You might not expect that one of the city’s most delicious restaurants would be located in a shopping mall, but the newly opened CoBrie International at the Carlingwood Shopping Centre is defying expectations daily.
Owners Karen and Brian Vallipuram are excited to honour the more than 60 years of food service that have already taken place in their premises. When the Carlingwood Shopping Centre opened in 1956, the Miss Carlingwood restaurant quickly became a hub of the community. After decades of faithful patronage, the space has been revitalized as a bright, welcoming venue that is serving up an eclectic, well-executed menu sure to appeal to all.
“This location is ideally situated halfway between Kanata and downtown, which is great for our catering and delivery services,” says Brian. “The abundant free parking and private exterior entrance also suit us well,” he adds. “Between the dense urban community nearby and the mall’s planned expansion, we felt there was a tremendous opportunity to serve a broader range of clientele. We are extremely pleased to see that our exceptional food and friendly service are resonating with many people.”
CoBrie’s growing popularity comes as no surprise, given Chef Brian’s impressive culinary pedigree. He ran numerous restaurants in Canada and abroad as well as serving as executive chef at the prestigious Lord Elgin Hotel. The Sri Lankan-born master chef, who trained extensively in Europe before coming to Canada, excels at creating delicious fare from many of the world’s most popular cuisines. That explains the ‘international’ part of the restaurant’s name; CoBrie is a tribute to the couple’s two children, Cody and Brianna.
Chef Brian acknowledges that key to his menu development was balancing the tastes of longstanding clientele which includes seniors, many of whom live in nearby apartments, while also appealing to contemporary palates.
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days each week, CoBrie offers fare ranging from the familiar to the more exotic. In the mornings, classic breakfast dishes share space with Mexican-style wraps and house-smoked salmon is featured daily. Lunch and dinner offerings include sandwiches, fish and chips, salads, pasta, steak, seafood, liver and onions, creative pizzas and numerous other options. There’s also a nice emphasis on keto-friendly, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan dishes. Most desserts are made in house; the selection changes frequently but often includes fruit crumbles, crème brulée, cakes and pies. The restaurant is also very accommodating of families, with an appealing children’s menu.
CoBrie also has a spacious back room that is ideal for private gatherings. Like the rest of the restaurant, it’s fully accessible and can accommodate 100 people comfortably for a sit-down event or 140 for a stand-up one. A private bar – serving up a well-chosen selection of good-value wines along with a diverse range of beer and cocktails – adds to the space’s flexibility. Karen notes that while they have a number of holiday bookings already, they still have capacity for more groups.
As CoBrie prepares to launch its catering operation, Brian is eager to leverage his extensive experience in this area, having fed many dignitaries during his career. He is also pleased to announce their new home meal replacement service which will offer fully prepared meals – including vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options – pre-ordered and delivered twice weekly. Special events are planned starting in the new year, including advance booking for special meals like Thali, jerk chicken and more; their Facebook page will offer all the details.
“We respect the past traditions of this wonderful space but we are also excited to bring it into the modern era,” notes Karen. “We are seeing a broader range of clientele every day and everyone is remarking how pleasantly surprised they are by our extensive menu and friendly, capable service. Brian and I are so happy to share our love of carefully prepared food made fresh with quality ingredients.”
CoBrie International Inc. ?Restaurant and Catering
2121 Carling Avenue, unit 127
613.680.5040 Cobrie.ca
facebook.com/bycobrie/
@cobrie3
@cobrierestaurant