Bread looms large at hidden gem SemSem
In my ideal Ottawa, there would be casual eateries scattered around the city where we could have baked-to-order savoury Arabic breads, perhaps sprinkled with za’atar, the bewitching sesame-flecked spice blend, or stuffed with halloumi cheese, or dotted with sojok sausage.
If we skipped breakfast, we could indulge at one of these places with a heaping serving of fatteh, in which tangy yogurt served over pieces of flatbread shared a bowl with warmed chickpeas and garnishes such as pomegranate seeds, almond slivers and a slick of clarified butter.
After all, shops selling shawarmas have been legion here for decades. Why couldn’t these other treats from the same part of the world proliferate, too?
I pose this question after several revelatory meals at SemSem, which has been tucked away in a strip mall at Bank Street and Hunt Club Road for the last two years.
The signage outside bills it as a “new concept coffee shop.” But the business, which takes its name from the Arabic word for “sesame” and is run by a Palestinian family, is better understood as a breakfast-andlunch spot that combines an exceptional and even uniqueinOttawa on-demand bakery with light, largely meatless meals and superior coffees and warm beverages.
After two visits to this simple but modern place where Arabic music plays, I feel like I’ve barely cracked the bread-rich menu of about two dozen items. But while we have more breads to try, friends and I who have discovered SemSem with me have been bowled over by the food we’ve shared, which made quick converts of us with its warmfrom-the-oven appeal, quality ingredients and consistent, even calibrated flavours.
So, of six man’ouche (savoury flatbreads that can be street food in the Southern Levant), we tried just the version topped with za’atar ($3.50). It is good enough to elicit wows and groans of satisfaction. Later, I was told by Karim Aoude, SemSem’s young floor manager, that the za’atar is a special import from Palestine.
I am even more taken by SemSem’s “cheese sunflower” pastry ($6.25), a warm, wreathshaped loaf that wraps bread around halloumi and is dotted with sesame seeds and thyme. (“Persian thyme,” Aoude specified.) It is terrifically salty, yet somehow still balanced by all of its other bread-y, herb-y, seed-y attributes. Of course, its warmth and magic dwindle with time if it’s brought home for later consumption.
Another “sunflower” bread ($10.50), studded with nubbly bits of sojok, a somewhat spicy sausage, came with a dip made with tahini and tomatoes that makes it even more filling.
Another pastry that definitely worked was SemSem’s popie ($6.95), which combined marinated spinach with halloumi and herbs.
It would be hard for me on subsequent visits to resist ordering the above breads again, although I really should try some of the ka’ak (Arabic word for cake) breads, which are puffier, ringshaped goods that at SemSem are referred to as “After 8” breads. Most feature a type of cheese — halloumi, less salty akkawi, cheddar-like kashkaval, cheddar itself, or a mix of all four.
The fondness for cheese here extends to Semsem’s most expensive item, a 16-inch, sesame-seed-dusted loaf called the “cheese overdose” ($21.95). I’ve had the single-serving version ($3.90) and found it to be yet another SemSem delight.
Some breads come with housemade dips that can be sesame- or tomato-based. We also happily scooped up mouthfuls of seasoned mashed fava beans ($9.95) with SemSem’s pita bread.
Moving from breads, we’ve tried the fattehs made with either yogurt ($12.50) or tahini. Both were excellent, and the latter one might appeal to carnivores with its optional morsels of lamb ($13.50 or $15.50 with lamb).
Falafel (five pieces for $6.50), fried to order and blessed with firm exteriors and tender interiors, were the best I can recall tasting. Like other items, they came with side orders of pita bread and a plate of crudités that stressed sharp tastes (pepperoncini peppers, bits of raw onion and radish).
We’ve also received branches
of mint that we were told came from the owner’s garden. Similarly, SemSem serves a made-inhouse fig jam and a spicy, green dipping condiment that made me think of Yemeni zhoug.
The only dish I’ve had at SemSem that was closer to ordinary was the plate of shakshouke ($8.50), which paired fried eggs with vegetables. They were OK, but I expected spicier.
The sole dessert I’ve had was a piece of so-called Mirage cake, which had a creamy centre, a dusting of pistachio and a strong floral note.
Brewed coffee here was strong. I liked the chai-like “SemSem drink” ($2.95) — milky tea, sweetened and flavoured with cardamom and saffron.
You might have guessed that the family behind SemSem had baking in its blood or had run a bakery in its homeland. But you would be wrong.
Aoude told me that his father, Issam, who starts baking each day at 6 a.m., was in construction and engineering in the United Arab Emirates when they lived there. His mother, Mayssaa Chaltaf, has an MBA from a British university and was a consultant.
But the family moved to Ottawa in 2015, attracted to Canada because relatives are here. Luckily for us, they chose to make a living with SemSem.
Aoude told me the family’s plan is to franchise SemSem. “We’re in the process of systemizing everything,” he said. “Almost there.”
So, my vision of luscious fattehs, alluring man’ouches and piping-hot breads stuffed with cheese being available beyond South Keys and in other Ottawa neighbourhoods might not be just a bread-lover’s fantasy.