Quiet Please

I have been cocooning with family because Ottawa has been in a deep freeze. But on Saturday, with slightly milder temperatures, I decided to work out some kinks at a yoga class on Elgin Street. This road has just re-opened after months of heavy reconstruction. But both sidewalks and street were empty of pedestrians and cars.

This class was in many ways harder than even the vigorous ones I've been in because the meticulous yogini concentrated on weak or underused muscles. I have practiced with them before and I recognized common sequences and instructions. For all of their care and attention to alignment, I suspect there's turnover in the class; people usually tune out (i.e., "familiarity breeds contempt") after a while and then stop coming. The successful teachers I know offer variety, even if most students would be better off focusing on fundamentals.

Afterwards, I wandered to Cooper and Bank, and found myself at J:unique Kitchen. This small but charming sushi spot occupied the main level of an older Victorian duplex. Ottawa hasn't done a great job of preserving its downtown, aside from Parliament Hill and the Byward Market, so it is a pleasure to find these rare relics. With lunch service winding down, there was only myself and one couple sitting by the window.

I opted for the Oshi Set ($18.95) from the lunch menu. The quality was apparent from the first sip of the miso soup. But when the lunch came out nicely presented, I didn't need to taste the not-pink pickled ginger to know this was a cut above most sushi joints. It's a gross generalization but there's a higher quality of care to Japanese-owned sushi places (like the similarly sized Shozan Room in Toronto).

So I quite enjoyed crunchy but not oily tempura, refreshing salad, and earthy edamame. The 3 pieces of salmon oshi, pressed and torched, were enlivened with a thin slice of chili. Unsurprisingly, the fish in the nigiri had actual flavour. Too bad the owners will be on vacation until January. Otherwise I would definitely come back again for dinner.