Porter, our favourite Toronto airline and home of the constant 20% discount, has an airline magazine good enough to pass for the real thing. Their Spring 2010 issue devotes five pages to Old Ottawa South.
Calling it the “arty-boho-gourmet enclave of Old Ottawa South” that sits in opposition to the straitlaced government town, Porter suggests a good number of independent stores owned by local residents, including: Mikaza, Grace in the Kitchen, Found Design, Planet of Sound, Carmen’s Veranda (which now has bring your own wine on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for a $10 corkage fee), Serious Cheese, Quinn’s Ale House, Buttercream Bakery, as well as Mayfair Theatre, Ottawa’s Farmers’ Market and Arc The Hotel (both not technically in the neighbourhood).
While we love shopping for expensive furniture with a delicious cup cake or truffle grilled cheese in hand, we think a few un-hipster places could have made the cut. We have nothing against Porter’s list — in fact, we are big fans of a number of its picks — but Old Ottawa South is just that, Old, and there are a number of places that have survived because they are more than just current fad. The Ottawa Antique Market is a treasure spot for definitely less expensive furnishing than Found Design. We also like to amuse ourselves at Yardley’s Antiques. If you are at all artistically inclined, The Mud Oven is a good way to spend a rainy afternoon and get a personalized coffee mug at the same time. Music lovers will protest the exclusion of the Ottawa Folklore Center, who are responsible for the great murals of musicians you see dotted around this part of Bank Street.
Most surprising to me is that neighbourhood staple Trillium Bakery is missing from Porter’s list. These folks have been baking healthy breads and snacks since before it was fashionable to do so. Pumpkin bread, ginger bread people with little cinnamon hearts, good-for-you brownies? We love it all. Though, if you’re reading this Trillium, we miss the small rocking horse in the shop (albeit we are probably too big to use it).
