Here's where to find Kanata's hidden foodie havens

When CBC Ottawa food reviewer Kent Van Dyk moved from downtown Ottawa to Kanata, he hit the streets in search of the best local foodie hotspots.

"I wanted to be able to find places that I could go to and get those specialized ingredients," Van Dyk told CBC Radio's In Town and Out on Saturday. "I wanted to support my community as well."

Van Dyk quickly found that Kanata's home to several small, off-the-beaten-path shops and grocers where suburban gourmands can meet all their kitchen needs.

This weekend, Van Dyk shared some of the destinations on his list, in the first of a three-part series on the best places to find unique ingredients and specialty food items in Ottawa's suburbs.

Parts two and three of the series will look at spots in Barrhaven and Orléans. 

French pastries 

Kanata is home to La Maison du Kouign-Amann, a French pastry shop known for its namesake dessert —a rare French sweet soaked in butter and sugar.

The bakery began as a home-based business that would set up every year at a local farmer's market, Van Dyk said. 

"They bake beautiful things," he said. "They brought their passion for this to Kanata and it's fantastic."

Located at 101 Schneider Rd., La Maison du Kouign-Amann opens in the early hours of the day and also offers lunch options. 

The bakery's expected to expand, Van Dyk added, and will eventually include a café.

European meats 

For eastern European sausages and deli meats, or sandwiches on freshly-made bread, Van Dyk recommends Little Euro Deli on Goldridge Drive.

You walk in thereand it's just like walking into a little warm hug of eastern European hospitality.- Kent Van Dyk, CBC Radio food reviewer 

"You walk in there and it's just like walking into a little warm hug of eastern European hospitality," Van Dyk said.

Many of the cured meats are Polish, he said.

But the store shelves are stocked with items from a plethora of European countries.

2 South Asian options

There are two stores in Kanata that provide all the South Asian and Indian foods one might need, Van Dyk said — everything from samosas to potato chips seasoned with masala.

The Kanata Kash N Karry at 60 Colchester Square offers both ingredients for your homemade recipes and takeout foods like biryani and butter chicken, he said. 

The second spot, Shirin Market at 700 March Rd., offers not just Indian products but also Middle Eastern foods and ingredients. 

"It was wonderful. I could find tons of stuff," Van Dyk said.