Delights
Kuwait’s residence perched high above the Ottawa River

It’s all about the panorama. Perched on quiet Acacia Lane in Rockcliffe, the Kuwait ambassador’s residence offers a sweeping view from its second-storey terrace of the sparkling Ottawa River and the Gatineau Hills, with early fall colours beginning to blaze in the distance when we visit. “It’s the most attractive place in the house,” says […]
Syrah: Big, bold and rich — or savoury

As Rajat Parr, author of The Sommelier’s Atlas of Taste puts it, Syrah is a callback to our ancestry — a primitive side we rarely tap into. Done right, Syrah is “the glory of coming across a path of sweet, juicy, ripe wild berries, the smell of running through a thicket of untamed, flowering herbs […]
Winter is the season for Indigenous art in Ottawa

Indigenous art from around the world once again takes centre stage at the National Gallery of Canada, and what a vast world of artistic inspiration it is. Àbadakone, which means “continuous fire” in the Anishinaabemowin language, is the second instalment in the quinquennial of contemporary international Indigenous art that was launched by the gallery in […]
Time for comfort food and celebration

With the arrival of the New Year, we look forward to going back to favourite comfort food recipes, and to Valentine’s Day. Chocolate, no doubt, remains the most popular way to celebrate this February Hallmark holiday. Some may also choose to put oysters — a renowned aphrodisiac — on their Valentine’s Day menu. Being true […]
Ebola: “A true monster”

Crisis in the Red Zone: The Story of the Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in History, and of the Outbreaks to Come By Richard Preston Random House, New York 369 pages Hardcover: $36, eBook $17, audio download $34, Kindle $15 In December 2013, on a tiny patch of land along the border of three African nations — […]
Bulgaria beckons with cuisine, spas, history and resorts

Travelling the world and getting to know new cultures and civilizations has enriched my life, but I always fall captive to Bulgaria’s special charm. Every spot in my small home country has a beauty that will enchant the human heart. Bulgaria is situated in southeastern Europe on the northeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. Bulgaria […]
A monumental residential balancing act

The trick to designing a monumental home is to avoid overwhelming those who live and visit there. Prominent Ottawa architect Allan Keefer achieved that delicate balance almost a century ago when he designed Waterstone, acquired by the Japanese government as its official ambassadorial residence in 1958. It is currently home to Ambassador Kimihiro Ishikane and […]
They make wine in Quebec?

Yes, they make wine in Quebec — and in a few cases, some of my favourite wines in the country. Historically, due to the brutal winters, producers in the province mainly planted hybrid grape varietals (grapes developed in a lab to be able to withstand colder temperatures), which can certainly make tasty wines, but rarely […]
Japanese art featured at two Ottawa galleries

Japan and its history — at home and in Canada — star in Ottawa’s fall calendar of art, with three exhibitions at two institutions. War, and its abettor xenophobia, will cast a shadow over all. The largest of three exhibitions will be Hanran: 20th-Century Japanese Photography, which opens Oct. 11 at the National Gallery of […]
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