3 May 2021

Ottoman or Waters Edge?

| jadie360
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Both have won 1 hat in the SMH Good Food Guide.

We are returning to Canberra for a long weekend soon with some o/s visitors and I am interested in peoples opinions on both.

If you’re looking for more on fine dining, read through our recently updated article of the best fine dining restaurants in Canberra.

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I am a lactose intolerant vegan with ceoliac disease and I am allergic to nuts and soy products. I mainly just eat at home these days. But before I decided I was sick with these problems and became a vegan to make it worse I went to both.

I’ve always been a fan of Ottoman, but I recently tried On Red and it blew me away. Great food, service, view, ambiance.. it’s all good there.

I haven’t been to On Red but had friends recommend it. Apparently it’s pretty good…. By canberra standards anyway.

I’ll only comment on Ottoman as I have only been there, the service was good, food was cooked nicely, some dishes most of the group did not like, and overall it was not worth the $30 or $40 premium paid over most other Turkish restaurants like Pide House.

st said :

One hat is nothing, any man and his dog can get one hat.

It’s surprisingly rare to see a dog with a hat though.

Clown Killer11:17 am 16 Sep 10

Vale Anise indeed.

Holden Caulfield11:05 am 16 Sep 10

Waters Edge for the views, so long as some numpty doesn’t park right out the front door.

Ottoman is quite good, but I’ve generally found it to be a bit overrated. And the location could not be more underwhelming for a restaurant of that ilk.

As to other alternatives…

On Red is okay, I’ve only been once and the food was quite rich. Sure, that should probably be expected, but I’m not in any great rush to return for a second opinion.

Sage is surprisingly good, although its location is also less than ideal.

I’ve never had a dud meal at Aubergine and it would probably be my preferred option. Although, I haven’t been for over a year.

Rubicon has been a bit hit and miss for me, but I know it is very highly rated.

Pod Food at Pialligo Plant Farm is very good, although AFAIK they’re not open for dinner. It’s definitely a place where local knowledge is required a nice lunch there is a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

Vale Anise!

Ottoman definitely!

Clown Killer10:17 am 16 Sep 10

Ottoman. No further discussion required.

WhyTheLongFace10:10 am 16 Sep 10

Both are good, but neither world class.

I’ve been to both recently and the biggest difference is service. Waters Edge had brilliant service, quite rare in Canberra.

Food was good at both restaurants.

I think a brod burger would be a better bet and spend some of the savings on really good wine.

Waters Edge, great food and service and AWESOME view.

on red all the way! (not affiliated either) Great views, fantastic food and service!
Don’t like Ottoman (vego) and water’s edge? I’ve been to France – ruined water’s edge for me!

neanderthalsis9:59 am 16 Sep 10

Both are great in terms of menu and similar in terms of cost. If you want to impress the O/S visitors, the Waters Edge has a fantastic view over the puddle while the Ottoman looks out over a Barton carpark.

Sorry, that ‘neither’ wasn’t very helpful. But Ottoman is overpriced for what you get. Watersedge’s food is so so, wouldn’t call it amazing or brilliant. One hat is nothing, any man and his dog can get one hat.

I’ve been vegan for six years and never had a bad meal at Ottoman.

bikeshopgirl9:43 am 16 Sep 10

The Ottoman has been our favourite since it was upstairs in a poky little space above Franklin St in Manuka (must be at least 16 years ago). Have enjoyed one meal at Waters Edge, but not enough to go back.
As for vegetarians at the Ottoman, we normally start with many entrees (the vast majority of which are veg), and if we even have any room left to fit in a main, I *have* to have the veal, but you could just run through the whole entree menu and have salads and rice to supplement. They encourage you to share the dishes, so it is very easy to manage the whole entree list with no mains when you go with a few people. In fact, it’s harder to have the ultimate Ottoman experience when you just go as a couple. Take some friends, and enjoy yourselves.
If you’re concerned, just call ahead and ask what they recommend. The service has been consistently brilliant & they clearly like their customers to enjoy the experience.

I know you asked specifically about those two

but if you want some great views of Canberra to show your O/S visitors you could try On red

http://www.onred.com.au/

Please note I am not affiliated in anyway with them, just had some great experiences there. Found it much nicer then Water’s Edge.

DeadlySchnauzer9:21 am 16 Sep 10

Stay away from ottoman if you have any vegetarians in your group. They literally do not have a single veggie main on the menu. They had said over the phone they can do vegetarian food… it turned out they did this by piling together bits and pieces of veggie items from other dishes, and then charging us 1.5x the price of a normal main because they had to specially prepare it.

Watersedge on the other hand has been excellent every time. If you can get past the pretentious language on the menu (Horseradish foam anyone?), they make really tasty stuff. And you can’t beat the outlook over the lake if you can grab a window table.

Ottoman Ottoman Ottoman!!!

For small VIP functions I refuse to go anywhere other than a private Ottoman dining room. The service is so unbelievably fantastic that you will want to live there.

I’d still pick the Ottoman public dining room over Water Sedge though, but that’s because I can’t stand French style restaurant food (I’ll cook French peasant dishes but Haute Cuisine is just awful). I don’t usually go to restaurants for the food but it should at least be tolerable and the Water Sedge a la carte menu looks like it was written while the chef was high on a salad of wilted coca leaves, fresh cannabis buds, magic mushrooms and reindeer wee viniagrette!

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