play food & wine

average night at play. this past friday my girlfriend and i went for dinner at play. we ended up having four dishes and a cheese plate, and walked away feeling very average about the experience.

first and foremost, the staff at play is excellent. i have been twice now, and both times the quality of service has been great. the servers are friendly, knowledgable, and genuinely want you to enjoy your time.

we sampled five cheeses, which was a great way to start off the evening. we then shared the beet salad, the tuna, the gnocci, and the steak frites.

the beet salad was completely lack luster. the few pieces of beets they served varied in doneness, and didn't seem to be enhanced in any way. the greens in the dish were limp and soggy, which was the result of the large volume of sour cream esque dressing that was spread across the bottom of the dish. this was the low of the evening meal.

the gnocci and tuna were excellent. the tuna had a great contrast in texture and flavour, and great presentation. the flavours in the gnocci were subtle but enticing, i only wish i had ordered more.

the steak frites was very disappointing. while the steak had really amazing flavour, it was very tough. both of us felt as though it was like a nicely presented version of beef jerky: salty, heavily seasoned, and chewy. the french fries were terrible. they were soggy and limp.

with three drinks between the two of us our bill for the evening came to ~$120 before tip. while this is reasonable for what we shared, i feel as though we could have gotten more bang for our buck elsewhere.

i just love this place. the two plates for 22$ at lunchtime is a great deal, considering that their plates are always wonderfully delicious and make you want more. try everything, really, but my favorites are the hanger steak (the fries, oh the fries!) and the scallops. waiters are always really helpful, whether you want to try a new wine or need help choosing your cheeses. the restaurant itself is enjoyable, the music is not too loud, so you can relax, enjoy your meal and get to have a nice conversation with your friends without having to shout. i highly recommand play!

most excellent. took my fiancee to play on a day out in town - would definitely go back. the food was incredible, and the waiter was very attentive, despite it being busy (and me overhearing that they were short-staffed). two thumbs up from me. :)

great food and wonderful service.. small plate restaurant so would not work for my husband who likes big plates, but i had two small savoury plates, both delicious and one sweet plate and was very full, each was amazing. went with 4 girlfriends, a fun evening out.

always a pleasure. attentive service, excellent/interesting food, great atmosphere. very accommodating to food intolerances and allergies. always a lovely evening.

excellent muscles , cheese tray was good and of course the wine. service was very good

lost their touch at play. they have lost their touch at play. service was slow, an incorrect plate was brought, food was not at all as described, and overall our experience was quite poor. we've enjoyed nice dinners there in the past, but not tonight. unfortunatley we had brought guests from the uk, who know fine dining, and this did not live up to expectations.

fabulous evening. we went with another couple for my birthday dinner and were totally impressed. our waitress was extremely sweet and helpful with suggestions - she got the chef to add an extra scallop to one plate so we could share between the four of us. we ordered eight dishes for four people, then dessert, and everything was amazing. there's a nice view of sussex out the window and even when the restaurant was full we could easily hear conversation among our party. will absolutely be back.

went for lunch, probably one of the best meals i've had in ottawa. i had the scallops and artic char, both impeccably cooked and flavourful.

service was attentive and friendly.

only miss - the frites and aioli, to me the aioli tasted of cream cheese and the fries were flaccid.

great food, srvice and atmosphere. my friends and i went yesterday for dinner and had a great time. the food was succulent, the service from stéphanie and scott was excellent qnd the atmosphere was so rlaxe and fun. a must if you are in ottawa!

good for elders and juniors. we had diinner with our adult grandchildren. the menu choices and serving sizes were perfect. the wine pairing impressed, especially the knowledge of prince edward county wines, ottawa's nearest wine district. excellent service. it was great to see a neglected dessert, baked alaska, on the menu. it was good but doesn't work so well with "after-eight" flavoured ice cream. also the neglected dish, steak tartare was very nicely done in a mild style. we, (the elders) did find the room noisy enough to make conversation among five people difficult. we'll go again.

very good, nice atmosphere. excellent food, nice upscale and relatively quiet atmosphere. plan on 2-3 tapas dishes to make a meal. they are all relatively small, but excellent balance of flavors within a dish, and nice contrast between dishes. the pork belly was particularly good, as were the gnocchi.

this is a keeper! (or, my love letter to the staff at play food & wine). this review is long overdue (which is why it is a bit on the long side). i have been to play somewhat regularly for lunch and a few dinners in the span of the past 6 months so... i keep coming back!

the service: friendly and knowledgeable staff, both front of line and kitchen crew. i have some major allergy concerns and they don't treat it like an insurmountable task, but a challenge they welcome to come up with something to accommodate a request. while every visit has been excellent, the standout night for me was after i had made the reservation through their online booking system, and listed my allergies. when i arrived they had the table set along with a special menu, printed out with only the items that were allergen-free, as well as some items that were changeable with substitutions. i was super impressed to have an edited menu just for me (points for making your dinner guests feel special!). on another visit i was informed they were contacting one of their suppliers in quebec to verify ingredients in their boar sausages. similar courtesies have happened each visit.

the food: is always fantastic. i have yet to have a bad dish. their hanger steak & frites has always been a favourite, as was their recent pork belly dish. their scallops are yummy, and they have created some wonderful flavours with their boston scarlett salad. they had a fantastic chocolate crème brulée this winter as well as a wonderfully light and tasty bread pudding more recently. i had their arctic char (today!) and it was perfectly done and i loved every bite.

the wine: the list is great and there's always something new to try. thoughtfully put together. i also have really enjoyed the pairings that i have tried so far.

overall: i will always recommend this restaurant to anyone, and especially if you have dietary concerns and allergies that make you tentative about dining out. when you make your reservation, just make a note of your allergies and they take care of the rest.

accueil et service excellent !
talent et creativite des recettes ;)
accord mets et vins éclairé. absolument gratifiant pour tous les sens !
pain à améliorer ;)
un must à ottawa !

outstanding.