Love at First Bite

Rosie and Jason, like many modern couples, met through a dating app connected to Facebook. After some initial messaging, Jason emailed Rosie detailing what he was looking for in someone. When she didn’t respond for 10 days, he assumed she wasn’t interested. However, Rosie later replied, apologizing because she rarely checks her emails—a habit she maintains to this day. Busy with a full-time job and multiple side hustles, including making and selling her amazing spring rolls, Rosie was always on the go.

As they met later in life, and had pretty much the same core values, the courting was short. Within a year, they married, had a child… And opened a restaurant!

While the marriage and child were part of their plan, the decision to open a restaurant was more out of necessity. With Jason working during the day and Rosie at night, balancing family life was tough. They figured that starting a business together, although perhaps challenging at times, would ensure they spent more time with each other, and with their son, Eddy, short for Edward.

A bit of background. The couple’s first restaurant was in Gatineau. However, due to Rosie’s limited proficiency in French and challenges with the Quebec political environment, especially the language police, they ultimately decided to move their business to Ontario. “We looked to Perth, Renfrew and one day, on our way back from Montreal, we stopped in Cornwall and thought it was so pretty. We immediately loved it and started looking for a place.”

And so, for the past four years, Edward’s Bistro has been delighting us with their remarkable old-school classical French cuisine provided at an incredibly affordable price. Initially located at 35 Second Street, they recently reopened on July 16th after a six-month hiatus, now in their new location just a few doors down at 27 Second Street. “During our down time, we visited a lot of places and we noticed a gap in breakfasts. There is one style of breakfast in Cornwall, and it’s a good breakfast, but when you want more, there is brunch, and that’s our calling.”

Now serving brunch, lunch and dinner 7 days a week, the couple is ready to accommodate even more patrons, in an inviting dining room that can serve up to 50 people. The kitchen also is an upgrade from their previous location, a chef’s dream really, allowing them to prep, cut, grind, smoke, roast, grill larger amounts and store in a massive walk-in fridge.

And they need that space, believe me, because everything at Edward’s Bistro is made from scratch, down to the ketchup. That’s a lot of love! Jason explains: “The food is as real as we can make it… When we had our first restaurant, one day, Rosie called me after I’d finished shopping and asked if I could pick up some ketchup. I was already halfway home and with the traffic, you know Ottawa, I didn’t want to return to the store. I thought, ‘How hard can it be to make ketchup?’” Since then, they’ve made theirs in-house. Spring Rolls are always fresh too, hand rolled by Rosie. “Everybody asks me for my recipe,” she exclaims. Jason adds, “And I challenge any restaurant to do the same, I’ll even give the recipes… It’s a massive amount of labour, but It’s so much better food quality for the masses than anything pre-packaged!”

Rosie and Jason, like many modern couples, met through a dating app connected to Facebook. After some initial messaging, Jason emailed Rosie detailing what he was looking for in someone. When she didn’t respond for 10 days, he assumed she wasn’t interested. However, Rosie later replied, apologizing because she rarely checks her emails—a habit she maintains to this day. Busy with a full-time job and multiple side hustles, including making and selling her amazing spring rolls, Rosie was always on the go.

As they met later in life, and had pretty much the same core values, the courting was short. Within a year, they married, had a child… And opened a restaurant!

While the marriage and child were part of their plan, the decision to open a restaurant was more out of necessity. With Jason working during the day and Rosie at night, balancing family life was tough. They figured that starting a business together, although perhaps challenging at times, would ensure they spent more time with each other, and with their son, Eddy, short for Edward.

A bit of background. The couple’s first restaurant was in Gatineau. However, due to Rosie’s limited proficiency in French and challenges with the Quebec political environment, especially the language police, they ultimately decided to move their business to Ontario. “We looked to Perth, Renfrew and one day, on our way back from Montreal, we stopped in Cornwall and thought it was so pretty. We immediately loved it and started looking for a place.”

And so, for the past four years, Edward’s Bistro has been delighting us with their remarkable old-school classical French cuisine provided at an incredibly affordable price. Initially located at 35 Second Street, they recently reopened on July 16th after a six-month hiatus, now in their new location just a few doors down at 27 Second Street. “During our down time, we visited a lot of places and we noticed a gap in breakfasts. There is one style of breakfast in Cornwall, and it’s a good breakfast, but when you want more, there is brunch, and that’s our calling.”

Now serving brunch, lunch and dinner 7 days a week, the couple is ready to accommodate even more patrons, in an inviting dining room that can serve up to 50 people. The kitchen also is an upgrade from their previous location, a chef’s dream really, allowing them to prep, cut, grind, smoke, roast, grill larger amounts and store in a massive walk-in fridge.

And they need that space, believe me, because everything at Edward’s Bistro is made from scratch, down to the ketchup. That’s a lot of love! Jason explains: “The food is as real as we can make it… When we had our first restaurant, one day, Rosie called me after I’d finished shopping and asked if I could pick up some ketchup. I was already halfway home and with the traffic, you know Ottawa, I didn’t want to return to the store. I thought, ‘How hard can it be to make ketchup?’” Since then, they’ve made theirs in-house. Spring Rolls are always fresh too, hand rolled by Rosie. “Everybody asks me for my recipe,” she exclaims. Jason adds, “And I challenge any restaurant to do the same, I’ll even give the recipes… It’s a massive amount of labour, but It’s so much better food quality for the masses than anything pre-packaged!”

They butcher their own meat, most of the time, grind their own hamburger, and always aim to source locally, though, it’s not always feasible. They smoke their pork belly, and ensure their chicken and beef are always Halal. During the summer, Rosie grows most of the herbs used for cooking, and some of the beets used in their renowned beet salad. “We also recently partnered with Johanne and Mark Just from Just Farms to try to get produce as locally as possible,” continues Jason.

It’s simple really. We prepare food the way we prepared food 30 years ago, the way your mom probably cooked. It’s the way the chefs

taught me how to cook.”

Jason did 2 years at Algonquin, then spent 2 years in Ottawa at the prestigious restaurant “Claire de Lune” and worked under Maître Cuisinier de France Bernard Guillot. “I was his “commis”, which basically means I was his servant,” he laughs. “The kitchen had stairs and I would just go up and down fetching his ingredients. But I had nothing but respect for the man.”

When an opportunity opened to go abroad to study at “Cordon Bleu” in Paris, Jason jumped on it. “I was lucky because my dad was already there as a diplomat, so I stayed with him. It made it affordable. The theory behind cooking at Cordon Blue is very well sound, and also founded in French Classical Cuisine,” he continued. Therefore, most of the dishes you’ll find at Edward’s are rooted in that discipline.

On the brunch menu, we strongly recommend the Banana Foster, the Eggs Benedict or the Free Range Two Eggs with Candied Bacon. Yes, you read right, CANDIED BACON! Lunch menu offers Smoked Pork Ribs, Seafood Monterosa or Pansit Bihon, a Filipino dish worth trying. On the dinner menu, you can’t go wrong with their Chef Cut Steak. And don’t be shy, try the beet salad or the Caesar, pictured below, and end the meal with one of the delectable desserts.

In addition to the regular menu, Edward’s offers a Saturday night Table D’Hôte. You can find the weekly offerings on their Facebook page or on their website.

Edward’s Bistro has already carved a niche for itself with its delectable offerings. Jason, Rosie and Edward can’t wait to see you again. “Last Sunday was our busiest day in a long time,” the couple told me. Due to their reopening and their increasing popularity, making online reservations is highly recommended to secure a place in this gastronomic delight and to be part of their heartwarming tale.

If you go

Edward’s Bistro is located at 27 Second Street E

Public Transit Bus near buy

Street Parking Available

Debit, Credit and Cash accepted

Reservations strongly recommended, online at https://www.edwardsbistro.ca/