Zest Cafe and Catering

I feel privileged to be the first to leave a review for this excellent establishment. I was looking for a lunch spot near a business that I was visiting, and my coworker and I decided to stop in.
Even though the building is small, the food that is served is packed with big flavors. They have their menu written on a chalkboard, which implies to me that the menu depends on what they feel like serving that day. I’ll have to come back in town to see if that’s true. The staff is very attentive, friendly, and warm. You can tell that they enjoy serving good, honest food at a price that is well worth it.
I ordered the duck confit tacos with a half-​salad (an excellent complement to an entrée) on the side. I’ll start by describing the tacos. You get two soft tacos served in what seemed to be wheat tortillas (two of them per taco), filled with tender, rich duck confit, duck cracklings, pickled onions, mandarin oranges and a fresh bell pepper relish with micro greens on top.
The flavor, first of all, is outstanding. The rich duck is cut by the juice of the oranges and the acidity of the pickled onions. The cracklings add a nice textural contrast as well. At first, I thought two toasted tortillas was overkill, and hard to eat, but as the top tortilla softens, you will be very glad that the second tortilla is there for support. The relish and micro greens add a nice hit of freshness that makes this dish a winner.
The salad is not to be ignored either. Fresh arugula, a buttermilk dressing, apples and pomegranate seeds combine to form a fresh sidekick to any rich dish. I completed my adventure with a Canadian ginger (non-​alcoholic) beer that was excellent.
My coworker had a brisket and sausage sandwich that looked enticing, as well as a compost cookie, so this is certainly not a one-​hit-​wonder café.
The worst part of my whole experience? I don’t live in the country, so it may be a while before I can enjoy this again. But if you’re ever anywhere near Gatineau, it would be a crime not to visit Zest. You have been warned.