A terrific cut of British Columbian white tuna sashimi photo: Ben Welland

Though Preston St. is currently a mess, you'll quickly forget about the construction when you walk into the Black Cat's soothing interior. Clean lines, pure whites and charcoal greys make for modern appeal, while a faux fireplace, painted brick wall and orange banquettes keep the look from being too stuffy. It's an ideal place to take a special dinner date.

Deciding to keep things light on both cost and calories, my friend and I decided to stick with appetizers and desserts. Whether you're on a diet or just cutting back on your dinner budget, skipping the main can be a great way to leave satisfied without being too stuffed.

I ordered the local white asparagus salad, which was quite simply heaven on a plate. This creative concoction featured tender slices of white and green asparagus, torn black olives, orange segments, heirloom cherry tomatoes, pickled ramps and microgreens. The luxuriously creamy orange dressing was so delicious, I'd be happy to eat it by the bowlful. My friend ordered the white tuna sashimi over grilled watermelon. It was an unusual pairing to be sure, but an effective one nonetheless. The contrast in textures was pleasing, while the smoky undertones of the dish made each bite a treat.

While all of the dishes were carefully plated, the desserts were especially attractive. The Black Cat Rocher Box came to the table looking like a tiny dark chocolate gift box filled with caramel popcorn. Served with fresh raspberries and a vanilla crème anglaise, the deep chocolate mousse was as rich and as decadent as one could hope for. The miniature sticky date and walnut Bundt cake was encircled by dulce de leche and topped with grapefruit crème fraiche.

When dining reaches such heights of culinary perfection, I have to give the restaurant my wholehearted recommendation. I look forward to returning again soon to the Black Cat to feast on the mains.

The Black Cat Bistro
(428 Preston St.)
(613) 569-9998
Appetizers: $8-$18
Mains: $25-$32
 
 

		Write your comment on this article!

Sweetbreads = Transcendant     The veal sweetbreads are simply the finest entrée I've eaten in the last five years. And that includes two years spent in Hong Kong, one of the world's leading restaurant cities. Even if thymus and pancreas isn't normally your thing, I can't think of a better place to live a little than the Black Cat.
Tim Edwards		October 24th, 2009
Under pressure, Jacqueline?     Jacqueline...was there no opportunity to taste the menu, find out about serving sizes, etc prior to your son's wedding? I really don't think it's fair to have such incredibly high expectations if you yourself have not visited the restaurant. A lot rides on a wedding day, there's a lot of pressure (speaking as someone who just got married), and I promise you in a year's time, no one will say "Wow, the wedding sucked. The food wasn't to par". "To par" has a lot to do with expectations. And expectations can be quelled by visiting the restaurant prior to an event as grandiose as a wedding. I really don't sympathize.
kaitlin wainwright		August 24th, 2009
Disappointed     I chose the Black Cat for a very special occasion. It was a once in a life time family occasion... the wedding of my son. I chose the Black Cat mostly because of the reputation and my past experience with the chef. The meal was disappointing. Good but not exceptional. "Good" is available at countless Ottawa restaurants. There will be no "remember that awesome meal we had for the wedding party" in our family history. I am embarrassed, having been the one tasked to choose a restaurant. The wild salmon was not particularily tasty, the vegetables were sparse, the scallops were not "a meal". The servings were such that no one was satisfied and could easily have eaten each meal twice. And of course it was not inexpensive... I did not expect inexpensive but since the meal was small portions and not memorable, the cost only added to the annoyance. And we went to all that trouble to walk through blocks of construction to get there! ... Anyway we made the event a happy one and did not allow the poor meal to spoil our special family occasion.
Jacqueline Kelly		August 12th, 2009
Redefining the Restaurant Review?     I have to agree completely with Lucy Trew... a restaurant review without having tried ANY of the main courses is not a review. If you can't afford to eat there, you can't afford to review there. This is shamefully bad journalism and throws anything that Colleen Johnson writes in the future into serious doubt. What this review amounts to is pointless fluff. Who cares how wonderful the "Black Cat Rocher Box" or any other dessert may be? That's not why people go to a restaurant. Tell us about a full meal, including things like the wine selection! If you want to leave any part of it out forget the dessert!
Tony Gibbs		August 6th, 2009
Thanks!     Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!!! 'steve vardy xo
steve vardy		August 6th, 2009
Dining reinvented? As in, without mains?     I can totally understand ordering first courses only to keep a meal lighter on both the tummy and the wallet. I do it all the time--it's a great strategy if you know you're going to want a dessert. But is it a good strategy for a meal underpinning a review? If it were me (and full disclosure is only fair: I used to review restaurants for this very paper), I don't think I would feel that approach is really fair to the reader. Most editors would chastise a reviewer for a no-no like this. It reflects badly on the paper (it's kind of embarassing to read that a reviewer has to keep costs so low that they can't afford to get at least one main?) and leaves an incomplete picture of the restaurant and the menu for the reader. I know XPress reviews aren't--can't be--conventional (visit a place three times, sample a variety of dishes, and boil it down into a story), but even on an altweekly budget, you could have found a creative way to work a main into this story. That said, the food that did feature in this story sounds delectable. The Black Cat was my favourite restaurant in Ottawa and I'm really happy to hear its been reborn on Preston Street!
Lucy Trew		August 6th, 2009

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