A gastronomic tour of Merivale Road

While exploring and enjoying the city’s gastronomic delights is a pleasure, the greatest joy comes in the form of meeting the creators behind these businesses. The education you receive is multi-faceted and sometimes shakes up your sensibilities.

As so many of us have benefitted from the cultural diversity in Ottawa, I thought it would be practical to highlight some of the shops brought to us by our friends and neighbours from around the globe.

Dutch Groceries and Giftware

Dutch Groceries and Giftware is actually on Clyde Avenue just before it merges to make Merivale Road.  

Daniel Metternich and co-owner Bastiaan Lovers took ownership of this shop in October of 2020 and this year Dutch Groceries celebrated their 70th anniversary.

With his background in retail in both Holland and Canada, Daniel took the plunge during a precarious time and now he and Bastiaan are riding a crest of popularity with both online and storefront.

It offers a fine selection of Dutch foods that includes snacks, baked goods, cheeses and meats.

For me there is a little cultural crossover and I love getting a broad assortment of sweet and salted licorice. It takes me back to my childhood.

As does the hagelslag (hail storm), a chocolate sprinkle that children (you know who you are), add to buttered bread for breakfast. 

They also offer cured meats and prepared foods from Country Meat Packing and Roos, two Dutch owned businesses from Dundas and Brownsville respectively. The best foods can evoke pleasant memories and the fact that they have these two producers takes me back aways.

On a recent visit, they were running a very busy ship and in the run up to Christmas, I would suggest early shopping.

M & J Tropical

Also on Clyde and almost directly across from the Dutch grocers, you’ll find M & J Tropical.

Here you’ll find a broad selection of Afro-Carribean products such as frozen fish and meats, spices, drinks and hair care products. 

Although I’ve shopped here before, on this visit I walked through the wrong door and was met with smiles and laughter from the women waiting to have their hair done. I was very much at the wrong address.

I do love a good selection of spices and hot sauces and this shop has you covered. Shito may be fiery but it’s also packed with real flavour and is a classic African condiment for rice dishes.

M&J is also a great destination for those who are gluten intolerant. The selection of alternative flours is impressive and opens up a new world for those exploring gluten-free baking with products you may not have known about.

OK Mart

OK Mart is the latest Korean store to open and it’s a beautiful place to shop. Large and spacious, it has the largest selection of Korean goods in the city and on every single visit, I’ve found it to be nothing short of immaculate.

They offer a fine selection of the best Korean kimchi, rice, meats, seafood, snacks and frozen prepared foods. If sushi is on the menu, you’ll be happy to learn that they receive deliveries from Sapporo on Carling, daily.

For those who are fans of ramen packets, there is a new line from Samyang called Tangle. 

It’s not a soup ramen but the sauce on the bulgogi alfredo (pictured) is pretty darn tasty. For those who love their tteokbokki (stir-fried rice cake) you’ll find everything you need to make this popular dish at home.

Here, OK Mart has both frozen rice and wheat versions of this “noodle” along with the sweet and spicy sauce. Addictive.

Given how impressive the selection is, I find their pricing very reasonable which is just one of the many reasons to shop here. One of my favourite openings of 2023.

Silk Road Foods

Over the years, Silk Road Foods has never failed to surprise me. Apart from the excellent selection of Middle Eastern goods, they always seem to have interesting smaller businesses working from inside this large store.

Toward the back of the shop you’ll find a bakery. I got there just in time to be greeted by the intoxicating aroma of freshly baked naan. Of course I didn’t resist and hurried with my shopping so that I could tear at the warm bread in my car. So fluffy, soft and supremely delicious and in fact, better than what many restaurants offer.

Once home, I dipped it in the Palestinian olive oil and what a marriage that was! With the bread so fresh and the oil tasting like it had butter mixed into it, well it was a bit of heaven.

They also expanded their spice and herb selection since last I shopped there and frankly I was astonished by how unique many of the new additions were. I expect that many of these items are likely still used in pagan medicine and on my next trip I’ll be exploring them in greater detail.