Cô Ói

Good morning,

With the colder weather our food desires change along with our clothing choices. Although just this week I twice saw folks in full force denial, parading about in shorts and t-shirts and they weren’t engaging in sport. Just walking with friends. Ahh to be young again.

But today we stop in at Ottawa’s newest Vietnamese restaurant and as I’m a big fan, I’m happy to report that this spot is a winner.

Let’s get into it.

Ralf Joneikies, food and drink editor. [email protected]

VIETNAMESE

Cô Ói settles in nicely in the Glebe

Cô Ói is a three sister family affair and according to Ann the name refers to an expression used to get the attention of an “auntie” cooking in a Vietnamese street market.

Chef Thao’s food certainly gets your attention while sisters Ann and Chi keep things moving briskly at the front of the house.

The menu appears to have been designed not just for showcasing the kitchen's talents but also for speed of delivery. It wasn’t long after ordering that appetizers began to arrive and yet the entire experience never felt rushed.

Cô Ói brings in beer from a brewery on St. Laurent named Local and by hitting the link you can read what ‘local’ means to them.

They also offer a series of cocktails, three of which are based on lychee liqueur ($15) and the basil spritzer was as invigorating and fragrant as their menu suggests. A delicious concoction.

Both in Toronto and Vancouver, it was very common to have Vietnamese spring rolls made with rice paper. It’s only when I returned to Ottawa that I found most restaurants here only offer those rolls made with wheat flour wrappers.

At Cô Ói they’re a bit more of what I would call old school (based on my experiences) and when they were placed on the table, I admit I wasn’t enamoured with their appearance.

It was when I took my first bites that I regretted ordering anything else; I could have had an entire meal of these rolls. The filling of meat, shrimp and vegetables was addictively seasoned and while they appeared a little over fried, they weren’t. 

The wrappers had an attractive crunch that gave way to the centre easily and that filling was incredibly moist.

Knowing that the chicken skewers were made using chicken breast, I ordered these almost as a challenge. They’d been sufficiently marinated so that the breast meat was tender and topped with a sauce of jalapeno and cilantro and a few other things that I was told are a “secret”.

The reason for the fries at a Vietnamese restaurant was the use of the word “butter” in the description. It put me in mind of the best fries I enjoyed when I lived in Vancouver. 

They came from that Vancouver institution, Japadog and were tossed in a butter and soy reduction and in the world of fries, they hold a special place in my heart. Perhaps even literally.

While these were good enough in taste, they weren’t sufficiently crisp and it was a good addition to have the hot sauce and mayo on the side for dipping. A nice combination.

Vietnamese salads are refreshing and exciting, made even more so by the fact that they are free of oils in the dressings.

Their jerk salad came topped with semi-moist and umami-dense beef jerky, which worked so nicely against the minerality of the green shredded papaya. The dressing had a lovely balance and was so tasty that next time, I’m ordering extra just for sipping.

After pho, Vietnamese Bun Cha Hà Nội must stand as Vietnam's best known dish. It's a combination of minced pork patties and marinated pork belly or shoulder grilled to the point that the ends become charred. It’s this char that adds that delicious smoky seasoning.

All the meat is bathed in a savoury and tangy sauce and comes served with sides of leafy greens and rice vermicelli noodles for dipping. It’s one of my favorite dishes from the Vietnamese kitchen and Co Oi does it very well. 

Having looked at the website in advance of my visit I was surprised to see that they offered no beef pho but they did have chicken pho on the menu. 

I ordered this but was told it had already been replaced by the wonton noodle soup. Disappointing but I carried on with the replacement.

The wontons, both fried and steamed, were exceptional and I wanted more of them. Vegetables came in the form of gai lan and chopped Asian chives alongside a very tender, housemade, char siu pork. 

The egg noodles were of the variety you’ll find fresh in the refrigerator section of most Asian grocers. When these noodles are not first cooked separately, they can impart a pungent character. As chef Thao’s chicken broth was so delicate, I found the noodles overpowered the broth, erasing some of the harmony I perceived in her other dishes.

Cô Ói is a welcome addition, not just to the Glebe but to Ottawa’s great Vietnamese landscape. This family is offering beautifully flavoured and executed dishes from their homeland. 

Both the space and the welcome is warm and I’m even inclined to suggest the intimacy here is enough to make it an ideal spot for first dates. 

When the cooking is this good and with rotating menu items planned, Cô Ói Kitchen will remain on my radar for a long time to come.

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People who live in cold climates have an inevitable talent for turning the conditions in which they live, into something pleasurable. Whether it’s skating on the canal, cross-country skiing in Gatineau Park or hitting the sugar bush, we know how to make the best of things.

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Before it closed in 2023, I had dined at the Gatineau location of Vietnam Palace with very nice results. It was time to try their location on Somerset.

On this visit I decided against Pho as I wanted to try items I don’t often see on Vietnamese menus.

I began with a sweet and sour Mekong soup. Mekong soup is typically made with a tamarind broth and the base for this was made with true chicken stock, which was very much appreciated.

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