For dinner tonight, W and I decided to visit The Manx, a pub located on Elgin St. We were very close to trying it out around a year ago but for some reason decided not to. We definitely are glad that we finally gave it a go.
The Manx is the definition of “hole-in-the-wall” for me. You have to go down some steps to reach the door, and once you are in, it’s really just a pub, nothing fancy. However it was completely packed when we were there (around 7PM). We were seated around 20 minutes later by the hostess, which wasn’t too bad.
There is an extensive daily special menu and a regular menu. My phone decided to not save the daily special menu, but there were a wide variety of food including chowder, salmon, naan pizza, spaghetti etc. We ordered from the regular menu because nothing from the specials peaked our interest.
W ordered the Lebanese Spiced Chickpea Burger. It was essentially a deep fried chickpea patty in a pita with garlic spread, pickled turnip and baby spinach. It was absolutely delicious. We both normally hate falafel (which we think is similar enough to the patty), but this one is very well done. The lemon garlic spread was the highlight for me, it just ties everything together. It came with a side (fries or salad or soup ), we both got the fries for our sides. They were the biggest potato wedges ever! W liked the wedges, but I thought it would be even better if they were cut smaller.
I ordered the Lamb Curry Wrap with roasted mushrooms & cheddar in floured tortilla topped with herbed sour cream. I love lamb and I love curry so this dish was a big hit to me. The flavor was on point and the sour cream was like the cherry on top. I didn’t taste the cheddar cheese at all, which is fine by me. The lamb was super tender and moist, and I liked the fact that there’s mushroom in it!
Overall we are surely glad we finally gave The Manx a chance. W even claimed that it was one of his best food experiences in Ottawa! I think the food is great and there’s a great pub atmosphere. Service was lukewarm but that is understandable since it was a full house and there were only two waitresses. Parking-wise I don’t believe they have parking, but there are ample street parkings near by.
If you are looking for great pub food in Ottawa, I highly recommend The Manx. I have also heard great things about their brunch… we will definitely be back.
sugarandsaline 