July 2020 (Blog Post)

Ottawa Restaurant Takeout Review:

STOFA- Splendid Westboro Take out

Hello Foodies! Having enjoyed the art of food reviewing for the very first time experiencing the restaurant NeXT, I decided to do a second food review. As we slowly enter Phase 3 in dealing with the pandemic in Ontario, and restaurants are now allowed to offer broader dining, I decided to enjoy one more upscale takeout dinner. In examining my options, I stumbled upon STOFA Restaurant. I had heard the name before, but couldn’t quite remember from where. THEN IT HIT ME! I remembered them being one of four Ottawa restaurants that were included in the prestigious Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants 2019 list.

Upon visiting their website, I was surprised to see that they offer a different weekly takeout menu. I found this flex quite amazing in the current climate. I decided to go with their “Stofa-On-The-Sofa” family diner for four. The only other takeout option was for two people. The family dinner for four included an 8-course meal with one being a dessert, all of which could be shared with my family.

Looking over the menu, I knew this would be a delicious meal to finish off the weekend!

When I ordered the family style dinner on Saturday for the next day, all of the available pickup dates for that weekend were already sold out for both Friday and Saturday. I knew that this eatery was in high demand for Foodies in Canada’s National Capital.

On the chosen day, I went to pick up the order. It was ready for pick-up at the selected time slot of 5 p.m. Just like in my first food review, the process was done seamlessly, with a restaurant employee providing the order curbside. Instructions were provided with the Family Style Dinner because some of the dishes needed to be reheated.

And now, for an Ottawa's Foodie Adventures Take out Review…

Here’s a photo of the courses included in the "Stofa-On-The-Sofa" Family Dinner package

SHRIMP CHIPS

This dish was very interesting and definitely authentic with in-house care. It was delicious, crunchy and tasted like shrimp. There was just enough seasoning and not overwhelming. It was a nice change from bread which is often an initial opener.

BEET AND MELON SALAD WITH FETA AND ORANGE DRESSING

This dish was a very colorful presentation. It was a nice sweet savory combination with the melon and orange sauce. The feta cheese gives the dish a nice salty taste. Both the melons and feta provide the dish with a sweet and salty taste to complement a somewhat bland taste to the beets. Smaller chunks of melon and beets and more greens could have improved the salad.

BEEF, BARLEY AND MUSHROOM SOUP

I don’t have much to say about this course. Given all the courses, it was nice to have a nice light dish. The generous chunks of mushrooms were very tasty and the main focus. The dish didn`t feature a lot of beef. The sage-like seasoning actually reminded me of Christmas. Albeit appetizing, it was my least favorite out of the eight courses.

GRILLED KOREAN STYLE CHICKEN SKEWERS WITH HOISIN BBQ SAUCE

This dish offered nice big chunks of chicken with a great barbecue grill taste. The hoisin sauce pairs well with the dish and accentuates its smokiness. The big pieces of chicken were fully cooked with no raw sections and not overcooked. This was a very filling course! Interestingly, back in May, I posted a similar recipe on my website which might explain my fondness for this dish.

OPEN ENDED PORK AND CABBAGE EGG ROLLS WITH SWEET & SPICY GOCHUJANG SAUCE

This dish was one of my favorites! The egg rolls contained a very generous filling in a nice cover that wasn’t overly thick. The egg rolls were still crisp even 45 mins after picking them up. The sauce was a nice change from your normal plum sauce, giving the dish a nice spicy kick. The meat flavours came through well in the egg rolls. This dish was my second favorite dish!

CHARRED BROCOLLINI WITH ALMONDS CHILI AND GARLIC OIL

Not much to say about this course. It was a little bland and could have used a sauce for added taste and more seasoning. Almonds were a nice pairing. Chili peppers were overpowering, but you could identify them and easily remove them.

VERMICELLI NOODLES WITH KIMCHI, GREEN ONIONS AND SESAME

This was a nice, light Asian style pasta course. It was very tasty! And surprisingly flavorful for a cold dish. The sauce was a nice pairing to this course. This course could have used more kimchi and greens to enhance the crispiness.

WHITE CHCOLATE-MASCARPONE CHEESECAKE, CHOCOLATE CAKE CRUST, ROCHON GARDEN STRAWBERRIES

I’ll get to the point – this dessert really activated my taste buds! A major WIN in my books!

It featured perfectly paired layers of luscious deliciousness. Absolute bliss and originality in a generous portion. As an aside, I had been to Rochon Gardens a few weeks earlier and found their strawberries super tasty with no chemical or additive leftover taste often found on berries. This dish was my favorite!

Altogether, I can now see why STOFA was ranked a top 100 restaurant in Canada last year. STOFA was well worth the carry out! The portions for the “Stofa-On-The-Sofa” Family Dinner package were more than enough for four, even leaving us with some leftovers. The price echoed the value of the meal and the creative courses were nicely balanced off each other. My only drawback from the takeout meal was that having to warm up some dishes took a bit away from the dining experience.

Going forward, I encourage you to follow me on my Instagram account @OttawaFoodiesAdventures to stay up to date on my latest adventures across the City’s (non-pandemic!) Hotspots. Also, please click on the following links to access my website, my recipe on chicken skewers with hoisin sauce and my article discussing broccolini.