Jumak, La Provence

Good morning,

We have another curious start to the gardening season and the question becomes: is it a good omen? 

My walking onions are already starting to threaten the stratosphere and my ramps have come in a few weeks early and are ready for harvest. So maybe it’s just an allium thing, but it is a happy time of year when I can make a ramp pesto.

I recently stumbled into a relatively new Korean restaurant in the Glebe. It’s in a location that has seen a number of restaurants come and go so I hope that this one stays for good.

Then it’s off for dessert in Kanata to a French bakery that has not just tasty sweets but breads that impress. 

Let’s get started.

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

REVIEW

Jumak’s big Korean lunch

In Ottawa we’re fortunate to have our choice of quality Korean restaurants. These range from the still decent chains to a variety of family-run spots. Ottawa also has a few very good Korean food shops, such as OK Mart and Seoul Mart, and they’re worth a visit. 

Like all cuisines, the experience of Korean cooking will vary based on the regional origins of the person doing the cooking and the family recipes.

Jangajji, for example, are those small plates of pickled vegetables that accompany the start of a Korean meal and these side dishes are collectively known as banchan.

Korean food enthusiasts will know that, while the ingredients are similar for these small plates, the results may differ wildly from place to place with different flavour and texture profiles. 

I found the banchan at Jumak traditional in execution but a little milder than this palate appreciates. It seemed that they had used less salt in the pickling and that lip-smacking umami was absent on this occasion. 

But let’s jump to the manduk appetizer. These Korean dumplings come in different shapes and sizes and with different fillings, and in other cultures are known by different names, such as gyoza.

I had asked and was told that they were brought in from a food service company. I was relieved by the honesty and ordering them despite this, even more relieved when they proved to be very good. However, they had also been deep-fried, something I never accept when it comes to the Japanese gyoza.

It was their size and the deft use of the fryer that made all the difference. This was a tender and delicious little one-bite morsel filled with tasty chicken and scallions. For six dollars, it was a generous bargain, and the dipping sauce was perfect.

The lunch special came with all the banchan, and I had a spicy seafood soup (sundubu) with silken tofu. The soup was still bubbling madly away and I waited until the temperature broke. Boy that was one tasty bowl of fire. Yes my forehead was more than a little dewy. 

The chicken bokkeum was a grilled mix of vegetables in a base of sweet/spicy gochujang sauce which they had smartly mixed with tender chicken thigh rather than breast.

This dish can be consumed as is, or you can use the lettuce leaves to wrap the mixture along with the red/white steamed rice and consume it that way.

Jumak also has a full Korean fried chicken menu and at some point I’ll need to make another visit.

For the money, this was a bargain lunch offering which also provided a second meal at dinner. If you enjoy Korean food, send me a note and let me know what you thought of Jumak.

THE DESSERT COURSE

La Provence pastries: fine and well-priced

I’ve now twice been to La Provence at 500 Hazeldean Rd. in Kanata. In the back of my mind, I suppose I felt I needed a broader range of experiences to comment on their products.

I enjoyed the pastries and the breads were surprisingly crusty and expertly baked. From time to time you land at a bakery that does one or the other very well but seldom both. Hard to understand why that is but these exceptions are few and far between. 

Lucky locals have been enjoying the goods from La Provence for 20 years now and based on my experiences, if I lived in Kanata, I would make La Provence a no-brainer destination.

This is old school French baking in both the baking and the decorating with a broad assortment of sweets like the caramel butter cream carrot cake that adds a decadent twist to the humble carrot cake. 

The one disappointment of this collection was the coffee cream cake that was uncommonly short on coffee flavour. An important note if you’re planning on ordering a birthday or wedding cake.

I had ordered individual mousse cups and both the raspberry and lemon versions were bright in flavour and freshness but I wasn’t expecting a significant cake presence in the centre. It’s clearly a personal preference but when eating something like a mousse, crème brûlée or a crème caramel, I don’t want anything to interfere with that silky texture.

If you find yourself in that part of Kanata, do yourself a favour and stop in for breads and pastries, and if it’s a gift-giving occasion, La Provence is in the same mall as Anna Stubbe Chocolates. That’s one lucky strip mall.

QUICK BITES

• Four Ottawa restaurants have made Canada’s Top 100 list. [City News]

• Montreal based chain Mandy’s Gourmet Salads is set to open in the Glebe. [Ottawa Citizen]

• This Ottawa woman has launched a gardening channel on YouTube. [YouTube]

• This is a beautiful story: Pope gives his life savings to pasta makers. [YouTube]

LATEST STORIES