THE PREAMBLE

Once more into the midst! This time, it was a journey to the nation’s capital to celebration our nation’s birthday – July 1^st – Canada Day. The journey began at the local coffee shop, where bleary-eyed travellers took to the start of a 630km, 7-hr drive with a large dose of this generation’s opium, the black witch’s brew. I take that back, this generation’s opium dens are hotel lobbies where you find free Wi-Fi, where people nestle next to each other, a look of contentment like a film over their glazed over eyes. This time our stay was through AirBnb though. Otherwise, let me breathe deep the sweet nectar of that intoxicating Internet. And don’t worry, this is a sponsorship-free website. If however, someone wanted to fund continent-wide nacho trips, feel free to e-mail me anytime.

THE PLACE

The capital city of Ottawa was in the middle of a scorching heat wave. The mid-30’s Celsius temperature was even topping 47 degrees on the Humidex. It was hot enough to make ice cream evaporate and even make our prime minister’s perfect hair wilt like three-week old tulips. A city in a celebration has a wonderful vibrancy though. The decorations, the tourists, the locals, the events, the new experiences all make it an experience. If you happen to herald from that country, there’s a healthy dose of patriotism that makes your nation’s pride burn brighter than the fireworks show at the end of the long weekend.

Interesting, according to multiple Lyft drivers, all of whom held PhDs, the best Middle Eastern food is at Shawarma Palace on Rideau St. It actually was phenomenal and the servings were huge, but that is for someone else’s blog to cover.

TO THE ‘CHOS

The Barley Mow is a local gastropub with a few locations around the Ottawa region. It’s a classic pub fare setting with a strong beer list, serving up all the classic pub food and a few items that have a unique twist.

The nachos, named after the restaurant itself, go by the name “Mow-chos” here. They are made up of a black bean salsa, shredded cheese mix, tomatillo sauce, sour cream, green onions, jalapeño flakes and guacamole. In a fully irritating fashion that has become the norm, the blackened chicken meat option costs extra. On the plus side, the tortilla chips are made in house, a really nice touch.

This dish would be nothing without the blackened chicken. That smoky taste is really accentuated by the freshness of the tomatillo, and serves as the bread and butter of the dish. The chips were great; they had that authentic thicker feel from being made in house. It was a chip capable of holding up under pressure as you pile on topping after heaping topping in a precarious arrangement to get all the flavours in one bite. And you try to do this because even with all the toppings together, you expect a little more. It feels like something is missing, and taste buds are just not fully stimulated. Not just the lack of spice with only a zing from some jalapeño flakes, but something more.

Good peripherals though – the mow-chos were served on one of those artisan wooden boards, the topping depth was solid, the food felt good, largely because of the tortilla chips. I’d come back here, but probably would not order the nachos if I did.

RATING:

• Overall: 12/20
• Taste: 2.5/5
• Presentation: 4/5
• Mouthfeel: 3/5
• Toppings: 2.5/5

CONTACT:

• https://barleymow.com/
• (613) 695-7669
• 399 Richmond Road
• Ottawa, ON, K2A 0E9