Although I live in Toronto, I have to admit that I am and always will be an Ottawan at heart. Many claim that Ottawa is boring, but I have to attest to the fact that it really can be fun depending on how hard you look for things to do. Similar to the way that you have to work hard to get anything, you won’t just be given fun things to do unless you look for them yourself. Since moving to the fast-paced city of Toronto, I’ve become more exploratory when it comes to restaurants. There are so many different places that you could go to that I feel as if you’d never be able to visit them all. Between the variety and places opening and closing, it’s a city of non-stop exploration.
But with all the fun and exciting things aside, I missed the calm comforting atmosphere of Ottawa. It definitely isn’t as fast as Toronto and doesn’t epitomize the East Coast persona, but it doesn’t quite fall under the West Coast calm either. Rather somewhere in between, I can always bet on finding something fun to do during the day, only to end up relaxing peacefully come nightfall. During my most recent trip back to Ottawa a couple of weeks ago, I decided to visit the Moscow Tea Room with a close friend to get in our daily cup of caffeine as well as catch up since I’d last been back.
We’d gone a little later in the afternoon with the hopes that window seats would be available (particularly the back one) and were lucky enough to snag one before it got busy. Seated at the back of the establishment, the windows offered a beautiful view into a section of Byward Market’s backyard patios. In the winter, it isn’t particularly as gorgeous of a sight as it is in the summer, but an evergreen made the scene easy on the eyes nonetheless.
As we casually sipped on our lattes and enjoyed our lunches, we caught up on each others’ lives and what we’d missed out on since I left the city. I’ve always been the type who enjoys grabbing a cup of coffee and lunch with a friend one-on-one as opposed to going to huge parties with lots of people. I’ve always felt that it helps to build a better relationship and you can truly engage in the conversation as opposed to flitting in and out going from one group to the next. And because of that, I’ve built so many wonderful and fulfilling relationships with people that I truly care about. As I always remind myself, it’s the quality, not quantity of friends that you have. It’s nice to have a group of friends surrounding you who know exactly who you are, and that you aren’t ashamed of confiding in them about anything.
But besides just meeting up for coffee, I also made it my mission to stop by the beloved Suzi Q Doughnut shop before I left the city. Ever since I first discovered this little hole-in-the-wall of a bakery, I’ve been lusting over their Blue Vanilla Fruit Loop concoction. I know it sounds crazy, but as an avid lover of Fruit Loops since I was a kid, I had to give this little number try. Before this, all of my other visits had been in vain since they’d either sold out, or it wasn’t in rotation for the day. I lucked out this time and managed to scoop up not one, but two of them (not pictured) to be devoured before I left.
Along side the fruit loop doughnut, I also picked up a long time favorite of mine, Raspberry Cassis, which they had lovingly crafted into a heart that day. I also highly recommend their Cookies & Creme creation. But besides the creative flavors, the reason I prefer them over to donuts from Tim Horton’s is because of how fresh they are. Every single one is made on site, and you can watch in line as new batches are brought of the kitchen throughout the day. I swear that the steam rising from the fresh doughnuts alone is enough to make me drool. They also aren’t as dense, which makes me a feel a little less guilty when I’m indulging on one (or maybe two) at a time. That being said, I still enjoy them in moderation to ensure that I’m staying the healthiest that I can be each day.
