Eating light at Elements

A few weeks ago, my one of my bf's best pals was in town from NL.  After a few nights of partying, we were quite content to spend a low-key, relaxing night out for a late dinner.  When you live in my hood, there are several dining options, but in this case, we were dying for some rosemary brioche cooked in a tin can - so Elements resto it was!

After being seated we ordered a bottle of Grand Pre's L'Acadie Reserve - our usual pick here since NS wines are priced at just cost + $5.  After pointing out our favorite dishes to our pal, I decided to try a few new-to-me dishes, and order the Micro Greens Salad ($7) and the Roasted Squash Soup ($8) - two of the  lighter menu options.  

The salad was delicious; with farmer's market vegetables and a lovely pear and ginger vinaigrette, it was a fresh choice that provided great crunch.  I ordered the dressing on the side - always cautious of dressing overload - but my friend's salad was expertly dressed, so I'll likely order the dressing 'on' the next time around.  Mitch chose the Indian Point Mussels ($10) as he often does.  The mussels are steamed in L'Acadie Blanc with garlic and herbs - which made our wine a very good choice - and they're served with a nice, sweet potato roll.

Micro Greens Salad

The soup is also fantastic, with the presentation being just as good as the soup itself.  Our server placed a bowl in front of me with a dollop of goat's cheese, several small cubes of squash and some crispy fried sage leaves.  Then, as his colleague poured my warm, thick soup from a lovely kettle, I could smell the squash's sweet aroma.  I'll have to go back again before the weather heats up - this is just the thing for a chilly night.

Roasted Squash Soup

Always a fan of the gnocchi ($21), Mitch ordered Element's latest version with braised lamb, sauteed mushrooms, Brussels sprout leaves tossed in a warm lamb jus.  On top of the tender gnocchi was a sage millet crumble.  This was pretty tasty, but the contrast in textures was a bit to abrupt for me, so next time I'd order that crumble on the side. 

This is a fairly heavy meal - but wonderfully warm and rich and the lamb jus lends just a hint of mystery to the dish. I love when Mitch orders mussels & gnocchi as he can never finish the pasta and my fork swoops in to save the day and clear away the last few delectable morsels!

Braised Lamb Gnocchi

Unfortunately, our pal doesn't live here, so we can't go to dinner with her all the time, but it was nice to be able to spend such a lovely, relaxed evening for her last night in Halifax.  And, lucky us: at the end of the meal, we were given some envelopes with an unknown perk. We'll have to visit Elements again to redeem it, but since our pal went home to NL, we left with three.  Weeeeee!

Satisfying standard fare at Trapeze

I love a good burger, like love.  The unfortunate thing is that: though you often expect this standard fare to be good, sometimes it's unpalatable; you have a dry patty or a bun that tastes like sawdust.  And then, there's the burger at Trapeze restaurant at the Casino, which is none of these things.  

I went with a large group a couple months back, eight of us in fact, and the food and the service was great.  We started the night with a bunch of appetizers: bruschetta, nachos and calamari that were all pretty good, though I only had a bite of each because I was saving room for the burger.  The apps were gone in an instant.

For my meal, I ordered the Mozzarella and mushroom burger with a side spinach salad.  I love the spinach salad at Trapeze, and I've had a large one several times since.  With a generous helping of spinach, it's dressed with marinated butternut squash, carrot ribbons, red pepper strips and a tangy goat cheese - I usually get the cilantro ginger vinaigrette on the side.

                              

Anyway, on to the burger.  As I said above, it was delicious; the juicy patty was topped with a generous portion of melty cheese and succulent fried mushrooms.  Add to that, the usual fare of lettuce, tomato, onion and a pickle spear, the burger was filling and satisfying.  

                             

This was a tasty meal indeed.  We finished the night off by sharing some awesome desserts: chocolate cake and a yummy blueberry-based one too. I only had a couple bites of those as well; I was full, but I had to try them...for research purposes, of course! ;)

A Birthday Feast at 5 Fishermen Grill

Last month, my friend celebrated his Bday so we took advantage of the specials at the Five Fishermen Grill.  For the whole month, the Grill offered a 'no corkage' option as well as a $5 lobster tail!! Who wouldn't want to make this a dinner destination with these offers on board?

I dropped off our wine earlier in the day to keep it chilled, and we arrived for dinner at 7:30 with another bottle in tow.  The staff was super-friendly and sat us in a mammoth booth for about 6 people, but we still took up the whole table with our orders.  Along with a glass of white and the irresistible bread basket, we took in a plate of the Calamari.  I've had these suckers before (and loved every lick of them - see here), but it was my friend's first time here, so it was nice to watch him discover this new, mysterious flavouring from both the Hoisin and the 5-spice on one of his favourite dishes. 

Calamari

 Flash fried, Hoisin-glazed w/ 5-spice aioli

Once our entrees came, I was already feeling almost satisfied, so the fact that I finished my entree and still had room for dessert still baffles me to this day.  My friend ordered the 10 oz. Black Angus strip steak; a huge piece of meat, and a great value at just $24.  It was beautifully cooked - better than I've tried in some steakhouses.  Grilled to a medium rare, it was served with richly seasoned mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, steamed spring vegetables and a hearty peppercorn sauce.  I don't normally go for a big steak in a resto - especially a seafood-based one, but I would certainly come back specifically for this dish, and I've recommended it to several people.

My salad was unbelievable; talk about a protein plate!! The Seafood Cobb Salad consisted of grilled shrimps and scallops a piece of hot maple smoked salmon, crumbled bacon, egg, 1/2 an avocado, corn salsa & tomatoes and a generous portion of Stilton cheese.  Believe it or not, there was lettuce at the bottom of the bowl as well.  

And if that wasn't enough of a treat, the 5Fish featured a $5 lobster tail w/ drawn butter as a special as well.  Needless to say, I got more 'Surf', while my friend had a bargain "Surf n' Turf"!  The lobster meat was succulent and tender and we finished every bite.

Since a pal of mine was the manager of 5Fish at the time, and caught wind of our Bday celebration, dessert was on the house, and we couldn't say 'no'.  A 'Field of Carrots' cake was his dessert of choice, and it was decadence to sum it up.  5 layers of moist and spicy cake was topped with a rich, but light w/ cream cheese icing and sprinkled with walnuts.  A lovely creme anglaise and caramel sauce kicked the indulgence up a notch.  It was a bit much for me, but the Bday boy sure was happy.

Two bottles of wine, some cocktails, sweet and savoury later, we closed down the resto and stepped out in to the crisp March night.  Though normally I would have called for a cab, I needed some serious movement to walk off my food baby.  The 5Fish Grill could easily be one of my favourite restos in Halifax.  Though some may think of it as a tourist trap, I think it's precisely the opposite.  Sure, tourists flock to this destination, but it offers quality like no other seafood resto on the waterfront does.  The quality is consistent, and there is a focus on local product, wine in particular.  

Incredible eats at the Wooden Monkey

I've been to the Wooden Monkey a few times, but it's just been for lunch or an early supper - I've never been for dinner.  A few weeks ago I met some friends for a late dinner where I was wowed by my meal.  Since we were going out later, I didn't want to eat too big of a meal.

If I only knew what I was getting into!  Since 'eating light' was the name of the game, I decided to go with the Nova Scotian seafood chowder.  Of course, that plan was foiled when my friend suggested that we split some nachos as an appetizer.  Well, we were really hungry, so I quickly obliged.  

Our nachos arrived and they were huge - not to mention delicious. And I hoped they would be, since at $17, they're likely the most expensive in the city.  The organic blue corn chips were topped with a mix of jalapenos, black olives, red and green peppers, white cheddar, Mozzarella cheese and served with salsa and sour cream.  Unfortunately, we didn't look at the price tag prior to ordering or else we may not have enjoyed them quite as much!  At this point though, they're my favorite ones in the city.

I can't stop myself from eating these things; they're delicious.  Gooey cheese, salty blue corn tortilla chips with an earthy note from the blue cheese and a fantastic (and likely organic) tomato salsa - we polished the plate in no time flat.  And then, my chowder arrived and I thought to myself, "how the hell am I gonna finish THIS."  But... you know me, I found a way!  The chowder was tomato-based (my favourite kind) and was chock full of fish:  chowder with 5 oz. of haddock, scallops, lobster, mussels, and potatoes.  Served with wedges of spelt baguette, this could easily have been enough to fill me up.

This was a great night filled with great food and good company.  I'm a pretty big fan of the Wooden Monkey for vegetarian fare or otherwise.  It often gets pegged as the vegetarian resto of choice in this town, but this spot has great stuff for meatatarians too!

Sun's out at the Foggy Goggle

And...it's fall.  How quickly did that happen?  I went from frolicking in my flip flops and denim cut-offs to having to resort to my space heater at work to take away the chill.  Yes, autumn is upon us, and that means comfort food; thick soups, hearty stews, red wine and no more patios. :( 

But last week, when my friend and I ate on the patio at the Foggy Goggle, there was nothin' but sunshine-y skies and a warm summer breeze.  It was one of those evenings where beer was $2 off and we had nothin but time.  My friend ordered the Man Salad - and that's exactly what it was: a 6 oz. steak cooked med-rare, served on a bed of organic greens with toasted almonds, sun dried cranberries, crumbled blue cheese and red onion drizzled in a Balsamic vinaigrette.  


It's not often that we share the same food cravings, and I've never, ever seen him order a salad in a resto, but this one turned the tables on the 'usual' salad.  The flavour combos were excellent and the textures intriguing.  The steak was juicy and had tons of flavour; the almonds and red onion provided crunch, while the sweet chewy cranberries and creamy, blue cheese were 'besties' in this dish with the tart flavour playing off the pungent one.

While he dove into his vibrant plate, I had the Marinara mussels; a pound of mussels in a spicy marinara with tomatoes, onion and jalapeno.  They were OK - not the best mussels I've had in this city, but certainly not the worst either.  i think that I was hoping for a thicker sauce; which it wasn't.  Still, I ate the whole dish as the shellfish themselves were plump and moist.

I'm sad to see the summer end and to have to head back indoors to dine; one of my favourite summer activities - like half of the people in this town- is to drink an icy cold beer on a patio.  I suppose that's life though, the seasons come and go, and so too must our eating and drinking habits.  I guess I should look on the bright side: now I can sit at the bar and drink red wine/hot buttered rum/Dark n' Stormys/Bailey's/etc. to my heart's content!

Early dinner at The Bicycle Thief

A few days ago I got one of those texts that brings a smile to my face.  A good friend of mine who used to live in Halifax was back in town for one night only. She always seems to come on a Wednesday too; generally Onyx is our stop of choice.  This time, however, she was interested in trying something new, something “mad tasty”. Since like me, she was a big fan of Bish, I suggested that I introduce her to the Bicycle Thief.

We met at 5:30; she had a flight to catch at 8.  The early bird gets the worm, so we got a nice spot on the patio.  We chatted for 20 minutes or so before even opening our menus, but once the server came by for the 3^rd time we decided to stop being so annoying and placed an order: Propeller Bitter for her, and a Montes Alpha Chardonnay since I was planning on the corn and lobster chowder.  My friend went for the Lobster ravioli.

Her ravioli were lovely – two big pieces, stuffed full of lobster in a rich sauce.  There was also a huge lobster claw on the plate.  And, in the grand theme of lobster, my chowder was also delicious.  With a good amount of lobster meat, there were sweet corn kernels, smoked bacon and chunks of potato that absorbed the flavour of the broth.

Handmade Ravioloni stuffed w/ Lobster, mascarpone, chives, 

Parmigiano & crispy breadcrumbs

Lobster and Sweet Corn chowder w/ double smoked bacon 

I was too full for dessert, but my friend has a weakness for lemon, so she chose a slice of the lemon-meringue pie.   I can't quite remember all the details, but I'm pretty sure the crust was made with brown sugar, giving it a deeper flavour that contrasted well with the tart lemon. Ever since a piece about tea came out in a local weekly newspaper, I’ve been a bit of a coffee snob – only going for the best.  Since I was feeling coffee deprived, I ordered a cup of the Bicycle Thief’s Illy coffee and it was just what the doctor ordered, perking me up for a long night of studying French wines.

A Moveable Feast

Last weekend I was on vacation; this week, I am not.  :-(  However, while the timing was right, I took advantage and loved every minute of it. After a long Friday of trotting around in dt Hali, we decided that the time was right for oyster Happy Hour. The Five Fishermen Grill hosts a HH everyday from 4:30 - 6:30 featuring a variety of delicious oysters and generously-priced drinks.  We settled in at a table on the patio and waited for our meal: an order of grilled fish tacos, a dozen oysters with all the accouterments and two oyster shooters.

The shooters arrived first.  A mini-Cesar in a glass, they were (a touch too) spicy for me and left me reaching for the bread basket - a delicious selection from Julien's Bakery.  The oyster inside though, was delicious and went down just as easily as those in their shells.  While I enjoyed my bubbly and Stutz Hard Cider, my friend chose a draft beer, remarking on how good the HH prices were.

The tacos were lovely.  The rustic tortilla was house-made and made me realize how fabricated store-bought corn tortillas really taste.  The fish was flaky, lightly grilled and served with guacamole and a tangy salsa.  When our oysters arrived we were delighted at the selection of big 'uns and little guys.  I was more partial to the smaller Malpeques, so my friend and I swapped plates.  On the side, 5Fish serves a mix of wasabi mayo, horseradish sauce and a mignonette-type sauce plus the cutest mini bottles of Tabasco you've ever seen!

With a taste for sea-salty goodness, I was on a role with seafood.  I wanted mussels for dinner, so we packed up and headed further dt to Brussels Restaurant and Brasserie on Grafton St.  I ordered a pot of the Provencal, tossed in a mix of tomato, garlic and basil ($8.95),  while my friend ordered the Brussels burger; a AAA burger with aioli, smoked Gouda and caramelized onions ($10.95).  Since he ordered a side garden with his burger, s I clearly had to get an order of fries and mayo ($3.95) to go along with the meal.  


My dish was pretty good; the mussels were a nice size and the tomato sauce was just thick enough to actually stick to the little suckers.  The fries were awesome with a good mix of big, tender fries and the little crispy bits that I've come to love.  My friend's burger good too; juicy and flavourfu, and with tasty toppings.  

Mussels, fries and beer are one of my all-time favorite meals, so you can imagine how I felt when Brussels opened a few years ago.  You can also imagine how I felt when I couldn't eat at least seven mussels because they were damaged or hadn't opened. I've been noticing a trend on that front in Halifax restos lately; I often have to chuck 7-10 mussels out of a 1-pound order.  If chefs/cooks, etc.  would simply throw in an extra 3-4, it might cost them a bit more, yes, but they would have a satisfied customer...as opposed to one that's pissed off about throwing half her meal in the trash...

P,p,p, patio at Pipa!

One of my favorite restos in Halifax at the moment is Pipa on Argyle St. Actually, since Pipa opened in 2008, it's been a favourite.   It's a husband and wife-run resto that specializes in Brazilian and Portuguese food. One of the things that I find appealing about this spot is the fact that most of the dishes are unfamiliar, and each one is a new adventure! 

As luck would have it, the very day that we decided to head out to dinner and not get into the drink, pitchers of sangria are $5 off.  Obviously we ordered one; white sangria with peaches and strawberries. It was an incredibly hot evening and this delicately sweet bevy was just the thing to quench my thirst.  Since we planned on taking our time, I asked that they put ice only in the glasses so as to not water down our 'punch' .

As is often the way at a spot like this, my eyes were bigger than my belly and I ordered three apps; my friend ordered one plus an entree.  Loving a good game of chance, he often leaves his choice up to our server -  in this case, the owner, who suggested the pork and clams.  He prefaced this meal with more crustaceans, an order of Black Point oysters, while I ordered lobster soup, hearts of palm salad and lamb meatballs.

The soup was broth based with chunks of potatoes and other veg. I checked it out before ordering  as I'm not particularly fond of a creamy chowda on a hot day like this.    It was O.K. There were nice pieces of lobster, but it was lacking in flavour. My friend's oysters were super tasty and sea-salty fresh.  Served with some of Pipa's uber-spicy green salsa they set my mouth to waterin'. 

And then came the entrees; my two small plates and my friend's lovely stew-like pork, clam and potato mix.  The hearts of palm salad was original and refreshing.  Reminiscent of artichokes, the palm hearts were quite tangy after marinating for several hours in a lime-cilantro dressing.  On a bed of mesculn mix with chunks of corn, avocado and tomatoes, this salad was full of flavour and a nice change from other resto's typical salad options. 

The show-stopper was the meatballs.  Admittedly an odd dish; meatballs in a delicious tomato sauce sans pasta, they were served with crispy grilled baguette.  It was a decidedly simple, rustic preparation and it was delicious.  Ground veal was mixed with the usual suspects: garlic, basil and oregano, but the intriguing edition of a baking spice - nutmeg, made them all the more mysterious.  

My pal's pork and clam dish was awesome - and I don't even  like clams!  Pieces of pork and clams in the shell were cooked in a flavourful sauce,  sprinkled with verdant cilantro and served with grilled bread -  which he used to mop up the sauce.  These are some of my favorite meals; where bread is a utensil!

If you are - or even if you aren't adventurous, try heading down to Pipa to sit on the patio this summer, or in the atrium in the winter.  Though there are options for the curious palate, there are also plenty items on the menu for those with a more vanilla palate.  Of the 25+ menu options, only 6 are NOT gluten free, so it's a great spot to take friends and family who are trying to avoid gluten.

I'll say "yes" to Sushi Nami anytime!

One of the only meals that I'll never turn down is sushi.  I have to be in the mood for pub food, pizza, Mexican or fine dining, but it's a rarity when I say "no" to some delicious raw fish. Of late, our favorite spot to go is Sushi Nami Royale.  The quality of sashimi is great - important since we eat so much of it; there is a pretty good variety; and between 3-5 pm and 9:30-11:30 pm, they have a Tsu-Nami menu, where food AND booze is 20% off!  Ding, ding, ding! It's a no-brainer.

We make a serious effort to try different things when we eat at Sushi Nami, but one thing stays the same: the Sashimi Appetizer - a great deal at the regular price of $9.95, and even better when it's 20% off. The pieces of tuna are like candy and the salmon is plump and supple on your tongue.  I'm not a huge fan of the Surf Clam, but do love the little parcels of snapper wrapped around pieces of cucumber.

Sashimi Appetizer $9.95

2 Salmon, 2 Tuna, 2 Snapper & 2 Surf Clam

We also generally try to have a salad (or two!).  On this occasion, we order both the Kani and Sunomono  salads.  SN also does a good size portion of the Hiyashi Wakame (Japanese Seaweed Salad) for $6.95.  The Kani salad is delicious and creamy.  With shredded crab meat, and long strands of carrot and cucumber, I like to twirl it around my fork like spaghetti.  The good amount of avocado adds another creamy layer while also playing the role of the 'cherry on top'. 

Kani Salad $7.95
Crab Meat, Cucumber & Flying Fish Roe

The Sunomono salad is pretty delicious too - but definitely not for the faint of heart as serious octopus tentacles are involved.  Again, the texture of the shredded seafood is what I really love, paired with the slight crunch of roe.  The sauce here is based on soy and is quite mysterious.

Sunomono $9.95

Shrimp, Cucumber, Crab Meat, Octopus & Seaweed

And because a good roll is always nice, we opt for the Spicy Scallop roll which is pretty tasty with the spicy sauce and tempura bits.  A spicy salmon/tuna is a good 'go-to' as well, but the Fusion rolls are really special.   I'll have to make another trip to Sushi Nami soon to illustrate what they are all about!

Spicy Scallop (6pcs) $ 5.95

Chopped Scallop, Green Onion, Tempura Bits & Spicy Sauce

But you can't have sushi without a bit of deep fried...so we try the Karakuchi Shrimp Fry - three large shrimp stretched on skewers and deep fried in tempura batter, then coated with a spicy sauce. What a crunch!

Karakuchi Shrimp Fry 7.95

Lightly fried Shrimp and coated with the house Spicy Sauce

 

This is such a great deal and is really one to take advantage of.  How can you go wrong with a guaranteed 20% off almost everything in your order?  I say "almost" as there is a specific Tsu-Nami menu with limited items, but I'm sure your palate will be more than satisfied with those available.  

Hankerin' for Henry House

Up until a couple of weeks ago, I had never had a Reuben sandwich.  Several people were shocked about this fact, but I didn't really see it as a big deal.  I'm actually not all that much of a sandwich gal.  I like the occasional Bahn Mi or a little hot turkey action over the holidays, but most of the time, I could take it or leave it.

And then...I went to the Henry House. I've been a few times before and on this particular occasion, for some random reason, my psyche was jonesin' for some the smoked meat. As far as my research goes, the HH has a pretty standard edition: (marbled) rye bread topped with sweet Thousand Island dressing, tangy sauerkraut, nutty Swiss cheese and a pile - I mean pile, of smoked meat.

Well...I'll have that again. I tried to do the noble thing and save half for later, but failed miserably.  The slight heat from the meat's seasoning mixed with the subtle flavor of the Swiss cheese is a flavour combo that I'm sure to crave again.  Not to mention the yummy, crispy, skin-on fries that filled out the plate.

Reuben Sammy

                            

My pal's lobster roll was huge!  With big 'ol chunks of lobster, including a full claw, the mayo-based dressing was light and didn't overpower the lobster's delicate flavour.  Paired with a tasty Caesar, she was a pretty happy gal.

Lobster Roll w/ Caesar Salad

With our bellies full, we finished off our pints on the patio.  If you're in the South end of Halifax, the Henry House has a great patio on which to spend a sunny afternoon.  And it's not bad in the winter either!

Quick fix at Il Mercato

A few weeks ago, well....maybe months, we dropped in to Il Mercato pre-movie for a quick meal.  This was pre-reno, so I'd love to stop in again to check out the new digs! 

Since movie-theatre popcorn was in my imminent future, I decided to go for a lighter meal, in the form of a tomato-based herb-y soup filled with mussels, shrimp and scallops.  The soup - at a mere $9 - ccombined with a piece of toasted baguette and a glass of white wine, ended up to be the perfect snack and a nice alternative to a heavier pasta/pizza.

  

Italian Seafood Zuppa

My friend had the fettuccine dish below; a rich, cheesy sauce and nice salty prosciutto with a pile of perfectly cooked pasta.  Though he really enjoyed the dish, it was a touch too salty for me, what with the Parm and prosciutto being salty already.



Fettuccine, Prosciutto di San Daniele, sweet peas

cream & Parmesean

I'd love to say that we had a good time here, but we left less than enthused.  Though several waitstaff begrudgingly made contact with our table, our server's attitude was less that hospitable.  It's unfortunate that we went out for a nice meal, and felt as though our server resented us for sitting in her section, or...god forbid, asking a question about the menu!

Fujiyama: Eat in, or Take Out!

Mmmm- sushi!  Sushi is one of my favourite eats here in Hali.  It's just one of those meals that I could eat at any time of day, and the only late-night dinner I can really get into....Unless it's a greasy feed on an early Saturday am.  You know what I'm talking about....

This particular sushi experience is Fujiyama, the sushi spot that has taken over the old Le Cave location. I like this spot because I can count on its quality and creativity.  This blog post incorporates two dinners from Fujiyama - one on site, and one take-out.  I felt the need to write about the take-out, as it's not too often that your food quality remains intact when taken off-site.  On this occasion - and many times thereafter - it was.

Shrimp and Veggie Tempura 

How could you go wrong with this one?  Tender veg and plump shrimp in a light, crispy coating.

Chef's Sushi for Two

I was so glad that we ordered this dish - it really gave me the opportunity to try all types of sashimi and decide which ones I truly liked - the Butterfish was our favourite!  We really appreciated the fact that our server let us substitute the eel rolls for an additional salmon sashimi.

Deep Fried Banana

I could take or leave this dessert.  This was the only thing that really appealed to me on the dessert menu, but it tasted kinda funny...and I'm pretty sure the whipped cream was from a can. :S

And, for take-out...

Salmon Sashimi, Spicy Salmon Rolls & 

Tokyo Scallop Roll - Spicy scallop and avocado 

rolled in soybean paper with eel sauce and spicy sauce

Soybean paper is so tasty!  If ever you come across a roll enclosed in this deliciousness, go for it!  You'll appreciate the change from the texture of the usual nori, and it's quite tasty too!

Shrimp Tempura- Just as good at home...

Hearty lunch at the Hart & Thistle

A few weeks ago, on one of those random days where we actually saw the sun, we went to the Hart & Thistle Gastropub & Brewery on the Halifax waterfront for a quick bite.  Well known for Brewmaster Greg Nash's fun, hoppy beers, the H&T also has  good pub food and was the perfect spot to stop on out way over to Dartmouth.  We saw several tables heading inside, having been beaten down by the crazy winds, so we settled at a table by the window and ordered some heartwarming comfort foods.

My friend ordered the Thistle's Bigger Burger, topped with Sweet William's sausage, spicy Havarti cheese and the standard burger fixin's.  This was a huge burger, like a: "I gotta cut this in half" kind of burger, and with flavour to rival Darrell's.  The addition of sausage added another rich  layer, and bumped it up to a 'hearty appetite' dish in my books. The fries on the side were crispy and clean,  just the way I like them, not grease-laden.

Thistle’s Bigger Burger 

topped w/ Sweet William’s Italian sausage,
peppered Havarti, lettuce, tomato,
red onion & dill pickle 

I wasn't feeling uber hungry so I opted for the Kettley's Kettle, a soup of the day.  On this occasion, the soup was described as a corn chowder with pulled pork.  Unfortunately, it wasn't really what I had in mind; being moreso a BBQ'd pork soup than a yellow corn chowder as I had envisioned, it was just a bit too sweet for my taste.  

I did leave satisfied, however, as we ended up swapping plates so that my friend gobbled up the rest of my soup and I chowed down on his yummy fries...!

Kettley's Kettle (Soup of the Day)

Pulled Pork & Corn Chowder

Fidtastic Brunches at Fid

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post on innovative brunches in Halifax.  I love The Coastal Cafe for their yummy eggy, bacony, etc. creations, but another resto who offers crazy-good brunch dishes is a little closer to home - Fid Resto.

This is another multiple meal post, but all of the photos and dishes featured are brunch items available on the Fid Resto menu, and ALL are delicious!

For those looking for a meal a little on the lighter side, you should try The Good Bowl on  for size.  A bowlful of filling, healthy, fresh ingredients culminate into a meal full of flavour!

The Good Bowl

Yogourt, topped with

Apple, Banana, Berries, Dried Fruit, Nut and Nut Butters

If decadent but fresh comfort food is what you're after, this daily special would be just the thing. I know, fresh and decadent in the same sentence? Allow me to elaborate! Fresh, verdant basil pesto, combined with cream created this lovely, lush sauce that blanketed the soft and tender gnocchi.

Today's Special

Basil Pesto Gnocchi

The Lamb Breakfast at Fid are what a protein addict's dreams are made of! The sweet and savoury lamb meat is wrapped around lamb sausages filled that include dried fruit and nuts. Two fried eggs pair beautifully with the sweet tomato jam and yummy potatoes...there was something amazing about the potatoes as well, but I can't quite remember that detail!

The Lamb Breakfast

2 Fried Eggs, Roasted Potatoes, Tomato Jam &

Lamb Sausage wrapped in...Lamb!

A beautiful concoction of warmed blueberries, 
pastry and cream.

I don't think this is on the regular menu, but it reminds me of something my grandmother would have made - just simple, good quality ingredients. This dessert seemed like the kind of snack I'd like to have right before bed - talk about sweet dreams!

My three dining companions decided on the full breakfast. This plate is a ton of food and totally worth the price. The fact that you get a little bit of everything with this dish really evokes the 'full' in Full Breakfast.

FID Resto Full Breakfast

Bacon, Sausage, Fingerling Potatoes, Scrambled Eggs

Crumpets & Roasted Tomato

Ahhhh - this was so good!! A perfectly cooked, hard-boiled egg was enveloped in a sweet and savoury ground meat mixture, then coated with a crispy batter. You could hear the crunch as I cut through. I'd love to say that I made a dent in this, but alas, my little belly could only hold half this and some crumpet...I ended up letting my 22 year-old, rugby playing cousin have it....after he had devoured his own Full Breakfast! Where do men put this stuff?

The Scotch Egg

w/ Crumpet and Fresh Greens