Signatures Restaurant

My partner tried to surprise me with a special occasion dinner at Signatures, the swanky French restaurant attached to the renowned cooking school, Le Cordon Bleu. However, he’s no good at surprises at all, so I found out weeks in advance that we were going and had been anticipating every moment since.
The night finally came and it was a very pleasant experience. There’s free parking — so don’t make our mistake and park on the street. Inside, it is very elegant, being an old mansion with classy french décor. Perfect atmosphere and ambiance for a romantic dinner. We didn’t dress up much, but they have since definitely dropped their jacket requirement mentioned in past reviews. I felt more comfortable here than dining at Beckta.
For dinner, we opted out of their 5-​course prix-​fixe ($ 88) and each got an appetizer and an entrée. I had the butternut squash and royal gala apple soup with mascarpone cream and almonds, while my partner had the buffalo tataki. The soup had excellent consistency and taste. For the main, I had the duck breast with blackcurrants and butternut squash-​stuffed ravioli. I ordered medium-​rare, when maybe I should have ordered it medium or even well-​done. That’s mostly my fault — I didn’t even know duck could be cooked any other way other than, well, cooked. So really, it was my inexperience that made that part of the meal less enjoyable.
I did have a taste of the rack of lamb+lamb risotto that my partner had, and I thought both were excellent. We are so used to lamb being cooked overly salty in other places that it’s a breath of fresh air when it’s done right. The braised lamb with parmesan risotto was also very delicious and filling.
The entire meal was priced reasonably — for two appetizers, mains, a glass of wine, taxes and tip, it came to about less than 80 per person, which is very good for a fine-​dining experience. Overall, it was a very pleasant dinner, with attentive staff and enjoyable food. We’ll very likely come back (and I will pick a better entrée next time).

This was our first visit to the Signatures/​Cordon-​Bleu restaurant on Laurier Ave in Ottawa — and I am sure that we will be back again soon. My wife and I really liked the setting and the atmosphere: elegant, quiet and high-​class, but not pretentious. The food was really nice: the steak-​tartare had lots of flavour and the halibut was very light and tasty; and the mushrooms that accompanied the fish on the plate were delicious. We were told that the dinner-​menu changes every few weeks, but I must also mention the desserts: absolutely divine and presented beautifully, like works of art. The flavours were delicate, subtle, but everything worked together very well. The staff was also very attentive. This is not a cheap restaurant, but it is a great place for a meal to celebrate a special day (like a birthday or an anniversary). Like I said, we will be back sometime soon and I highly recommend it!

Le Cordon Bleu is always my dreaming cooking school and Signature was the one and only restaurant that was managed by Le Cordon Bleu.
Don’t worry, your dish was not the students’ experiments, lonely planet said each dish was cooked by the real chef probably the teacher or the Prof.
The server was excellent and considerate, he recommended good wine and desserts for us. The main course was very expensive but after the first bite you will realize the money you paid was what you got. I think it’s the top restaurant in Ottawa.
For Entrées /​Appetizers:
Sautéed escargot, celery root purée with grilled bread and parsley, provençale sauce flavoured with pastis 14cad good beginning
Main dishes:
Pepper crusted Black Angus beef striploin, Calvados sauce, hand-​cut house French fries $ 33
–best main course we thought, spicy but juicy.
Red wine braised rabbit with olives, homemade tagliatelles, Portuguese chorizo, tomatoes, roasted red pepper and green asparagus
Lapin braisé au vin rouge et aux olives, tagliatelles maison, chorizo portuguais, tomates, poivrons rouges et asperges vertes $ 25
Roasted duck breast, seared vanilla polenta, rhubarb compote, green beans, king eryngii mushroom julienne salad and blackberry sauce
Magret de canard rôti, polenta à la vanille poêlée, compote de rhubarbes, haricots verts, salade de champignon king eryngii en julienne, sauce aux mûres $ 28
I was not that into duck so it was okay
Slowly cooked lamb rump, white asparagus, ricotta gnocchi, artichokes,
pearl onions and nantaise carrots, barigoule sautéed spinach and lamb jus
$ 28
For Desserts
Crème brûlée with vanilla seed, red fruit compote, orange madeleine
Crème brûlée à la graine de vanille, compote de fruits rouges, madeleine à l’orange
$ 10
signature dish
Exotic passion fruit and kaffir lime sorbet, compressed pineapple in coconut milk, soft meringue and fresh mango salad
$ 11
complicated flavor
Strawberry and raspberry medley, vanilla short bread, lemon curd,
pistachio ice cream
$ 11 just okay
Worth the visit.

Was here for Wednesday date night where it’s $ 100 a couple for a 4 course meal and a bottle of wine.
I thoroughly enjoyed every course that was served.
Unfortunately this was 3 years ago so I don’t remember what we had.
Reason for not returning since the last time is because we’re still in the process of trying out all the restaurants that Ottawa has to offer.
However I would definitely put this restaurant in my top 3 in Ottawa.
p. s. service was great, wasn’t a huge fan of the décor, kinda reminds me of a haunted house lol

Formal jacket required? Good for dinner but not lunch? They were not so snooty about the jacket when I have been there (accompanied by man with jacket). The lunch is terrific value but you need to make reservations well in advance. The food isn’t necessarily «French» but definitely prepared with attentive French culinary technique. I had to drop a star because I’m still mourning the loss of the tasting menu when the dining format changed to bistro. The city does not need yet another bistro but this is still the best one, by far.

First, just a caviat to my review. I attended this restaurant for a business event, and therefore the menu was fixed, without much choice. Nevertheless, I would have expected more from this restaurant, based on previous reviews.
There really wasn’t anything outstanding about my meal. I had a salad, thick pea and lentil soup, bison roast, and light cheesecake (with almonds, nuts and fruit). The bison roast was certain the best part of the meal, with the others being thoroughly mediocre. While the meal certainly wasn’t bad, I was expecting more. I will likely try it again without a fixed menu to see if it was just a bad night…

Simply put, phenomenal meal. I wanted to treat my friend to a good meal and we weren’t disappointed… Not entirely.
From today’s menu, we ordered
— Warm roasted pumpkin, apple and romaine salad with a Manchego cheese and prosciutto croquette
— Duck rillette, foie gras au torchon and smoked duck breast, fig and olive compote, condiments
— Duck breast with cocoa nibs, old cheddar creamy potato purée, maïtake mushrooms, roasted Nantes carrots and parsnips
— Seared scallops, corn risotto, chioggia beets, maple syrup foam, curry broth
— Chocolate Liègeois, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, meringue
We really enjoyed our appetizers. Presentation was nice but the texture and taste was impressive. Never have we ever eaten so slow to savouring every bite. The combination of tastes It was combining items to blend the taste. Romaine salad, mildly strong cheese, and pumpkin seeds. Mashed pumpkin with apple slices, crispy posciutto. Makes me wonder what the other appetizers are like.
Our main courses were good but wasn’t as spectacular as the appetizers. The cocoa nibs and duck was interesting. The bitter taste of the cocoa nibs over powered the duck, but as it disappeared, all you are left was the duck. The Cheddar potato was an interesting combination. My friend liked the scallops, but had a biased taste having tried fresh scallops out in New Brunswick. She really liked the scallops in New Brunswick.
Dessert was nice. Heavy on the chocolate. Simply put, it was chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce with whipped cream in a cup. Nice to share
Service was spectacular. The waiting staff explained the menu to us on items we didn’t understand and pointed out what each item was when serving our meal.
It was a nice house converted into a restaurant. Draw back was we could hear the conversation 2 tables over. But at least it didn’t drown out our own conversation.

Great food and excellent service.
The scallops were cooked perfectly and well seasoned. Desserts were beautiful and satisfying.
A perfect place for all occasions.

Delicious food, excellent service. We chose the Winterlude menu and it was amazing. Highly recommended. It is definately an experience.
One thing to note is no matter where you go there is always pretentious people, talking too loud about how great they are. I wish these people would stay home.

What is great food without great atmosphere?
And a great atmosphere is created with exemplary service and
a fitting décor, which at Signatures is a wonderful take on what I would call formal French Country.
The menus are extensive, inlcuding a full course for vegetarians as well as a marathon «Menu de Degustation» and currently «A Taste of Canada», highlighting Canadian ingredients.
For great food, and a trip into the formalities of fine dining, there is no better representative in Ottawa.
I have dined here often, and every time my expectations were happily exceeded.
For groups there are private rooms catering to parties of 4 – 6 (and up).
For «date» night, a special occasion (Mother’s Day), or just for a treat, Signatures is a true destination of a restaurant.
Sidebar: The scallops and risotto here were amazing!