Skiers like to eat...usually a lot. Skiers are also often in a hurry and typically want tasty, yet healthy, food. We've come up with a short list of suggested places to eat in Chelsea and Ottawa that satisfy at least some these criteria. We were looking for places that serve healthy food quickly, in convenient locations, are not too expensive and that serve big portions. This is far from being a complete list, but are just a few that Karl and I tend to frequent. We would love to hear from other skiers about their favourite places to "fill up". Send in your choice restaurant lists to info@xcottawa.ca and we'll post another article with more ideas of where to dine.
Here is our list organized by location:
Old Chelsea - First of all, we live here. Secondly, skiers are often pretty hungry while they are in Chelsea having just finished exercising. Since Gerry and Isobel's closed the choices in Old Chelsea have been Chelsea's and Cafe Soupe Herbe. The new restaurant Rendez Vous Chelsea looks to be a promising choice and we look forward to trying out their "nutritionally rich" menu....their opening appears to be imminent.
Chelsea's doesn't normally fit the "healthy" criteria, but they do serve big portions and it is in the park so it is a fun place to go after a long ski occasionally. My favourites there are the Chelsea burger, the club sandwich and the fish and chips....and of course a Boreale Blonde to go with it.
Cafe Soupe Herbe is a great vegetarian restaurant just a bit down the road from the main hub of Chelsea. They have yummy options such as the curry, the burrito, and very good pizzas.
Ahora is a great mexican restaurant on Dalhousie. It is very fast and inexpensive and the food is really good. It is a cafeteria style place where you order at the counter and then they bring the food to you (quickly). We actually went there last night and I had the Burrito Grande with steak. It came with a fresh salad and the burrito was stuffed with steak, rice, black beans, fresh tomatoe salsa, guacamole, sour cream and just the right amount of cheese. It was less than $10!
Mama Grazzi...if you are looking for some pasta, this is my favourite place to go. It is a bit fancier but very reasonably priced and very good! I can't remember what I've had in particular but every time I go, I come home satisfied.
Somerset/Bronson - there are tonnes of great choices on this street, but somehow we have gravitated to one restaurant in particular that Craig found a few years ago...
The Vietnam Palace is a super good place to go if you want an inexpensive, large, fast, healthy meal. It is between Booth and Rochester. The meal that we all go for there is one of the V's. I like V2, but V7 and V5 are also popular among the skiers. The meal is vermacelli noodles served on a bed of lettuce with your choice of meat and other goodies on top. You add carrot sausce which I think is actually called fish sauce (I still don't really know what it really is...) to moisten it. To start, they have great salad rolls with a peanut sauce. They also serve their "special" cold coffee that Karl tried last time we went.....it rated well with him.
Ottawa South - there are also lots of choice here, but one that we have gone to a number of times and really enjoyed was the Siam Kitchen. There are lots of great dishes here and a fun way to enjoy this restaurant is to order a bunch of them and share. You can order as much rice to go with the different curries and other tasty dishes.
Westboro - again, lots to choose from here!
The Table is another vegetarian restaurant and it is buffet style so its really quick. You fill up your plate with what you want and then pay based on the weight. It is very reasonable though, I got a well stocked plate for about $10. The food is very healthy and also very flavourful.
Ottawa Bagel Shop is a great place to go for a sandwich on the run...you can get bagels with just about anything on them (lamb or egg, for example)! Plus they have good coffee and they are really quick.
Here is our list organized by location:
Old Chelsea - First of all, we live here. Secondly, skiers are often pretty hungry while they are in Chelsea having just finished exercising. Since Gerry and Isobel's closed the choices in Old Chelsea have been Chelsea's and Cafe Soupe Herbe. The new restaurant Rendez Vous Chelsea looks to be a promising choice and we look forward to trying out their "nutritionally rich" menu....their opening appears to be imminent.
Chelsea's doesn't normally fit the "healthy" criteria, but they do serve big portions and it is in the park so it is a fun place to go after a long ski occasionally. My favourites there are the Chelsea burger, the club sandwich and the fish and chips....and of course a Boreale Blonde to go with it.
Cafe Soupe Herbe is a great vegetarian restaurant just a bit down the road from the main hub of Chelsea. They have yummy options such as the curry, the burrito, and very good pizzas.
Up the 105- if you happen to have skied at P16, P17 or P19 and you are hungry on your way back to the city....a fun place to fuel up is at the Vallee Meech on the corner of the 105 and the end of the 5 (at least at the moment!). They have a pretty typical breakfast menu, but you can pick and choose and find something that won't give you a heart attack tomorrow! Their biggest breakfast for the hungriest of skiers is the egg, pancake, potato and ham meal.....Karl was even full after that one!
Ahora is a great mexican restaurant on Dalhousie. It is very fast and inexpensive and the food is really good. It is a cafeteria style place where you order at the counter and then they bring the food to you (quickly). We actually went there last night and I had the Burrito Grande with steak. It came with a fresh salad and the burrito was stuffed with steak, rice, black beans, fresh tomatoe salsa, guacamole, sour cream and just the right amount of cheese. It was less than $10!
Mama Grazzi...if you are looking for some pasta, this is my favourite place to go. It is a bit fancier but very reasonably priced and very good! I can't remember what I've had in particular but every time I go, I come home satisfied.
Somerset/Bronson - there are tonnes of great choices on this street, but somehow we have gravitated to one restaurant in particular that Craig found a few years ago...
The Vietnam Palace is a super good place to go if you want an inexpensive, large, fast, healthy meal. It is between Booth and Rochester. The meal that we all go for there is one of the V's. I like V2, but V7 and V5 are also popular among the skiers. The meal is vermacelli noodles served on a bed of lettuce with your choice of meat and other goodies on top. You add carrot sausce which I think is actually called fish sauce (I still don't really know what it really is...) to moisten it. To start, they have great salad rolls with a peanut sauce. They also serve their "special" cold coffee that Karl tried last time we went.....it rated well with him.
Ottawa South - there are also lots of choice here, but one that we have gone to a number of times and really enjoyed was the Siam Kitchen. There are lots of great dishes here and a fun way to enjoy this restaurant is to order a bunch of them and share. You can order as much rice to go with the different curries and other tasty dishes.
Westboro - again, lots to choose from here!
The Table is another vegetarian restaurant and it is buffet style so its really quick. You fill up your plate with what you want and then pay based on the weight. It is very reasonable though, I got a well stocked plate for about $10. The food is very healthy and also very flavourful.
Ottawa Bagel Shop is a great place to go for a sandwich on the run...you can get bagels with just about anything on them (lamb or egg, for example)! Plus they have good coffee and they are really quick.
Interesting Reading. . .
"OWL Rafting - The Mighty Ottawa River"