seafood: cod, salmon, bay scallops,
shrimp and snow crab in a
refreshingly light cream broth, Jigg’s
Dinner Cabbage Roll, a sophisticated
re-do of an old standard (salt beef,
turnip, potato, and carrot rolled into
a cabbage leaf) cleverly served with
a pot liquor “shooter” & homemade
mustard pickles, and Tongues and
Cake, Bacalao’s ode to the cod, a
duo of lightly crisped cod tongues
(similar to tender calamari) with
a pan-fried salt cod cake are all
delicious examples of their
homegrown, nouvelle cuisine.
Pssst: Maunder’ s inspired desserts
are top-notch, so it’s best order
a few for sharesies. Be sure to
include the spicy Honey Brown
Ginger Cake made with local
artisanal Quidi Vidi Honey
Brown beer.
4. Chinched Bistro is the perfect
name for this cozy restaurant since
“chinched” means stuffed to the
max, which I certainly was after
enthusiastically chowing down on
the contemporary cuisine. The
tag-line here is “Come for the
food and stay for the... food” which
certainly worked for me! Yet another
talented culinary husband and wife
team, Chef Shaun Hussey and
Michelle LeBlanc, are racking up a
loyal fan base for their imaginative,
international cuisine based on
traditional methods and local
products. Exciting palate-pleasing
entrees include spicy Korean Fried
Octopus, Cod Tongue Tacos and
Chicken & Waffles. The mussels were
plump and juicy with a delectable
Asian inspired miso broth, perfect
for bread dunking.
Pssst: One must-order is the
house made Charcuterie Plate.
Chef Shaun deserves a serious
shout-out for the many months
he spends handcrafting a variety
of sausages, paté’s, and terrines.
My still-life beauty included a
chunky duck terrine, headcheese,
cured seal, pickled eggplant, figs,
semi-sweet IPA beer nuts etc.
served with a bowl of assorted
homemade crackers.
What to Do
5. Although downtown is quite
compact I highly recommend that
you kick- start your visit with an
escorted van tour by McCarthy’s
Party. Not only will you get your
bearings but you’ll also have threehours of Newfoundland 101- which
brings to life the colorful history
(starting with pirates all the way to
how NFL became Canada’s youngest
province), culture and current events
that make this area so unique. Our
informative leader, John Calver, also
works in radio (great voice) patiently
answered my many questions and if
it weren’t for his sharp eyes, we
would have missed the spouting
humpback whales. We started at
Cape Spear, the most Easterly point
in North America. Then off to a 360
degree killer view from the vantage
point of Signal Hill while John
regaled us with historic tales of
North America’s oldest colony.
Other stops included Quidi Vidi
Village, Government House, the
Roman Catholic Cathedral and an
orientation of the shops and
restaurants of downtown St. John.
6. Quidi Vidi Village is a picturesque,
old-timey, fishing village located on
the outskirts of town. Plan on a
good five minutes to walk from
one end of this iconic village to
the other. A photographer’s dream
spot, Quidi Vidi (there are many
pronunciations but the easiest one
is “Kiddy Viddy”) was used after
World War II for the construction
of a United States’ Air Force Base.
It now boasts a population of 599.
Check out the new Quidi Vidi
Plantation, a craft incubation
facility and home to a talented
bunch of emerging artists. Visit,
shop and connect with local artisans
in their private studio space. I was
particularly impressed by textile
artist, Megan Jackman, who
handprints, sews and cobbles
together leather and metal pieces
for the one-of-a-kind handbags.
America. The first record of the
event was in 1816, but rowing
matches between ships crews have
been held here since the 1700’s.
When you’re done shopping, cross
the street for a tasting tour (check
the times first) at Quidi Vidi
Brewery, Newfoundlanders beloved
microbrewery. You’ll be able to
sample a slew of lip-smacking,
award-winning brews, such as Eric’s
Red Cream Ale, named after Leif
Ericson for his journey to North
America 1000 years ago. But for
sheer bragging rights, the winner
has to be their pure Iceberg Beer
made from 12,000-year-old
iceberg water.
Pssst: If you’re looking for
a good meal or where to hear
the best music, John has some
great suggestions.
7. The Rooms - this huge, multifaceted cultural space has it all
going on: museum exhibits, art
galleries highlighting local artists,
archives, performance theatre, a
restaurant and sweeping views of
historic St. John’s Harbour. While
many locals delight in the ubermodern architecture, a distinguished
blend of glass and steel designed to
represent historic “fishing rooms”
where Newfoundland families
processed their catch, it also has
it share of naysayers who say, “The
Rooms looks like the box that the
Basilica came in.”
Pssst: If you are here the first
Wednesday in August (weather
permitting) Q.V. holds the Royal
St. John’s Regatta, the oldest
continuing sporting event in North
46
Pssst: Make reservations at the
popular Rooms Café before taking
in the art exhibits. Specializing in