Quinn Abugov
Back in late October, The Mainstreeter was given the opportunity to step out of the “hood” and sample the exciting culinary transition taking place at a local Ottawa staple – the Ottawa Bagelshop and Deli in Wellington West.
The Bagelshop, a beloved locale serving up Montrealstyle bagels to Ottawans since 1984, has recently brought on board Peter Saunders, a classically trained chef and restaurateur, to oversee their food operation. Saunders, hailing from North Dublin, Ireland, excelled in his studies at the Dublin Institute of Technology, earning a certificate in Professional Cookery. His accomplishment opened doors, including a work placement at the renowned l ‘Écrivain – Dublin’s top Michelin Star restaurant, where he eventually secured a position as junior pastry chef.
The classic Everything Bagel sandwich is a real crowd-pleaser. Photo by Quinn Abugov
With his extensive experience in the kitchen and in management, Saunders is committed to providing Ottawa with top-notch, mouth-watering, homemade food at affordable prices. “I feel really blessed to have found the Bagelshop and its owner Liliana Piazza because it makes the most sense for me to be here,” remarked Saunders during a recent interview. “The quality of the food is really important to her. She knows good food and grew up eating good food; but not in a snobby way. In a ‘this tastes so good way’. Liliana doesn’t compromise on quality.”
In addition to a culinary renaissance taking place, aesthetically, the building underwent a facelift back in 2019 that effectively cut the existing 7,000-squarefoot space in half. The new setup certainly has a more intimate, cozy and modern vibe than its predecessor which mirrors the progressive changes taking place in the kitchen and in the shop’s variety of product offerings.
And Sundays at the Bagelshop offered customers a special treat this past fall – live music while they shopped and munched. It was dubbed the Ottawa Bagelshop Musicfest Select, and it ran for nine successive Sunday afternoons between September 24th and November 19th and featured 17 solo artists from Ottawa, Peterborough and Montreal.
“We started the Musicfest back in June with the simple hope of supporting local Ottawa music artists with returning to public performance after the pandemic,” recalls Piazza. “What we found is there is a real desire in Ottawa to support live music in a relaxed family friendly atmosphere, that is also during the day. So many patrons – kids to seniors – have expressed gratitude for the free-to-attend, volume-friendly concerts. We couldn’t be more happy with how it turned out.”
While I missed out on the live music, I did have the opportunity to sample a few items from the revamped menu which I gladly accepted. I opted for the Italian Job sandwich served on an Everything bagel, which was loaded with mortadella, spicy capocollo, Genoa salami, pickled eggplant, Swiss cheese, lettuce and Italian vinaigrette. The sandwich itself was fantastic and the vinaigrette did a great job pulling the savoury flavours together. The bagel itself was of high quality with the classic Montreal style sweetness and a good chew factor. Next up was the chocolate brownie which was also a winner. Soft, light and airy yet packed with real chocolate, its composition was skillfully prepared. To drink, I sampled their coffee which was refreshingly high quality. Maybe it’s my luck, but I haven’t enjoyed too many good coffees served at bagel shops, so this was a welcome surprise.
At the end of my meal, I was visited by Chef Saunders who inquired about my food and overall experience. This was a bonus for me and demonstrated the care and passion he has for this operation.
If one thing was clear from my visit, the revamped Ottawa Bagelshop and Deli is certainly a destination worth venturing outside the neighbourhood for!
