Desert of the Meal

I headed to my relative early Saturday morning because there was snow in the forecast for the afternoon. Last time I was held up for 40 minutes waiting for croissants at Art Is In but I got tips from another person in line for other bakeries. So I decided to stop off at Rideau Station in search of croissants in The Byward Market. Unfortunately, they were vague about the location so I tried my luck at The French Baker at Murray and Dalhousie. There were few people out and about, but it was still a pleasant stroll through a quarter filled with old buildings and packed with businesses. It only served to remind me there could have been more of these bustling blocks if not for decisions like the Rideau Mall or King Edward Ave. Arriving at my destination, I realized I've been here before for a pricey brunch at Benny's Bistro tucked into the back of the bakery. I also regularly visited the nearby Upward Dog yoga studio when I visited Ottawa. There was some sort of internal fracas in 2016 because I suddenly noticed a replacement of all instructors. That was when I switched to studios on Bank St. and Elgin St.

At $2.85, the croissants were almost half as cheap at French Baker than Art Is In. They weren't as nicely made or as tasty though. Better than supermarket ones, but enough to justify the price differential? My relative had just bought a whole pack so they'll make the final call.

On Sunday, I visited Sa'hara, a Somali restaurant near Montreal and Blair. The Somalian civil war brought the first of many refugees from there to Canada starting in the early 90s. I remembered the Somalians stood out at first because of their Muslim clothes and having ethnic features distinctive from African-Canadians. But I don't recall seeing any Somali restaurants in the intervening years.

I don't know how closely Sa'hara sticks to traditional food though since the server noted that they had an "international" menu that included burgers. I picked some beef sambusa appetizers ($1.99) and a large Chicken Kebab meal ($17.99). The sambusa's close relationship to the samosa was obvious though its speckled surface gave a different texture than the latter. It could have been crispier that could have been due to the take-out bag. The meal was excellent and reminiscent of Middle-Eastern fare: fragrant pilaf and tender chicken pieces (though not a lot of them). The spicy basbaas sauce gave the food a nice kick.

I hope this small restaurant sticks around as this area doesn't really do "exotic food". Mexican joint Kukulkan and Shawarma King didn't last. On the other hand, there is now a taco truck (in the summer) and Chahaya Malaysia has been here for years.