a food tasting at The Backdrop, a restaurant in Centre Town Ottawa that describes itself as “Ottawa’s stage for great food”. Buckle up kids; you’re about to salivate. This dinner was beyond good.
So they hand out the menu and I’m like, okay, I would not pair some of these things together, but, as we all know, I’m not a culinary genius (being able to make good eggs doesn’t cut it apparently) so I shut up and eat. Here’s how it went. Side note- is the design of this menu not just the cutest?
I’m going to share the glorious experiences I had with one of the Canapés, one of the Sharing Plates and the Dessert.
Canapés: Tandoori Tuna
Holy Shit. Tuna? Not my thing. Curried hummus? Why alter a good thing? Mix it together and put in on a wanton chip? Mind blown. This was the best thing I ate all night. Bold, lots of good flavours and most of all, has that crunch that no one can say no to.
Sharing Plates: Spicy Sesame-Ginger Duck Wings
I’m not the biggest duck person, but when I was being offered a wing, the duck meat literally fell off the bone and onto my plate while the hostess was still holding it between prongs. The duck was juicy and deliciously tender, and the crispness of the sesame coated skin was to die for!
Dessert: Outdoor Activity
I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but s’mores are like the best thing on earth. Wanna know what makes them better though? When you swap out the graham cracker for a waffle. That’s right kids; a waffle. Gooey marshmallow wonderfully squished between two crisp waffles and some maple sauce to top it off. They were so good I had two.
Why was it an outdoor activity? Cause they let us sit around this adorable fire place and chat while we enjoyed the s’mores.
After the meal, I got a chance to chat with the chef/owner, David “Dave” Di Maria. He told me he’s been working in a kitchen for about 20 years and started as a dishwasher. Dave and I both agreed that the best part of the meal was the Tuna Tandoori. Thanks for the great meal, Dave!
You can follow The Backdrop on Facebook and Twitter or visit their website here!
Don’t forget to head to Zomato to find and rate restaurants by visiting their website here!