FEAST OUT EAST
Take a trip to Newfoundland for scenery, history, wildlife — and food
On a recent visit to Newfoundland, I never got a taste of fish ‘n’ brewis, that traditional dish made of salt cod, hard bread and crispy pork fat. Seal flipper pie was not on any menu I perused, and as for Jiggs’ Dinner, the Newfoundland take on corned beef and cabbage, well that’s still on my “to taste” list. Yet despite my lack of authentic culinary experiences, I ate well on The Rock, very well even, beginning with a plethora of cod dishes including cod tongues, cod sounds, cod cheeks and the most delectable version of fish and chips made with — you guessed it, cod. I never got to kiss a cod in Newfoundland, but I fell in love with it nonetheless.
Canada’s culinary scene has grown immeasurably in the past two decades, and we can now eat excellent food from coast to coast. On the tip of the West Coast, you can enjoy tacos and cod cheeks in Tofino, but as I recently discovered on the tip of the East Coast in Newfoundland, you can eat the very same thing, as well as moose, Arctic hare, seal, partridge and the most pristine fresh seafood.
The aforementioned classics of Newfoundland cuisine, along with that throat-blistering rum known as screech, may be what the guidebooks suggest you sample when visiting The Rock. Yet food lovers will also be spoiled in Newfoundland, or more specifically St. John’s, as the dining scene is full of surprises. After a five-day visit to Newfoundland and Labrador’s capital on a quest to check out their increasingly buzz-worthy restaurant scene, I left yearning for more. Sure you can go to Newfoundland to admire the beautiful scenery, watch whales and see puffins. But on your next trip to the province, I’d add eating to the itinerary.
The restaurant where I enjoyed my most magnificent meal was Raymonds, the establishment responsible for launching Newfoundland’s growing reputation as a culinary destination. Opened in 2010, Raymonds is a collaboration between two born-and-bred Newfoundlanders: executive chef Jeremy Charles and restaurant manager and sommelier Jeremy Bonia, often known as “the Jeremys.” The result of their collaboration is a world-class, fine-dining establishment where local ingredients are given the star treatment by the affable Charles, easily one of Canada’s most talented and creative chefs. With Bonia overseeing the dining room, sharpening the experience with the addition of smartly chosen wines (many Canadian) and stellar service, this team has won countless accolades, making a night at Raymonds a destination for many national and international gourmets.
Can one restaurant put a city on the foodie map? Probably not, yet in St. John’s there’s another local boy drawing in the masses: Todd Perrin, chef-owner of Mallard Cottage. Located in the hamlet of Quidi Vidi, a short drive from downtown St. John’s, Mallard Cottage is an 18th-century cottage that happens to be one of the oldest residential structures in the province.
Like Charles, Perrin favours local ingredients, with an emphasis on fish and game meats. Yet he also likes to reinvent traditional dishes, putting his spin on classics like seal liver pâté, salt cod napes, smoked scallop gratin, corn-fried cod cheeks and seafood stew.
Charles, Bonia and Perrin have worked tirelessly, criss-crossing Canada to make their hometown of St. John’s one of Canada’s culinary hot spots, and their cuisine is an ode to the ingredients of Newfoundland’s terroir.
Foraged wild edibles include lichen and moss, morels and chanterelle mushrooms, cloudberries, partridge berries and more. Then there’s the seafood: scallops, whelks, sea urchin, lobster and surf clams, as well as the fish, chief among them, the mighty cod.
Another draw to Newfoundland restaurants is that they can sell wild game meats on their menus, and it is the only province in Canada where this is the case. So you’ll find dishes made with local moose, Arctic hare and game birds like partridge and grouse.
Prices run high at Raymonds and a bit less so at Mallard Cottage, but there are less expensive options too, such as the Raymonds group’s second restaurant, The Merchant Tavern, where the food and ambience are laid back, with prices to match.
For a taste of something equally delicious but completely different, the new Adelaide Oyster House, again on Water Street is a must. Filled with primarily 20- and 30-something locals, this hipster heavy eatery features plates of fresh oysters, tacos, ceviche, fried chicken and other tapas-style favourites.
For those who want to go even more casual, a heaping plate of fish and chips is always a treat. In town, Duke of Duckworth is a popular spot for fish and chips with a pint of Guinness. But I prefer to head out of town to Chafe’s Landing in Petty Harbour, one of the oldest European settlements in North America. Located steps from the ocean in this historic fishing village, Chafe’s serves fresh lobster, clams, squid, crab, mussels and scallops.
As for the cod, with the Grand Banks fishing grounds just a few miles beyond the coastline of this picture-perfect fishing village, it would be hard to find any fresher. Dig in!