Bistro L’Autre-Oeil

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Ten years ago I went to this tiny little bistro when I moved to Ottawa. I lived in Aylmer for a few months and this was one of our regular hangouts. I hadn't been since but always wanted to return. We finally did today. It's about twice the size now (although still very quaint and small), and they have really extended their beer list. I remember they used to have beer tasting evenings, it's probably the first time I had something other than your typical lager. But the list now is beyond compare. They have a lot of private, LCBO and SAQ imports and the selection is incredible. I wouldn't recommend this spot if you're super hungry, the menu is quite limited, but it's perfect for a few afternoon beer and some munchies or an evening out with friends over drinks. They seem to have a large local crowd but outsiders are more than welcome. The service is great and the staff seem pretty knowledgeable about the insane number of beer on the menu. I was disappointed when the first beer I ordered wasn't available but our server recommended something just as good, if not better and very similar in taste – the Klack-a-Dulak, a beer cocktail from Les Folies on the menu. A section where they have mixed beer drinks. It was made with les Trois Mousquetaires noire from Brossard, Québec and Galliano, a sweet, vanilla-anise flavoured liqueur. The drink itself was a very sweet mixture of chocolaty-vanilla-coffee-like flavours and was pretty good. My husband had a Slaapmutske Blond, a Belgian beer (which they have a lot of) that was also very good. For his second beer, my husband had a Portuguese beer – Sagres, a pretty generic beer. And for my second, I decided against my first choice, after seeing the alcohol content at 10.5% (a German beer called Gouden Carolus Christmas, a brown ale with black licorice, vanilla and apple flavours with a peppery, chocolaty, roasted coffee finish), and went with the Stouterik, a Belgian brown stout with a light and bitter start, yeast and roasted coffee flavours, light bodied with a cabbage finish. Not sure I really picked up the cabbage finish, but the beer was good, much less sweet than my first choice. I have to tell you, these descriptions are taken from the menu, i'm not a beer connoisseur, and they are great. It really helps you pick and choose from the vaste selection. They also rate the body, aroma, bitterness, sweetness and aftertaste of the beer. In addition to our drinks, we had some yummy snacks, French Onion Soup and Cinq Gibiers Paté and Smoked Gouda. All-in-all, a great way to spend a Good Friday afternoon.

L'Autre-Oeil