Scouring strip malls can sometimes lead to gastronomic gold.

It was because we were convinced that the best food in this city is found in strip malls, industrial parks and generally in the periphery that made us start this blog. Last week, we went back to our roots to start checking out places in strip malls we hadn’t yet visited. That’s how we stumbled on Divisoria Market, a Filipino grocery store and eatery located in a strip mall on Carling Avenue, between the Ottawa Civic Hospital and Dow’s Lake.

Although it’s moved a few times, owner Bobby Hipolito told me that Divisoria has been in its current location since 2023. Bobby also has a family-run restaurant in Orleans called Divisoria Resto Bar, which is well known for its authentic Filipino dishes.

Fortunately for us, his grocery store has a hot food counter at the back that sells equally authentic Filipino food. Longtime readers know that these types of establishments are some of our favourite. We visited Bobby’s store last Sunday, just as he was starting to close. He told us that the cost of the food is cheaper at the grocery store as it’s not a proper sit-down restaurant. He added that they were mostly sold out of hot food, save for the beef stew and pork stew. As we had some leftover rice at home, we took small containers of both, which cost us only around $10.

Both stews were excellent. While they reminded us of stews ubiquitous time of year in Canada, there was a marked difference in spices used in the dishes. You could tell the onions and garlic had been cooked down at the beginning, with bay leaves imparting an herbal flavour not dissimilar to dried oregano or thyme. We enjoyed the tender chunks of beef, and the glazed potatoes in the pork stew, which also contained chopped chorizo-like sausages. The spice mix reminded me of a hearty potato curry.

Bobby recommended patrons visit the grocery store for hot food on weekends, as that’s when they cook larger meals at the back. And if you’re lucky enough to live in Orleans, then I recommend you check out their proper sit-down restaurant.

You won’t be disappointed.