222 Lyon Tapas Bar

Name: 222 Lyon Tapas Bar
Address: 222 Lyon St. North, Ottawa
Hours:11:30am-roughly 10:30pm
Contact: 613.238.0222
Parking: Not Available, Street Parking right across
Price:$20-$40 pp (around $10-$15 per tapas)

This is one of a few Tapas Bar located in Ottawa. Tapas is a Spanish word for appetizers or snacks. Various little dish to share a drink with friends. Two Tapas is the equivalent of one Entree.

Atmosphere: This restaurant is located in mid-town Ottawa, therefore its not too hard to find parking on a weekdays. A small house on the corner, lower floor being the restaurant and I assume it is residential above. This gives a very friendly home feeling. The tiny sitting area and the deem lighting of the little home gives a very intimate feeling. It does not have a lot of windows, definitely feels like one of those Europe bar. In my opinion quite unique.

Service: The lady serving us seems friendly at first, but when we told her none of us are drinkers I can tell her face dropped. I totally understand though being that is a tapas BAR alcohol is probably what brings the cash. Unfortunately we cannot drink. Other then that she is very very helpful, more so then I expected, especially when it comes to dessert. I guess it is a girl thing. With the number of people we have and the amount of food we order they still manage to keep a big smile till the end, I give them a 90% for their service.

Food:
Tapas: from front to back
1. Shrimps Mona Lisa - mushroom, wine, peppers, cream & Brandy
- In comparison very light in taste. Not too many shrimp is sighted, but definitely fresh and big. I will pass.
2. Pork Tarragon - mushroom, brandy cream sauce & tarragon
- Yummy! Tender and strong. But very greasy, a known fact for pork dish, but this is too greasy for me.
3. Snails Andalusian - Chorizo, sauteed mushrooms in a Sherry sauce
- Yummy! Again very rich in flavour. The snail is cooked just right, and for alcohol lover this is a must have, very very strong Sherry taste.
4. Chicken al Ajillo - prosciutto, garlic, wine & touch of chili
- This is the best, another strong dish. The chicken breast bits are tender and you can taste the lovely prosciutto and wine. I think it is a bit on the salty side with prosciutto as an ingredient, but I love it the most.
5. Not in picture _ Squid a la Romana - dusted calamari with house dip
"Skippable" just a regular calamari dish with no flavour at all. However, they are able to achieve the dry dusty texture of a fried dish, and the softness of the calamari.

Dessert: from front to back
1. Wild Berry Cheese Cake
- Non American Style Cheese Cake with blended wild berry mixed into it.
I am not a big fan, because it is way too rich and heavy. Plus you do not notice the berries. Above all it is very difficult to chew with the berry seeds mixed in it. Looks good though.
2. Chilled Cinnamon Pears with Brandy and Ice-Cream
My favorite dish of the night. The pears are cold and full of brandy, a thunder to the taste buds, and yet calming because of the coldness. Slight taste of cinnamon is not too over powering. and the ice-cream is a cream bonus on top of all that. Gives me a happy feeling indeed.
3. Pecan Pie (Unfortunately I did not get a close-up)
From my fellow eat-mates this is their choice of the night. Right balance of sugar, fillings, and nuts. We do not have a high tolerance for sugar and this is the perfect dessert.

Over all: It is a neat place to go try a Tapas experience. I think their wine must be really good(read from the others).But I would not come back again, because the size of a Tapas is very small and it cost more than $10 each, not too worth it. The sound echos too much making it very difficult to talk.