87 Tapioca pudding with pineapple and coconut milk
Any day of the week is a good day for dessert at Fuschian, a little Vietnamese restaurant with about 10 tables. Host Ân Tran and her husband, Tom Trinh, mix it up with an ever-changing parade of desserts of the day. While the sweet and slightly tart combo of coconut milk and pineapple is a crowd favourite, all the desserts are delicate, light, and darling, served in little bowls that bring to mind a little girl’s tea-party set. At under $2, the price is right too. Fuschian, 726 Somerset St. W., 613-230-6815.
88 Grass-fed beef
Brylee Farm in Thurso produces tasty grass-fed Angus beef (and Katahdin lamb, as well). Order online only through the Marché de solidarité régionale de l’Outaouais (www.marcheoutaouais.com), a virtual grocery store where you can buy the products of 25 Outaouais farm producers and get them delivered to a spot in downtown Gatineau.
89 Cinnamon twists from Rideau Bakery
For tea, sometimes you crave something plain. Twists made of puff pastry sprinkled with cinnamon and coarse sugar fill the bill. 85 cents each. Rideau Bakery, 384 Rideau St., 613-789-1019; 1666 Bank St., 613-737-3355.
90 Acorn Creek Farms melons
Having perfected the art of growing melons over the past 25 years, a pair of Carp farmers plant more than 40 varieties on a nine-acre melon patch, complete with beehives for pollination. The canary melon is wildly popular for its sweetness, tasting as if honey had been dripped all over it. There’s butterscotch melon; a sorbet melon swirled with pink, yellow, and orange; and even a honeyloupe, a cross between honeydew and cantaloupe. Available throughout the fall at the Ottawa Farmers’ Market or at the farm, 928 Oak Creek Rd., Carp, 613-836-2613, www.acorncreek.com.
91 Beef Rendang
Oh, we wish Chahaya Malaysia were still in its former — more central — location on Bank Street. Homestyle cooking from Malaysia and Indonesia peaks with the searingly hot but decadently rich beef rending, the meat slowly cooked in coconut milk and spices (chili, coconut, galanga, lemongrass, lime leaves, Indian bay leaves, and coriander, among others) for several hours until almost all the liquid is gone and the meat has absorbed the coconut milk and spices. $14.75. 1690 Montreal Rd., 613-742-0242.
92 Cupcakes from The Cupcake Lounge
Perfection, pure and simple. Get to The Candy Store (350 Richmond Rd., www.thecandystoreottawa.ca) early on a Saturday (they’re often sold out by noon), or order through the website (www.thecupcakelounge.com).
93 Mekong’s Hu Nan dumplings
A must-order on every visit. It’s the crazy-good peanut sauce that makes them. $5 for four. 637 Somerset St. W., 613-237-7717, www.mekong.ca.
94 Pumpkin pie fudge
An autumn classic. Gloriously available for only a limited time, so call first. But, hey, if you’re in the neighbourhood, Penny’s Fudge Factory has dozens of decadent flavours. $12.99/lb. 6814 Harbour St., Fitzroy Harbour, 613-623-7679, www.pennysfudgefactory.ca.
95 Laksa
Soup that eats like a meal. Fill a bowl with vermicelli, pour on a light, coconut-based curry soup, and top with bean sprouts, fried egg, shrimp, and slices of chicken. $7. Singapore, 69 Kempster Ave., 613-820-4119.
96 Fine Cheese Company’s “accompaniments.”
Their cheese is incredible enough, but it’s even better when you match it with the company’s artisan-made English pickles ($12.99/190 g) and crackers ($9.99/100 g), each created to match a specific type of cheese. Try the Red hot chilli crackers with your favourite cheddar or the chive crackers smeared with some double cream brie. The English onion pickle is to die for. Jacobson’s Gourmet Concepts, 139 Beechwood Ave., 613-746-6002, www.jacobsons.ca.
97 Hot-smoked salmon
Unlike its silky, subtle, cold-smoked counterpart, Pelican’s marinated hot-smoked salmon is meaty and flaky, with an intense salty-sweet smoky flavour that makes it work almost anywhere you would use bacon: tossed in salads, on omelettes or pasta, or swirled into cream cheese dip. $39/kg. Pelican Fishery & Grill, 1500 Bank St., 613-526-0995, www.pelicanfisheryandgrill.com.
98 Elgin Street Diner’s chocolate-banana milkshake
$5.49 and worth every penny. 374 Elgin St., 613-237-9700, www.elginstreetdiner.com.
99 House of Georgie’s legendary pizza with gravy
Fans drive in from Toronto and Montreal for this so-bad-it’s-good delicacy. For a 75-cent charge, get homemade chicken-and-beef gravy poured over any pizza on the menu. 211 Gilmour St., 613-283-3333, www.houseofgeorgie.com.
100 Lebanese cucumbers
A local staple that’s available all summer at farmers markets around town. What crunch! About as far removed from the boring old English variety as you can get. Around $3/box.
101 The BeaverTail
Because how could it not make the list? As if its popularity needed a boost, the “Obama Tail,” created for the visiting U.S. president, put the stretched slab of fried dough back on everyone’s lips. BeaverTails, 69 George St., 613-241-1230.
