Herring Cove Sunday

Again, thanks to our friend, Patti's recommendation, we made our way to Pavia in Herring Cove.

It's a cozy cafe cum gallery.  Bright and airy.  A very pristine and minimalist white interior.  Give me a good book and I could sit here all day!

Artwork on the walls and in a small room in the back.

The food is Italian-inspired...panini, dolce and espresso!  There was ice cream too from Dee Dee's & Scotsburn.  The children liked what they had well enough but I had been secretly hoping for gelato! :-)

Food was delicious. The breakfast panino...ham, egg, and cheese all sourced in Atlantic Canada....plus a side of seasonal fruit.

Belgian waffles.  On the side were whipped cream, maple syrup and apple compote (that was the one to die for!)  Waffles served weekends only.

I ate the All' Amantea. Described as "a true taste of Italy."  Well, I've never been to Italy so I might as well take a food trip! Prosciutto ham, mozzarella and olives. The bread was toasted crispy. The prosciutto, nice and smelly...in an appetizing way!

And of course, the espresso.  I do love my espresso neat.  No sugar, no nothing!  The owner told me the beans for their espresso came directly from Florence.  It was very good indeed.

Oh yes, our little friend joined us.  Have you met Yan-Pea, the yarn peanut? :-)  Yan-Pea is a family "pet project" of ours.  Click here to follow his adventures.  (Like the page on facebook too... Please?)

After that wonderful meal, we visited the York Redoubt--a centuries old military fortification that defended the entrance to the Halifax Harbour.

The children had fun with the cannons! BOOM! :-D

Then, we finished off the afternoon by sitting on the rocks and listening to the Atlantic Ocean.

Eastern Shore Sunday

We visited the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia this Sunday.  The primary objective was to visit Harbour Breezes and admire their beautiful fully-bloomed lilies and irises.  Read about it here in our shop blog.

The secondary objective (but no less important to me!) was to discover something good to eat! :-)  We visited two places...both good hits!  Both had home-made goodness written all over them.

For lunch, we ate at the Salmon River House Country Inn.  We were surprised to find German cuisine! 

First the view... sit on the patio if you like.

Breath in the spectacular view of what I presumed was Salmon River.

Next, the food!  I don't speak German so I just copied from the menu the names of some of the food we had ordered.  I am also not very familiar with German food...so all these were quite new to me.

This is schnitzel...breaded pork cutlet, cousin of tonkatsu! :-)

...and the jaegerschnitzel--literally "hunter's schnitzel"...not breaded, and covered in mushroom sauce.  The white stuff on the side is spaetzle--described as "Bavarian noodles".  Reminded me of gnocchi. 

Sauerbraten--"sour roast".  Like a beef pot roast with what I think is cranberry sauce on the side.  Served with potato dumplings.

Are you hungry now? :-)  All the meats were very tender and succulent!  We had a very pleasurable dining experience.  Even waiting for the food was pleasant...sitting in an old house with quiet Baroque music.

But let's not forget dessert...apple strudel topped with vanilla ice cream!

For snack time, it was Dobbit Bakehouse in Musquodoboit Harbour. We thank our friend, Patti V., for recommending this place.  

Great, simple treats from the oven.  Very down-to-earth and friendly.

Care for some cinnamon rolls? :-)

Next time you are on the Eastern Shore, make sure you drop by these places!

Interesting Things From Japan

The kids came back from Japan a few days ago and they brought home with them many, many things.  Here are some of the more interesting stuff.

From my 8-year old daughter, a Doraemon curry set...

...that's actually miniature!

It came with a piece of gum in this box.  You don't know what's in it until you open it.  There are 8 food sets to collect!

From my 12-year old son, Ultramen.  It's instant noodle "endorsed" by Ultraman.  In Japanese, "noodle" is called "men"...so the name of this cup noodle is a pun-ny play between the "Ultraman" character and "men" noodles!

One of Ultraman's powers is the "specium kosen"...a super deadly light ray that could melt its target.  The silhouette is the specium kosen pose.

The toy didn't come with the noodle.  We put it together just so you know what the "real" Ultraman looked like. :-)

So was the Ultramen noodle any better than regular Cup Noodle?  The answer was a resounding "Yes!" from our 12-year old Ultraman fan.

Last but not least, I got this packet of instant tea.  It's no ordinary tea.  It says "Shiitake Mushroom Tea...with black pepper...and mixed with collagen."  

I tried it...a little spicy.  Enjoying it was a matter of managing expectations.  If you drink it expecting "tea", it tastes weird...but if you think of it as "soup", it tastes really good!

Downtown Halifax Sunday

I decided not to stay at home this Sunday.  Started the day (er, midday to be exact...) with a bowl of ramen at B-Well Sushi on Quinpool.  The roast pork was to die for...juicy and tender. I'm going to have to ask them if I can buy just the pork...

Then off to downtown.  As usual, many interesting buildings to see.  Who put these kitschy pictures on the windows?  At least the building looked less abandoned now...

Freemasons' Hall.

Next, to the waterfront.  I saw at least one cruise ship docked.   The place was hopping!  

Business was brisk.  So how could I funnel all these people into our shop on Quinpool?  Ideas, anyone?

The sign (not in photo) said: "Do not climb."  Yeah right... Put a wave like that out there... of course kids would surf it!

Thick rope for big ships...

This is the bow of the HMCS Sackville, a Canadian Navy corvette that saw action in the Second World War.

Now, it is a museum ship moored opposite the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

And of course, the waterfront wouldn't be complete without Theodore Tugboat!

I had a creepy feeling some thing was watching me... he! he!

I finished off the afternoon with a trip to Kee Heong Cantonese Bakery on Granville Street, right next to Sushi Shige (another favourite!)  

It's like a tiny slice of Hong Kong in downtown Halifax...egg tarts, BBQ pork buns and all. 

I had a pork floss bun.  I wouldn't expect most of you to know what it is...  But that sure hit the spot!  I just wished there was more pork floss on it! :-)

ByWard Market, Ottawa

If I were a local, one of my favourite places in the city would probably be the ByWard Market.

Lots of fun little shops here.  No big boxes.  Down-to-earth.  

A fruit store, a fromagerie, a boulangerie, an Indian café...

...a meat shop, sushi, a fish shop....and lots more!

And what's a market without fresh vegetables?

...and more vegetables!

...and flowers...

...and more flowers!

I had one shot at a meal in Ottawa...and it was hard to choose which restaurant would do me the honour.  The choice boiled down to Chinese noodle soup or Moroccan couscous.  This display case won me over.

...and so Casablanca was it.  A cozy little Moroccan restaurant.

A generous platter of swordfish and couscous...plus all the veggies--bell pepper, chick peas, broccoli, pumpkin, carrots, potatoes...in exotic sauce for $12.95.

Topped off with a slice of baklava ($2) and a cup of Moroccan coffee ($3) ...a strong brew with ground cinnamon and maybe a few other spices.  So, I splurged a bit. :-)

I would like to go back one day with more time and better weather!

The last word...overheard at the Booster Juice stand at the airport. The lady chatted with her colleague as she was preparing my drink: "Don't you just hate it when you feel very sick but don't know what's causing it?  That's how I feel right now..."  Then, she handed me my Tahiti Squeeze.  Lovely...