Creativity and excellence; When seasonal local ingredients meet creative presentations and interesting flavour combinations. Clos offers an incredible menu that can be experienced a la carte or as a tasting menu.
To start you can see our amuse bouche above. Chicken liver mousse on top of a date square, garnished with blueberries and cacao.
Though we live in Rothesay, NB we have spent most of the summer eating outside the Saint John area. We thought we had tried all of the interesting places in southern and eastern New Brunswick, and we were ready to get back to our favourite Saint John restaurants. Then we heard about Clos.
The best restaurant yet!
Clos changes its menu every 4-6 weeks based on the seasonality of ingredients. Their menu included 3 starters, 3 mains and 2 desserts. However, they also had an option to "taste the entire menu". Obviously we did that. You can see our 2 of the a la carte starters as well as the amuse-bouche below.
Beginnings
We started off with a sweet and savoury bite. The amuse bouche was chicken liver mousse on top of a date square, garnished with blueberries and cacao. The textures were smooth and chewy put together, the flavours sweet and salty. This was immediately followed by a duo of squash. Fondant butternut squash, with shredded spaghetti squash, served with a butternut squash puree and a poached slice of pear. Another sweet and salty gem, with soft, luxurious textures. Wine for the first 2: Chenin Blanc
Our 3rd dish was a plate of scallops with roasted cabbage in a sauce of buttermilk and horseradish and green onion oil. The cabbage, though not the star, was a pleasant surprise, it really brought the dish together with charred earthy notes.
Wine: Sauvignon Blanc
Heavier fare.
After a light, sweet start to our night we moved on to more substantial dishes. This is also where things started to get very interesting (as if chicken liver mousse on a date square wasn't enough).
Our first main was surprisingly light, considering it was a breaded and fried dish. Celeriac schnitzel with salad and tomato jam. Celeriac is the root of celery. It's very earthy, and pairing it with a sweet, tart tomato jam was a great contrast.
Wine: Cotes Des Roses
We were then served Tuna marinated in a beet juice, garnished with puffed rice and crumbled beet, with sides of roasted brussels sprouts, squash, beets, and a sea buckthorn puree. heart, and tart, with very interesting flavour combinations, the slaty tuna, warm homestyle veggies, and the sourness of the seabuckthorn created a circus in my mouth.
The 3rd "main" actually came from the starters section of the menu and was the heaviest dish of the night. It was also the most complex. What looked like a twice-baked potato covered in parmesan, was exactly that, but with surprising inside. The filling of the potato was red wine braised escargot, fresh mushrooms and parmesan cheese. The umami of this dish was heady. They took it a step further with a side of mashed potatoes mixed with pureed foie gras. This was heavy, and salty, and savoury, and was a dish that "hit the spot"
Wine for Tuna and Escargot: Pinot Noir
The final main was what I would call New Years Dinner. On the surface, it was ham with pineapple sauce and mashed potatoes. However, the pork was cured, smoked, then grilled. The pineapple was served both roasted and pureed. The potatoes were mashed with garlic and then stuffed into dumping. The flavours were traditional but the textures and plating really made it fun.
Wine: Nova 7
A fitting end
Finally, we made it to the end. Just like the start of the meal through us a sweet curveball, we ended with a savoury surprise.
Our first dessert was sesame cake and miso pannacotta. I love savoury flavours thrown in with dessert. Asian flavours are also something I crave. this also came with fresh and pickled plum and caramelized white chocolate. It was as mind-bending as it was delicious.
Second up with chocolate mousse with goat cheese mousse, garnished with fresh apple, cocoa nibs, and beet granitas. Granitas is an Italian ice dessert. This dessert was rich and heavy, and complex.
We also decided wit get a cheese plate to finish things off which made us think about going to the Moncton cheesemonger at Les Gourmandes. Good cheese is hard to find in Saint John.
Check in next time to see what Kristina and I find in Prince Edward Island.
TL;DR
Overall rating: 9/10 New Brunswick ingredients, mixed with international flavours and preparations. Best meal I have ever had in NB.
Why you should go there: This is for serious foodies looking for creativity, flare, and interesting flavours. Also a great spot of drinks or to take a special date.
Price Point: $$$ a la carte menu was very reasonable considering the quality of the restaurant. Starters around $15, Mains between $25 and $30, Desserts $9, Full tasting $75, Wine Pairing $39
Atmosphere: Relaxed, smart casual, medium lighting, modern music. A place for refined conversation.
Food Style: Creative flair combined with local, seasonal ingredients.
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