Wednesday, June 6, 2012

My last few weeks in Halifax :(

Three weeks from today, I'm moving to Australia!  Yup, on June 27th, I'm goin' down unda'.  Crikey!

It's with many mixed emotions that I'm embarking on this journey.  Ever since I started my Tourism & Hospitality Mgmt. Degree at Mount Saint Vincent University in '05, I've wanted to travel.  And I did - I went to Manhattan several times to visit my sister.  I mean, who wouldn't say yes to free accommodations in NY combined with having the inside track on food, music, etc. from a local.  Then, last year, I told my sis: "No more trips to NY until I've seen more of this planet!"

I graduated as a certified sommelier from the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS) in April, and with that, I intend to travel the globe one wine region at a time.

I truly appreciate those of you who read With Bite regularly, and am sad to not be a source for food & beverage content in Halifax, anymore, but if you'd like to follow me on my Australian adventure please check back regularly for updates from Oz!

But in the meantime, I do have a few more Hali meals up my sleeve (The Rockbottom Brew Pub, Pipa and Stayner's, to name a few) so please check back for those too! :)

Monday, June 4, 2012

Fid's Pad Thai: eat-in or take-out!

Since I deprived Mitch of his Fid Resto Pad Thai earlier in the month, I planned a Saturday brunch later in the month to make up for it.  After a good run in the am, we got ready for a day of good food, booze and sunshine - you know, those days when you just wanna get 'day drunk'!

When we got to Fid, we ordered two muddy gin Caesars and reviewed the menu.  Obviously, he had PT on the brain, but I - like I always do - wanted eggs, so I chose the Fisherman's Breakfast w/ smoked salmon and potato rosti.  I forgot my phone so the image quality of these pics isn't fantastic, but you'll get the 'picture'.

The bean soup was fantastic.  Who knew lima beans could be so tasty?  The broth was creamy and rich with a velvety mouthfeel. Served with the soup was one of Fid's crumpets; a little morsel that's just perfect for dipping.

Lima Bean Soup ($6)
The soup was served with Dennis' delicious crumpets

Fisherman's Breakfast ($14) 
I had the Fishermen's Breakfast, which was one of my favourites in Halifax.  With an uber-crispy, savoury potato cake topped with luscious smoked salmon and a poached egg cooked to a medium, all the textural elements were there to please my palate.  I asked for the Hollandaise sauce on the side, into which , I dunked every other bite.  In order to add a bit of greedy to the meal, we also ordered the Simple Salad, which is simple to be are, but with a playful element of popcorn to garnish.  
A Simple Salad ($6)
D's Pad Thai ($14)


Mitch had the Pad Thai, which was perfect.  With tender noodles, crunchy toasted peanuts, crisp bean spouts, egg, scallions and cilantro, this dish is a good balance of hearty comfort food and fresh food.

But the best part of this blog is the great news that I have to share!  Fid Resto is now doing 'back-door take-out!  They're offering just the one dish - the Pad Thai - but at just $10 a pop for the full serving (as compared to $14 in-house), it's a great deal!

We picked up some drinks and settled in on a sunny park bench in the Public Gardens and muched happily away for the better part of an hour.  With that food, the entertainment of a motorized toy boat show, and the background music of a brass band playing in the bandstand, it was a pretty sweet (and cheap) afternoon!