Ottawa’s Spice Problem

Somewhere between Mild and Medium, Ottawa lost its nerve.

Restaurants will proudly add a little chili icon to the menu, then serve you something with the heat level of an orange creamsicle. Chili oils get strained until they taste like sunset-colored olive oil. Curries are blunted for the Canadian palate until they’re practically pumpkin soup. One lonely jalapeño slice on top counts as “bringing the fire.”

The problem isn’t just the kitchens — it’s us. Ottawa diners have a near-religious fear of sweat. We want our dining rooms quiet, our cocktails stirred, our plates tweezered, and our tongues gently tucked into bed. Ask a chef off the record and they’ll tell you: make it as spicy as they’d actually eat it, and half the room sends it back.

But a few brave kitchens are keeping the torch lit. Presenting the Ottawa Scoville Scale:

🔥 Entry Level Heat

Shawarma Palace — Extra garlic sauce that actually smolders.

Sundari’s — Curries that still have backbone, especially if you ask for hot.

🌶️ Intermediate Burn

Rangoon — Chili chicken and tea leaf salads with unapologetic bite.

GoGiYa Korean BBQ — Kimchi that’s alive, not gentrified.

🌶️🌶️ Full Send

Farang Thai — Will serve you “Thai hot” without a wink or apology.

Si Señor — Their habanero salsa still has consequences.

And then there’s the other end of the spectrum: acclaimed kitchens serving “spicy” tasting menu courses that wouldn’t scare a bell pepper. This isn’t a demand to turn every restaurant into a chili-head hazing ritual — just a plea for courage.

Ottawa doesn’t need to become Bangkok overnight. But we could loosen up. Let the chili crisp be unapologetic. Let the sambal sting. Let a dish make you reach for your drink — in a good way. Because “too spicy” isn’t a complaint. It’s a love letter.