A summer spent indulging in the entire menu of my favourite Saint John restaurant!
Kristina and I have been enjoying our parental leave together. We have taken our daughter, Alexandria, to many of the finest restaurants in Atlantic Canada. Alexandria has been sitting at our side through 3-hour tasting menus, multiple courses, quick bites, and dessert nights. I have written a lot about Moncton and PEI, and I even have a plethora of photos from Halifax. What I haven't done yet is shown off our hometown of Saint John. So to kick things off I will show you every single dish we ate at our favourite restaurant, Port City Royal.
Starting with something light!
Though PCR doesn't list their menu in terms of starters and mains I have split this into lighter and heavier food.
This summer I have found a love of #tomatoes. I hated tomatoes before now, but thanks to dishes like the Tomato tart in the I have been turned. Fresh, heirloom tomatoes with goat cheese, olive oil, and balsamic reduction on a warm #pastry were amazing.
The pear salad was another highlight. Cured #pork, braised pears, nuts and a bed of fresh greens. To round out the lighter fare, and starting to get heavier, we have thin pork cutlets, deep-fried with hoisin sauce. the pork was tender and light, and the hoisin was perfect.
Heavier Fare
The heavier plates offered this summer ranged from safe and familiar to creative. The Pho poutine was a great palate expander. I actually enjoyed the cilantro, and it really gave me a renewed interest in creative poutines.
The togarashi crusted tuna, paired with a creamy sauce was everything I could have hoped for and took me back to the vacation last summer in Japan. We also tried their braised beef which was as familiar as Nanny's house. Delicious garlic mash, rich gravy, mushrooms!to throw a little curveball into the meal, some of the mushrooms were pickled.
The final hearty plate was a battered and deep-fried quarter chicken tossed in a sweet Korean glaze. The chicken was crunchy as all get out. The glaze was almost dessert-like. The marriage of sweet and salty was on full display.
Sweet Goodbyes
Though the four #desserts above were each their own form of pleasure, the real highlight this summer was the use of Bellas Traditional Icecream. The partnership was epic. The opportunity to have a completely local meal, right down to the ice cream, was memorable. As a side note, Bellas is locally owned and makes their own ice cream in-house. Go try the Ricotta and Fig, it will break ice cream for you. First up there was a blondie with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. This was sweet and heavy. a very grandmotherly dessert, fit for a queen. There was also blueberry grunt wich was tart, much less sweet, with some added chew from the dumpling. This would surely be a crowd-pleaser. The real kicker was the blueberries. Lowbush, tiny, wild tasting berries just like in my Grammy's blueberry pie. Highbush blueberries are for suckers Next up is a toasted apricot, plum, and orange pudding with a cherry sauce and fig and ricotta ice cream. Of all the sweets we tried, this had the most falvours intertwined for a realy delight. Finally, we have strawberry shortcake with crisp spruce meringues and rhubarb scones. The scones were dense and tart and the whipped cream light. Unfortuantely I could not taste the spruce, but this was still delicious.
Get to this restaurant!
My only regret with this post is that I didn't share it earlier. Many of these items are gone from the menu. Which is a highlight for me. I tried them all and I get to try something new next time. Get to PCR, you will not be disappointed. TL;DR
Overall rating: 8/10 Amazing creative food that won't break the bank, with unique cocktails
Why you should go there: This is the premier foodie experience in Saint John. Try everything. Also, an amazing place to hang out and have a drink.
Price Point: $$ Surprisingly affordable for the quality. All dishes priced between $15-$25. Desserts under $10
Atmosphere: Relaxed, creative, exposed beams and brick, distressed wood.
Food Style: Whatever the chef feels like making. This summer had a decidedly Asian feel. This fall feels more Atlantic Canadian with grunts, hashes, and a Touton.
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