Supply and Demand - Foods and Raw Bar (Review)

Riley and I had been anticipating our dining experience at Supply and Demand since our "Top 10 Dining Spots" post in January of 2013. The raving reviews from friends and fellow bloggers made us even more excited so we decided to treat some guests from Australia to Chef Steve Wall's much anticipated seafood and raw bar.

We're not sure whether our hopes were too high or the year of building excitement was too much, but we thought that some of the dishes fell a bit flat... We agreed that the best part of the meal was the fresh baked bread served with whipped butter and bacon fat. We definitely had a few servings of this free starter. We decided to share a couple of dishes in the hopes of tasting all the unique plates they had to offer. The Beets with Parm Crema and the Mushroom Ragout dishes were definitely the best and their unique flavour combinations did not disappoint.

Fresh Baked Bread and Whipped Butter with Bacon Fat

Mushroom Ragout over Peppered Polenta with Parmesan ($8)

Beets with Parm Crema, Radish, Grapefruit, Onion & Pine Nuts ($8)

We weren't sure what to expect with our three remaining dishes, and sure enough they were a bit surprising in look and taste. The Mussels Escabeche were definitely different than any other mussels we had tasted before, but it was also our fault for not inquiring as to the meaning of "Escabeche" (which refers to a dish of either poached or fried fish marinated in an acidic mixture). They definitely had a "pickled" taste to them, which we were not expecting. The Albacore Tuna was tasty, but also a little too citrusy (possibly with a bit too much lemon flavouring). The Grilled Squid lacked punch and its appearance was also a bit questionable to a couple of us.

Mussels Escabeche with Dry Cured Ham and Grilled Bread ($14) 

Albacore Tuna, with Lemon, Truffle Oil 

With that being said, our comments are definitely not all negative. The service is wonderful, the atmosphere is unique, cozy and casual and the food has a non-traditional distinct feel to it. The majority of our dishes were tasty and filling and we will definitely be trying Supply and Demand again as their menu changes frequently and we have the utmost respect for Chef Steve Wall and his creative gastronomic inventions.

Verdict: Unique and creative food. Slightly disappointed in the richness of flavours.

Hours: Sunday & Monday: 5pm-9:30pm. Tuesday to Saturday: 5pm-10pm

Price: $$$

Supply and Demand, 1335 Wellington St West, Ottawa, Ontario

http://www.supplyanddemandfoods.ca/