Gezelling is a fantastic restaurant in Ottawa that is owned by restaurateur Stephen Beckta whose other properties including Play Food And Wine, and his flagship Beckta.
The name comes from the Dutch adjective for cosy or a spot to spend with loved ones. True to the name the two-floor restaurant offers plenty of seating, and the second floor is perfect for large groups who want to host a party. Located in a converted 1950’s bank building the modern menu takes global inspiration using local and sustainable ingredients sourced directly from the farmer or producer.
Entrees for dinner range from $25-36, but the lunch and brunch menu provide exceptional value. For both lunch and brunch, you can enjoy two plates for only $25. One of the things I love about the brunch and lunch menu is if you aren’t a fan of sweets, you can order two main dishes, to have one as an appetizer instead of dessert.
On the menu, for brunch, you’ll find tons of classic brunch dishes are delicious. For example, there are eggs benedict served on a buttermilk biscuit. For this classic brunch dish, the poached egg is served with burrata cheese, wilted spinach, classic hollandaise sauce, and has a side of home fries.
Move over avocado toast, instead, you enjoy mushrooms and toast with a grilled baguette topped with creamy wild mushrooms, truffle oil, parmesan, and a poached egg served with a side of broccoli.
If you are looking for an explosion of flavor order the gezelling huevos. It is corn tortillas topped with plenty of heat from the spicy chorizo sausage, pickled jalapeno, and pico de gallo that enhance the flavor of the black beans, poached egg, avocado. The dish is then topped with mornay which is a béchamel sauce. The massive dish is delicious, and the large portion will fill you up.
For dessert, there are 5 different options, or you can opt for a selection of artisanal cheeses. Unable to resist chocolate, I ordered the “butterfinger” which is a peanut butter, chocolate (white, milk and dark), graham cookie and dolce de leche cake that is so delicious that devoured every bite.
Gezelling is located in Westboro at 337 Richmond Rd.