However, I'm determined to get this entry done (and another one soon) so here we go!
So in Halifax, my coworker and I had to fly in Sunday night - the biggest issue? Apparently there was a sink hole on the runway and we might not even be able to get the Halifax on time due to the weather conditions. Thankfully our flight only got delayed 30 minutes (which was good for my coworker since he was already running late driving to the airport). After a 2 hour flight and a 30 minute taxi ride to the hotel, we ordered so pizza and then called it a night.
The first meal in Halifax was lunch - we ended up going to a nearby fast food court next to the office with the other trainees. I heard about The Battered Fish and wanted to try something from there, knowing that the seafood in the Maritimes is amazingly fresh. The Battered Fish is a little pricey for what you get, but it's guaranteed freshness - they catch their seafood the day of, and if they run out...well that's it! How do I know? My co-worker got the last lobster salad...so I couldn't get my hands on one. I ended up with the fried scallops, which were yum yum YUM! Definitely bigger than your average fried scallop you get anywhere else, and also...very fresh. None of that imitation stuff you get in the restaurants nowadays.
Please excuse the blurry iPhone picture...it was the only one I took and I found out afterwards (ARGH!) that it was blurry. The batter was really crunchy and not the least bit heavy. And the fries were good too - they still have some of the potato skin on them and have that potato taste despite being skinny fries. I like ketchup with my fries but they gave me tartar sauce as well, which was equally good (and not very heavy).
The verdict on the lobster salad from my coworker: despite being small (it was the same size box as my scallop-fries combo), he said it was surprisingly filling.
That night we went with some of the guys and the girl that I was rooming with to Cut (The Grill - there is also The Restaurant portion which is ten times more expensive) - a steakhouse near the hotel we were staying at. I think I majorly pigged out here (and ended up eating like one of the guys).
Left to right: a glass of Alexander Keith to start the night followed by my duck charcuterie (thinly sliced duck breast prosciutto, and pulled confit, apple cherry compote, crisps) and my steak sandwich (open faced, shaved beef, sautéed mushrooms and onions on fresh baguette, topped with brie)
Thoughts on the food: the duck charcuterie was definitely the highlight of my meal - it was different and so filling that I couldn't even finish my steak sandwich. Honestly I should've probably gone with seafood instead because it's lighter. The apple compote wen well with the duck and they had some arugula with it which was good to add in with the duck since arugula has a nice nutty flavour.
The steak sandwich was good - the meat was shaved thinly so it didn't get stuck in my teeth (that's one of my big qualms of eating steak sandwiches and pulled meat sandwiches). I love mushrooms and brie so this was definitely up my alley. But all in all the sandwich wasn't anything to write home about. HOWEVER, the fries were good - nice a thick, crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside and the homemade tomato basil ketchup was the best ketchup concoction I have ever tasted. One of the guys from Newfoundland hyped it up so much I was worried it was going to fall flat but boy was I wrong - it met the hype!
After dinner we ended up going to The Maxwell Pub for some more beer (oh guys...) and met an interesting person, who the guys took fun in asking questions and dissecting his "life" (me and the other girl just nervously laughed at each other). After that we hopped over to The Bitter End where we had a few $5 martinis before me and the other girl (my roomie) decided to call it a night.
The next night (Tuesday) was the night we were going to watch the Mooseheads (junior hockey) play - I don't even remember what I ate for lunch...I think it was just Jap Chae at the random Korean fast food (in the same food court near the office). The lady was so sweet - she was Korean (because I could hear her talking in Korean) and the jap chae was pretty good for fast food standard...
That night we landed at The Five Fishermen after I told my coworker about the happy hour oysters (and both of us love it). So we went with some other guys (and my roomie), got some beer, a dozen oysters and dinner (plus dessert) before heading to the game.
Left to right, top to bottom: Ticket to the game, my dozen local oysters, bouillabaise with the freshest seafood, dessert menu over a glass of Reisling (one of my favourite whites next to Pino Grigio), flourless chocolate cake and creme brulee shared with my roomie
Thoughts on the food: my fault for not writing this earlier so I don't even remember all the details per se...but I do remember the oysters being the best I have ever eaten - large, plump and full of flavour (aside from one type that I ordered that were too briny for my tastes). These cost me $18 for a dozen! The boullabaise tasted amazing - the broth was not too strong so it allowed the fresh seafood flavour through and the seafood was pretty generous. It didn't seem like a lot but trust me, it filled me up enough (but still left room for dessert). By far my best meal in Halifax. Me and my roomie couldn't decide on dessert so we decided to share the desserts to get a taste of both. Best idea ever, and me being a sweet tooth, it's hard to say that chocolate cake and creme brulee can go wrong! The creme brulee was good because the candied sugar topping (which is done via blow torch) was nice a hard, and when I broke it is stayed in relatively large chunks (which is always a sign of a good brulee topping). At least it wasn't burnt and didn't have that burnt taste that some have (which is a sign of poor culinary skills).
After that - more beer, more beer and more beer (at the company's box seats, and at the pub). I think I drank more beer in those 4 days than I have in a year. Yikes...for my liver.
Wednesday was the last full day we were going to be in Halifax, so the bunch of us decided to go to Salty's (which was just downstairs) for lunch. I ordered the fish and chips to try and keep my budget low for dinner. I've had fish and chips before in the Maritimes (maybe not Halifax per se...I think it was either in New Brunswick or Nova Scotia), and it was definitely the best I've had so far (until I get to London!) The tartar sauce was great - not too heavy and it had a lot of bite to it :)
We ended up eating outside since it was beautiful outside...but I forgot to bring my sunglasses so I had to squint since it was sunny! But it was nice to eat lunch by the water.
For dinner - we ended up at The Old Triangle because we were all tired...and me and my roomie wanted sweet potato fries and she said these were the best in town. The Old Triangle is an Irish pub so it had some good Irish comfort food - I ordered the sweet potato fries (in the back...with curry mayo - surprisingly yummy) and the braised lamb. All I remember was that the lamb fell off the bone (a plus) and tasted delicious - kind of like osso bucco but lamb style with mashed potatoes haha! That's how I remember it.
Lunch on the last day was at Pete's To-Go-Go...definitely sad that they don't have it where I live! The salad was great along with the soup...$11 but it was filling! I like how the salad was a build-your-own but not all chopped up like at Chop Crazy. I had the Italian Divorce soup (hahah a good spin on it) and it was similar to Italian Wedding soup to be honest.
So that's it for my Halifax trip...sorry it's not as amazingly detailed as my TO one.
The Battered Fish
Scotia Square Food Court Unit 1 – 5201 Duke Street, Halifax, NS B3J 1N9
(Various locations - check online)
5120 Salter Street Halifax, NS B3J 0A1
The Five Fishermen
1740 Argyle Street Halifax, NS B3J 2B6
Salty's
1869 Upper Water Street Halifax, NS B3J 1S9
The Old Triangle
5136 Prince Street Halifax, NS B3J 1V9
Pete's To Go-Go
Various locations
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