Halifax, Nova Scotia

Now that I’m back from vacation I am ready to start blogging about food but before I start I must mention part of my vacation was spent on the East coast of Canada. Halifax is a city my husband and I have been to and have decided that this is where home will be when we leave Asia. It has all that we want and being foodies, Halifax is bursting at the seams with local produce and restaurants that enjoy promoting all things fresh from the land and sea.

Of course there’s loads to do if you enjoy outdoor activities. We took a half day tour of sea kayaking which was a lot of fun. The fresh air and exercise made us ravenous so our dinner that night was at Saege Bistro. The bistro has won many awards and we highly recommend going there (this was our second time!). Driving around Halifax and surrounding areas is quite easy and one afternoon we drove to Wolfville which is an hour away from Halifax. This town also has a good mix of restaurants and one we ate at was Acton’s Grill and Cafe. Again, another establishment promoting the food of Nova Scotia.

If you enjoy lobster, then check out the Shore Club lobster suppers. The first Shore Club lobster dinner was served in 1946. They serve up fresh (the ocean is right there) all you can eat mussels, salad bar and a choice of 3 sizes for lobsters!

Other restaurants we visited twice were:

The Five Fishermen – Great food and amazingly tasty (shall I say yummy) all you can eat mussels! The building in which the restaurant is in has had quite a history. In 1816 it was a school, then became the first performing school of arts in Canada started by Anna Leonowens (the English governess for the King of Siam), then a funeral home (the Titanic passengers were brought there as well as the great Halifax explosion in 1917) and finally in 1974 the building was renovated and the restuarant Five Fishermen was opened.
Jane’s on The Common – My husband and I have eaten here 3 times…..that has to say something about the food and service! It was a pleasure to meet Jane when we were there last week. The menu isn’t overwhelming which helps to make the decision a bit easier. That being said, it’s still a bit hard to choose given that fact that everything on the menu is tempting! For lunch I had the portobello mushroom burger (aged cheddar, onion salsa and cilantro-lime aioli) with a choice of Royal, Caesar or Spinach salad. I also had one of their signature drinks, Pomegranate Martini (yum!). My husband had the fresh NS lamb burger (peppered gouda with apricot and red onion chutney). We thoroughly enjoyed our meals and the service was great! Another restaurant I’d highly recommend!

For more restaurants to try whilst in Halifax:
Bish
Chives Canadian Bistro
DaMaurizio’s (il Mercato, part of this group, is another favorite of ours)
Fid
O’Carroll’s
Seven (a favorite of ours)
Onyx
Gio

The above restaurants were all recommended by Natalie MacLean (an accredited sommelier with numerous journalism awards) and after having tried 4 of these restaurants I’d have to say that these have to be good! Check out Natalie’s book; Red, White and Drunk All Over……a wine soaked journey from grape to glass.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: Our time in Halifax was short but we still managed to get a lot done. Halifax is a lovely city where the people are friendly.