erling's variety

food & service were exceptional. i've been to erling's 4 times now as i live and work in the neighborhood. every time, i've been very impressed with the food, the service and the ambiance. a few highlights:

- amazing service: i went with a friend who was on a special diet where she couldn't eat, among other things, meat, dairy, sugar, soya, gluten and salt. naturally there wasn't a lot on the menu that fit all of these restrictions. we asked the waiter for a suggestion; he went to the chef and brought him right to our table where my friend then explained her restrictions and the chef himself offered to make a special salmondishthat she could eat. i call that going above and beyond my expectations.

- the food was irresistible each time i went. the tuna takaki was lightly seared on the outside and fresh and salty on the inside, almost like sushi. it was so good, i had to order a second helping. the fries were delectable; i don't know why they were so good, but i would consider going there just to eat fries (and i'm not even really a fries fan). the cheese plate was a perfect late night snack, and split between two people you still get a good amount of cheese and munchies for only $15. the brunch was so well-prepared. i had the california benny; the poached eggs were so soft and perfectly cooked ( i wish i could do that at home). the guacamole was made with perfectly ripe avocadoes and the lime hollandaise sauce was a really cool twist on the normal. i think it was the best eggs benedict i've ever had.

- all around good vibes. the colour palette of the place is very carefully chosen; the light wood tables and countertop make for a calm and soothing atmosphere. i love the open concept kitchen and the bar counter is gorgeous. the staff are all young, enthusiastic and seem to have a natural way with people. i felt welcomed there and i want to go back as soon as i can!

good, but not great. i would definitely say that this restaurant is definitely a slight notch above average. but definitely several notches below the well-known top dogs in the city. the food was below average to very good. the prices were definitely, however, very high.
beef tenderloin: tasty but not amazing. and with a lack of anything on the side with it thedishlooked underwhelming and felt very overpriced. yes, i understand tenderloin is expensive. but i would rather see a slightly cheaper cut on the plate with a side of some frites or a little salad or something.
duck breast: cooked well although i found thedishlacked balance, too many sweet notes.
scallops: very good - a well composed plate.
beet salad: good, but a little unoriginal.
crab cakes: very good and fairly priced.
prawns: very disappointing. overcooked and tough. sauce was nice but not enough to save the dish. also, the prawns were one of the smaller count shrimps. would have liked to see some bigger shrimps on the plate to get that wow factor.
frites: good but definitely way overpriced. at $7, even for a decent portion is a huge amount for potato. likewise for the scalloped potato which i wanted to order but couldn't justify paying $10 for what would basically be considered a side dish.
wine list was kind of blah to be honest. but not terrible by any means. there should be more interesting selections on the menu but maybe that's something that comes with time.
service was teetering between average and below average. not a lot of table touches from our server. we waited too long, it felt, for drinks. and the pace felt generally slow - many times it felt like we waited for food. the restaurant itself is small but handsomely appointed. service overall felt more like order taking than service that provides part of the experience. open concept kitchen is great, always love seeing the work that goes in to making each dish.
overall, i'd like to see more interesting elements incorporated in to dishes if the chef wants to stay with classical compositions and pairings. service could definitely stand to improve. and the pricing either needs to be justified with the plates or reduced.

2019/08/01
for me, erling’s variety was an interesting find. firstly, it is on a side street, so a walk-by diner probably wouldn’t notice it. secondly, the decor and design is modern, with clean lines and a high ceiling, yet still has a bit of a retro feel to it. and lastly, is the simple yet varied menu that has something for most tastes.

my starter was the brussels sprouts under the veggies menu, with crispy bacon, croutons, buttermilk anchovy ranch dressing and lots of finely shredded white cheddar. lots of interesting saltiness.

my maindishwas scallops under the land and sea menu. two large, plump scallops, nicely seared on both sides, just warm and almost buttery on the inside. the scallops were perched atop diced capocollo, apples and turnips, and creamed kale. salty, sweet, tart, smooth, crunchy. good.

service was friendly and fast.

a truly remarkable experience. my husband and i came to erlings for an anniversary dinner and unknowingly arrived right as the kitchen was about to close. the staff were so warm and welcome, not concerned with our late arrival at all. they quickly proved themselves to be knowledgable and patient. (they even sent us an amuse bouche to say thank you for coming! which was certainly a pleasant surprise. we thought this to be very professional..)

we had three incredible courses of food; i had to wrestle with myself to not continuously re- order items! everydishwas incredibly layered and well balanced. the mushrooms were rich and savoury. the scallops were perfectly seared with varying textures throughout the rest of thedishto add depth.. the brussel sprouts were one of the best vegetable dishes i have ever had.
the short ribs literally melted.

servers were on the ball, contributed to excellent pairings with our meal and gave us the right amount of presence that allowed us to still very much enjoy our anniversary. we were really impressed with their fluidity with wine recommendations, everything was paired well.

overall, this was one of the best dining experiences i have had in ottawa in a very long time. we frequent an extensive list of dynamic restaurants in the city and i was truly, incredibly pleased leaving. i highly recommend erlings, stay all night and try everything on the menu!

some friends and i went to erling's after an intense game of mini putt one evening last week, and i was highly impressed. the menu is fresh, unique, and inspired, even beginning with the cocktails. i started with their house caesar. i was intrigued because it had red wine in it, which surprised me and worked wonderfully with the clamato.

my friends and i literally ordered everydishon the menu. i love it when restaurants keep their menus small, because then you know eachdishis constructed with care. everything on the table was devoured within minutes, and we even ordered second rounds of some of our favourites. the pancetta mac and cheese, for example. holy moly. no words.

at this point we basically had no other option but to stay for dessert. we indulged again and the chef made a beautiful platter of all the dessert offerings for us. if they are offering the peanut butter chocolate torte when you visit, i beg you, do not pass it up.

erling's knows what's up when it comes to food and hospitality. all the staff were so friendly and prompt with their service. water was always full without asking, dishes were ways cleared promptly to make way for our next round. the decor is perfect. you feel like you are in your trendy friend's living room for a social get together. i love the open kitchen.

you can tell they take pride in what they do, and they should.

great experience i brought.... great experience
i brought my boyfriend here for his birthday last month. we didn't reserve in advance so ended up at the bar, which was a pretty fun place to sit as there is an open kitchen. service was fast and friendly but laid back in a good way. we loved everydishwe tried. a favourite was the house salad and the duck and ribs were both done to perfection. i found the prices to be quite reasonable, especially for this quality of food in ottawa. i'm looking forward to going back and hope to try the brunch soon.

delicious food; poor service. having heard really great things about erling's, i headed over with a friend the other night for dinner. after verifying what items were gluten free, due to an allergy, we ordered 3 plates to share. what we ordered, however, was not exactly what we got. the first plate brought over was a salad, something we did not order, so we sent it back with a reminder of what we did order (root veggies; mushrooms; duck). the mushrooms arrived shortly after we sent the firstdishback. a very tasty dish, they were served with crustinis (a gluten-free no-no for my friend, but something i happily chowed down on.) the duck followed suit and was delicious. lastly, our thirddisharrived: green beans. again, not what we ordered, but having felt bad for already sending one item back, we agreed that the beans looked appetizing, so did not say anything. perhaps servers should be required to write down guest orders?

overall, the food makes it worth a visit, but the service leaves something to be desired.

tons of promise. stunning atmosphere. finally a restaurant in the glebe that brings some montreal / new york ambiance. well done! the food is quite good, if not particularly innovative. somewhat reliant on butter, salt and demi glace to flavour just about everydishon the menu, but the results are tasty and well cooked/presented. i expect more experimentation and refinement with time. the portion size to cost ratio is out of whack, meaning if you want to get full here be prepared to pay, but this is pretty typical of the ottawa scene - it's expensive relative to other cities. also disappointing is the wine list, at least half of which are generic "vintage essentials" like liberty school cabernet. if i am going to pay a 3x mark-up on a bottle of wine, it should at least be something that someone has spent some time sourcing and pairing with the cuisine. that said, the pinot was pretty good. lastly, service - it's friendly but somewhat lacking in refinement ... little things like wine service rituals, pacing etc. hopefully this will get tweaked over time. this is the longest review i've ever written and only because i am really excited about what erling's variety might bring to the glebe ... hopefully the start of a trend.

my first time in this week and the place looks like it belongs either in toronto or montreal. tried a bit of everything with a friend of mine, and although the items on the menu seemed basic, the taste and flavours of eachdishleft us wanting more. we sat at thé bar with a direct view of the open concept kitchen . it was like dinner and a show! thé staff worked together as if they have been doing it for years. overall extremely impressed!! ps. i recommend the pimm's cup and a seat at the bar!!!

magnifique!. i have been to erling's for lunch and dinner. both experiences were very pleasurable. lunch regular plates are filling and very tasty. for dinner, what an exciting experience to sit at the counter and watch the brigade at work meticulously preparing beautiful and delicious small plates. i enjoyed talking with the chef and watching the team preparedishafterdishwith care. with a friend we tried 5 small plates and had plenty to satisfy our appetite. i was excited to watch and have already chosen what i will order next time. it is not cheap, food is well priced for the quality and the exquisite choices. you truly get good value for your money and your taste buds. food , décor, service and atmosphere were great, so without hesitation i recommend erling's for those that appreciate good food in an original setting. i look forward to trying their brunch.

wonderful dinner at earls/erlings. my wife and i travel for business and find ourselves in ottawa every few weeks. we discovered erlings through friends in february when we had a really special brunch. decided to return for dinner with another couple over the weekend and it didn't disappoint. what a great idea - small plates that are well paced and can be shared with friends. a nice way to dine. dinner was terrific .... delicious food, wonderful atmosphere and friendly (if not the speediest) service. we loved everydish- especially the scallops and the beet salad. unique concept - it works. we'll be back next month. hope they get the name sorted out. great little restaurant!