QUITE THE CATCH
Places
Past the bar
Their now now famous "Brownbag Lunches", available from 11am-2pm Tuesday-Saturday at The Sustainable Oyster & Fish Supply retail shop, have been known to generate lineups around the corner.
-The Whalesbone Oyster House | Ottawa
A slight touch of fisherman’s kitsch highlights the East Coast attitude that permeates the air at The Whalesbone Oyster House. Behind the long bar, you’ll find owner Joshua Bishop, his black toque snuggly fit over his brow, shucking oysters, pouring drinks and making sure the atmosphere is just right for his packed house. Surrounded by warm woods and brick walls (be sure to ask about the infamous crack in the wall named after one chilly food critic) the cozy space is home to one of the city’s busiest restaurants and but one example, of how Ottawa is quietly breaking free from its perception as a sleepy city.
Behind the partially open kitchen, you’ll find Chef Charlotte Langley creating flavourful plates from a seasonally updated menu, which currently includes winter dishes such as Big-Eye Tuna with avocado, fleuron caper berries and hints of chocolate and vanilla or the Qualicum scallops with chestnut, salsify, parsnip and pickled lemon. While some would say it’s these dishes that draw the crowds, there are just as many others that give credit to the varieties of oysters on-hand. At any given time, The Whalesbone serves up more than five varieties, and whether you’re ordering one or several dozen, you’ll always have the option to garnish with traditional Tabasco, a French-inspired red wine vinegar and échalotte mixture or The Whalesbone’s special with some Chivas Regal.
While the Oyster House has seen its fair share of success in the last 5 years, the opportunity arose to further educate the public and local restaurant industry on the importance of seafood sustainability. Transforming a warehouse on Kent Street, Bishop and his partners recently opened The Whalesbone Sustainable Oyster & Fish Supply, to cater to Ottawa-area dining establishments’ sustainable seafood needs and offer the public a vast selection of ocean-friendly catch – from oysters to BC Ocean-Wise scallops, to seasonal local pickerel, bass and perch out of Lake Erie. Their products can now be found served up at top restaurants such as Beckta, Play, the newer Murray Street Café and even over the bridge into Québec at Wakefield’s Thai restaurant, Soupçon.
Whether it be the rise in demand for environmentally and ethically conscious food, the lure of the chef, the owners, the expert shuckers or perhaps Aphrodite herself, this oyster shack is part of a slow growing movement in Ottawa. As the mass exodus of boomer civil servants continues and a younger demographic with new expectations, worldly experiences and interests fills the void, several new smaller businesses have opened up in the last few years to indulge them. Though still characterized to this day as “the city that never wakes”, additions to the culinary scene are slowly helping this city rise and shine.
The Whalesbone Oyster House
430 Bank Street
Ottawa, Ontario
(613) 231-8569
The Sustainable Oyster & Fish Supply Retail Shop
504 A Kent Street
Ottawa, Ontario
(613) 231-3474
www.thewhalesbone.com
Behind the partially open kitchen, you’ll find Chef Charlotte Langley creating flavourful plates from a seasonally updated menu, which currently includes winter dishes such as Big-Eye Tuna with avocado, fleuron caper berries and hints of chocolate and vanilla or the Qualicum scallops with chestnut, salsify, parsnip and pickled lemon. While some would say it’s these dishes that draw the crowds, there are just as many others that give credit to the varieties of oysters on-hand. At any given time, The Whalesbone serves up more than five varieties, and whether you’re ordering one or several dozen, you’ll always have the option to garnish with traditional Tabasco, a French-inspired red wine vinegar and échalotte mixture or The Whalesbone’s special with some Chivas Regal.
While the Oyster House has seen its fair share of success in the last 5 years, the opportunity arose to further educate the public and local restaurant industry on the importance of seafood sustainability. Transforming a warehouse on Kent Street, Bishop and his partners recently opened The Whalesbone Sustainable Oyster & Fish Supply, to cater to Ottawa-area dining establishments’ sustainable seafood needs and offer the public a vast selection of ocean-friendly catch – from oysters to BC Ocean-Wise scallops, to seasonal local pickerel, bass and perch out of Lake Erie. Their products can now be found served up at top restaurants such as Beckta, Play, the newer Murray Street Café and even over the bridge into Québec at Wakefield’s Thai restaurant, Soupçon.
Whether it be the rise in demand for environmentally and ethically conscious food, the lure of the chef, the owners, the expert shuckers or perhaps Aphrodite herself, this oyster shack is part of a slow growing movement in Ottawa. As the mass exodus of boomer civil servants continues and a younger demographic with new expectations, worldly experiences and interests fills the void, several new smaller businesses have opened up in the last few years to indulge them. Though still characterized to this day as “the city that never wakes”, additions to the culinary scene are slowly helping this city rise and shine.
The Whalesbone Oyster House
430 Bank Street
Ottawa, Ontario
(613) 231-8569
The Sustainable Oyster & Fish Supply Retail Shop
504 A Kent Street
Ottawa, Ontario
(613) 231-3474
www.thewhalesbone.com