Ottawa Magazine’s third-annual Best Restaurants event, held on Tuesday, May 7 at the Horticulture Building, brought together 13 restaurants to celebrate the annual Best Restaurants feature. The event gave the crowd of 500 guests a chance to enjoy such dishes as octopus carpaccio from The Soca Kitchen, Sidedoor’s take on the Vietnamese pancake, and beef tartare from Restaurant E18hteen. Libations included no less than 6 beers from Lost Craft, wine from Ruffino and Jackson-Triggs, as well as hand-crafted cocktails from Bearface Whisky and Levenswater Gin. The team from Parkdale Food Centre, charitable partner for the event, engaged with party goers through a colourful and interactive display.

Here’s the full menu:

Benny’s Bistro – Albacore tuna loin, pickled beetroot, sorrel crème fraîche, rhubarb & honey mignonette
Carben Food and Drink – Wood ear mushrooms – Eryngii mushrooms, miso glaze, tumeric aioli and edamame
Chickpeas – Falafel with roasted jalapeño hummus and baba ghanoush
Datsun – Shiitake mushroom dumplings
Restaurant Ei8hteen – Beef tartare with nduja, pickles, potato
Erling’s Variety – Macaroni with golden beet 3 cheese sauce, walnut panko crumble and sage
Restaurant Les Fougères – Spring vegetable panzanella with nordic shrimps
Bar Lupulus – Sake Kasu brined NZ kahawai crudo, blood orange, rhubarb confit, nicoise olive purée, pickled rose petals and rhubarb beurre blanc
Sidedoor Contemporary Kitchen and Bar – Vietnamese pancake “banhxeo” with shrimp, chilies and herbs
The Soca Kitchen – Octopus carpaccio with tequila compressed jalapenos, salted pork belly & chorizo vinaigrette and potato espuma
Strawberry Blonde Bakery – Cinnamon sugar donut holes
The Rowan – Chickpea and parsley fritters with coriander, pickled vegetables, pita and sunflower dressing
The Whalesbone – Fresh east coast oysters

Check out photos from the event below: