Went today at 11am for Brunch after reading Mark's review as well as several friend who were there last weekend. Big place .. it was my first time in the building and the place is massive. The eating areas were nicely put together and they have many other rooms for weddings etc.. but overall, very nicely done. After we looked at menu we saw several tables receiving "The Board" and could not believe how good it looked. After some great service with water and OJ, we ordered "The Board" and Tea. The good and bad ... I asked for the eggs without cheese since dairy and I do not mix well and they did. However it was loaded on toast with butter or whatever..wife did the "no fly zone" on that. As well as the mussels was in a cream sauce. Thats the Menu and I have learn to adapt. Wife loved the eggs and pancakes. The kimci, salads, Steak tar tar, Beef and sausage was amazing - the grill chicken was the best and the deserts were also amazing. At $37.00 each is pricy I thought but overall it was an amazing brunch - A real treat. Service was top notch, the owner/chef was walking around and enjoyed talking to the customers. What I really enjoyed was the talking in the kitchen. My back was to the kitchen and I continued to hear "Yes Chef" "More pancakes .." "Yes Chef" and so on. I believed there was 5 cooks doing the Brunch/Training. I laughed and was expecting Chef Gord Ramsey to explode after hearing so many "Yes Chef"
Overall ..a great experience. Great staff, great food and friendly service. I wish there were a few less "dairy (Cheese Butter)" options on the menu ..since I like dairy ..it don't like me options. How the hell did I survive travelling to Euorpe during my high tech days??? We will return for dinner in the near future.
Good job NEXT
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Yesterday for lunch we went to Next, Chef Michael Blackie's restaurant in Stittsville. We had an amazing lunch there, everything was spot on. They currently have a lunch special where for $19 you can order any two items from either the hot or cold dishes. We elected to order our 4 dishes from the hot options. We started with Blackie's Chicken, delicious pieces of tempura fried chicken in a kecap manis-ginger sauce. Those of you who you have eaten at either Brookstreet or the NAC when he was in charge, will be familiar with this dish. This was followed by Nasi Goreng, an Indonesian fried rice served with shrimp kruput and beef coconut satay. We then moved on to Three Sterling Sliders, served with french fries and a grainy mustard mayo for sipping. Finally, we had what the menu described as Braised Molasses and Honey Beef Short Rib, served with duck fat mashed potatoes. It is important to note that these are not small plates - they are full servings. Not sure how we managed to eat it all (except for a few fries) but clean our plates we did. We thoroughly enjoyed every mouthful.
The service was excellent, the dining room is lovely and I can't say I remember the last time I ever saw the chef at the pass as we did today with chef Blackie working the pass and checking every plate as it went out. Excellent food, very good service and a lovely spot. We are already plotting a return trip and I encourage you to try it as well.
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My first time at the restaurant and I had no expectations but was hungry for a good meal as we hadn't eaten out in a while. My girlfriend was a fan of Michael Blackie, having eaten his food at the NAC and a private function in the past, so she suggested we check out Next.
We were not disappointed!
It was Sunday night, and by all accounts the place was winding down from a busy brunch and so we found that we were only one of four parties to dine that night. We found the atmosphere quite nice for a space so large, and chose a place next to the fire for our meal.
We ordered the Tom Ka Gai, Yellow Tail Sashimi Slate, and the Prawn Pot Stickers to start; all executed well. Presentation in this restaurant is a visual feast and reminded me of the saying "the eyes eat first."
We really enjoyed the family style dining and quickly devoured our starters just in time for our main and sides to come out: Fall off the bone Shank Lamb with Polenta and a rosemary reduction; creamy asparagus, beans and kale; and smashed potatoes. So good.
We finished off with a superb creme brule with fresh berries and cappuccino.
Service was excellent, despite only one wait staff for the evening. She handled the tables efficiently and without being obtrusive; brilliant.
We were pleasantly surprised by the bill, which came with a 20% discount because it was a Sens home game and since we booked our reservation online, we were entitled to the savings. Two people, three starters, a main and three sides, drinks and dessert: $136 with standard gratuity--you can't beat it.
We give Next 5 stars; quite the hidden gem in Stittsville for us west enders who don't always want to make the drive to the city for fine dining.
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Just a quick note to say THANK YOU for an amazing evening. The dinner far exceeded our expectations! Mark and Evan were stellar in the kitchen and there are no words to describe what an amazing job Stephan did! They all worked so hard and it was a muggy night, so they were hot! The food was phenomenal and the service Stephan provided was better than most I have had in top restaurants in the city. He anticipated all the guests needs and very efficiently treated us to a special night. Our guests all marveled at the quality of the food and I am sure you will be getting inquiries from them for other events.
Thank you so much for enabling us to host the perfect night!