Corner Peach

802 Somerset St. W.

When Corner Peach opened in January 2019, it was the darling of the Ottawa restaurant scene with its shabby-chic vibe, no-reservations policy, and short but gourmet comfort-food menu. After a bit of a kerfuffle over a late-in-the-game name change, Caroline Murphy and Emma Campbell opened this small Chinatown space to enthusiastic diners who lauded the little restaurant that could.

Now, nine months into its first year, Corner Peach is producing some fine food. While the menu is short, everything we eat during a recent visit is delicious.

A simple green salad with grated Parmesan and fennel is perfectly dressed, hitting all the right notes of acidity. A tartine arrives thick with creamy ricotta made in-house atop a slice of rustic toast, layered with spicy salami, briny black olives, hot pickled peppers, a drizzle of honey, and large fresh basil leaves. A real knockout comes by way of a green-pea creation, with the peas floating in a juice made from their own shells. The dish is finished with slivers of crispy radish, green onion, and bonito flakes. The falafel and lentil salad of the day doesn’t sound immediately appealing, but the colourful plate layered with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, radishes, yogurt dressing, fresh herbs, a pile of dark lentils, and two large falafel balls hits the mark in every way. The lentils comfort, and the vegetables and yogurt offer the perfect foil to the spicy falafel.

Much like the vibe and design at Corner Peach, which are unpretentious and informal, the food coming out of this kitchen allows the purity of the ingredients to shine while bringing together many elements in harmony to create flavourful, comforting dishes.

We can’t manage dessert, but the freshly baked pastries and tarts on offer from 11 a.m. daily boast a loyal following.

A very well-priced mimosa and a glass of white wine round out an excellent meal.