O Bistro is a very small restaurant located on the main strip of Canmore. On a very cold day my boyfriend and I were shopping down the strip. We saw that the restaurant’s daily feature board listed a red pepper and leek soup. The thought of hot soup on such a cold day sounded perfect, so we headed in for lunch.

Although O Bistro is quite small, the atmosphere was lively with lots of decorations and bright colours. The comfortable booths that line O are a rich chocolate brown leather and have soft throw pillows in bright colours scattered on them. We were happy to be seated in such a warm and welcoming place.

The lunch menu was quite small, with only about 10 – 12 items. I assumed so since the kitchen could not have been very big. My boyfriend chose to have a bowl of the red pepper and leek soup ($6.00) along with the caprese salad ($12.00). I chose the brie and chicken club ($12.00) with the soup for my side. We had a fantastic waitress who was very accommodating and knew the menu very well. When I explained that I didn’t want the brie as I didn’t like it, she quickly told me the other cheeses I could have instead. I chose an aged white cheddar.

The club was served on a toasty croissant with lettuce, tomato, bacon, the aforementioned cheese, chicken breast and chipotle mayo. Although the flavours went well together the chicken was rather dry. The soup was another story. Rich, creamy and served piping hot, the blending of the red pepper with the leeks, herbs and garlic was delicious; I only wish there had been more of it. My boyfriend also enjoyed his soup, but the “bowl” was more like a cup. However, he was not pleased with his salad. The portion of the salad was very small: three slices of tomato, three slices of bocconcini, a few leaves of arugula and slivers of red onion were topped with balsamic vinegar. He said the cheese was very mild and that the dish itself lacked flavour. He was still hungry afterwards and I ended up sharing my sandwich with him.

Judging by the portion sizes, I would not chose O Bistro as a place for dinner. We glanced at the dinner menu and the prices were much higher as well. O Bistro is good for a light lunch if you have a small appetite. However, if you are a bigger eater, I would suggest heading elsewhere.

Service: 10/10
Atmosphere: 10/10
Food: 7/10
Portion sizes: 3/10