Loaded with promise, but not quite there

• Name + address: Cumin and Pepper, 111 Cooper St.

• Diet: Meat, seafood, vegetarian

• Appetizers: $5-$14

• Mains: $20-$32

• Wheelchair accessibility: Yes

• Website: www.cuminnandpepper.com

My visit to Cumin and Pepper made for one of the oddest dining experiences of my life and my hope is that my criticisms will be seen as opportunities because there simply is so much potential.

In this review I will present the dishes as they came out of the kitchen and this will also give you a better understanding of my puzzlement during this session.

The space itself is rather utilitarian coloured in black and blue and reminds one of walking into a black box theatre. 

A motorcycle is parked inside the restaurant to the right of the entrance and above it, large commercial canisters of herbs and spices. That was the start of the confusion.

I ordered an assortment of starters and mains to get a sense of the kitchen’s range.

First came the New Orleans wings. It couldn’t be explained to me what made them New Orleans wings but they were dusted in cumin and other seasonings and had been brined. They were tasty and plump and very obviously had been cooked from a fresh rather than frozen state. At $12 for four, they were also some of the most expensive wings in the city.

Next came one of the mains. A large bowl of shrimp wonton soup that smelled of the sea courtesy of too much seaweed. The broth was nice and the shrimp wontons were plentiful but the four mussels had not been cooked long enough in the broth and they remained partially closed. A nice touch was the addition of two jumbo prawns in the shell adding some colour to the dish.

Then it was back to the appetizers with the fried calamari. It arrived with a side of housemade lime aioli for dipping, as unfortunately they no longer had the soy and lime dip I’d ordered.

The calamari was served in a metal basket and as I extracted one of the breaded segments I found that they were all attached and hadn’t been cut through. This was a positive sign and as soon as i tried the squid i understood that this too had been cooked from a fresh state. The aioli was a nice addition to the squid which was creamy and tender.

The shrimp fritters were also another inspired idea that I will likely make at home. Minced shrimp had been mixed with sweet corn and some sort of starch (tapioca perhaps). They had then been breaded and fried a little too long. They were properly seasoned and tasty but rubbery and a little tough. The dipping sauce was a simple Thai sweet chili.

My other main dish landed and I admit being smitten with the aromas coming from their signature noodles. 

You have an assortment of noodle options and I chose the wider housemade noodles. They glistened in the dim light and I immediately dug in. The addition of Sichuan peppercorns was hard to miss and to ignore. This was a delicious creation but there was so much of this pepper that had been kept whole that it felt, and sounded, like chewing on sand. If only they’d ground the peppercorns.

The abundant chicken breast had been marinated and velvetized and the medium sized shrimp remained sweet and tender. All in all an appealing main dish with a fabulous sauce marred by the injudicious use of pepper.

Last to arrive was the appetizer I had hoped would kick off the experience. A bowl of beef broth with slices of beef shank that had been cooked so long they had little flavour left.

That flavour however was in the broth itself which was beefy and exotic with a five-spice character. For $5 I was expecting just a normal single serving. Instead I received an oversized bowl flecked with scallions. A terrific value and a great alternative for those who use grocery store broth tetrapaks. 

Cumin and Pepper is clearly not accustomed to having guests dine in. There was a lot of delivery traffic and this appears to be the bulk of their trade. 

The restaurant is a short walk from uOttawa, and this had me wondering why they weren’t open for lunch. Yet if they are going to rely on takeaway orders they could, with less overhead, deliver the same service from a ghost kitchen. They certainly don’t need a premium location off Elgin. 

With chicken and calamari freshly cooked and dishes well-seasoned and cooked from scratch, there’s no reason they can’t double their appeal with a few minor adjustments. 

Their recipes are good and chef and co-owner Ryan Wang obviously has experience and a knowledge of techniques. 

Cumin and Pepper needs more experience serving customers in their restaurant. Only in this way will the kitchen become as organized as it needs to be and start to serve dishes in the right order. When a kitchen becomes too accustomed to cooking dishes for delivery only, a sense of priority goes out the window. It also led to rather distracted service.

On a happy closing note, their drinks prices are very friendly. Both beer and mixed long drinks are only $6. The selection is modest with three bottled brews and three cocktails (vodka, rum or gin) available. The gin they use however is the very good Empress 1908 cocktail gin and for an extra $4 you can make yours a double.

With so much good simmering beneath the surface, it’s my hope it will bubble over, get the attention of a wider public and eventually become a go-to place for people like me.

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