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 | Saint John Restaurants | Tips 1 - 10 of 23 |  |
Popular Restaurants | Miscellaneous Restaurants Tips | All Tips (23)  | |  |  | Asian Palace: Ahh - East Indian Cuisine! | Tip Rating:   Satisfaction:   |  |  | |  |
My wife and I spent a relaxing July day in the Port City. We just happened to be there at lunch, so we sat down outside at the dockside Market Square complex that is full of shops, restaurants and even the New Brunswick Museum! The old brick building that you see here, built in 1877 after the great Saint John fire, is typical of the older construction in the city. Like many other places, the downtown area has been renovated greatly to cater to the tourist crowd. We had a great time sitting there for our lunch watching the antics of all the tourists from the huge cruise ship that was docked only a few hundred feet away.
It had been 5 months since we last had a good feed of Indian food - while in England in February! On this day, we shared a couple of their Luncheon Specials - a Nawabi Salad at US$5 (mango, tomato, cucumber and red onion with roasted garlic and lemon dressing) and for US$6 the Murgh Mukhani or Butter Chicken ('served to the Mughal Kings, made of tender chicken simmered in a creamy butter gravy, with nuts, ginger and fenugreek'). We both really loved the Murgh Mukhani - amazing flavours! However, the salad seemed a trifle too sweet, I think the mango was too ripe or something. However, it was still quite edible! Altogether, with a tip and drinks about US$30. March 2008 Update: This restaurant has gone out of business. Leave a Comment Theme: IndianPrice: US$11-20 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: 1 Market Square, Lower Level (on the boardwalk)Phone: 506-642-4909Directions: Centre of the city, on the waterfront by the Coast Guard station and Hilton Hotel
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| | | | Union Club: A Venerable Old Building | Tip Rating:  Satisfaction: | | | | |
Following the Great Fire of 1877 which destroyed much of downtown Saint John, including 1600 buildings, Victorian-era brick buildings were erected as replacements over the following years. Today, this area makes for a very pleasant walk as you enjoy the sight of these structures with their Corinthian columns, Italian facades and various intriguing gargoyles!
Among the buildings constructed was the Union Club, in 1890. This was the idea of senior businessmen who felt that they needed a place to meet for companionship and the exchange of ideas. The interior of the building is richly decorated with a luxurious carved staircase and a Victorian style oak paneled foyer. The private dining room in this facility is also lavishly decorated, with a large fireplace and more intricate wood carvings. It holds several large tables with traditional wooden chairs.
Over the years, the club has entertained novelist H. Ryder Haggard (1914), the Prince of Wales (1919) and several of Canada's Prime Ministers. On this day, I was invited as a lunch guest by one of its members, with whom I had met during the morning on official business.
The Seafood Chowder was excellent, a thick and hearty mixture of all sorts of things including white fish, scallops, potatos and onions! That was the highlight for me. The main course of Fish and Chips was also very tasty! Leave a Comment Theme: LocalAddress: 125 Germaine StreetDirections: In the downtown core, about four streets up from the harbourfront.
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| | | | BILLY'S SEAFOOD MARKET: DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE! | Satisfaction: | | | | |
Easily the worst seafood experience I had in the Maritime Provinces, perhaps the worst ever. Unfortunately, Billy's Seafood Company was mentioned in most of the travel guides I read. My meal was overpriced and overcooked. We had tried to get a table before a comedy act the night before, but they were very busy, so we stopped after a trip up the coast...I truly wish we hadn't. The hyper waiter couldn't answer a simple question... what do you have for beer??..so we ended up with run of the mill pisswater beer. I'm not sure they served anything better. I ordered the Deep Sea platter and was looking forward to a fine meal, instead I got mostly french fries that were so overcooked as to be inedible, clams that were anything but "juicy" as advertised, and haddock fried inches away from incineration. The only redeeming feature of the meal was the Digby scallops which must have been cooked separately...they were quite nice. It was evident to me that the fryolator oil was past its sell by date, it's too bad the cook didn't notice.
My companion's meal, while digestible, was a disappointment. She found that the garlic in her seafood dish so overpowered the lobster, it might as well have been pollock.
I am from the New England seacoast and my meal would have been a hanging offense at home. Really, fried clams shouldn't snap like potato chips! I know now that I should have complained, instead of gamely trying to find something good about the meal...it doesn't always pay to be as polite as Canadians.
The irony is that the evening before we had a perfectly nice meal, complete with scallops and microbrewed beer at Tapps, a brewpub a block away. We spent a 3rd of the price of Billy's Seafood and actually enjoyed our meal. And our feet touched the floor. What's with the chairs anyway, Billy? Leave a Comment Theme: SeafoodPrice: US$21-30 » Currency ConverterComparison: more expensive than averageAddress: SAINT JOHN, NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA
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| | | | Mediterranean Restaurant: Greek, Italian, and Canadian cuisine | Satisfaction: | | | | |
The Mediterranean Restaurant has been in the same location in Saint John since 1971.
The first time I ate there was over 20 yrs ago, but I recently had an opportunity to return there after all that time. The place underwent some major interior renovations in recent years, and it is a very nice place.
At one end of the building is the Blue Olive pub, where they have live entertainment on certain days of the week. When I was there with my wife during the middle of the week, there was a bowling crowd in the pub doing some celebrating, so it was a bit on the noisy side.
The restaurant's menus include breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as a kids menu. They also offer take-out and delivery. They don't open until late in the morning, so it isn't a very popular place as a breakfast spot.
The staff was friendly, polite, and attentive.
We had the Chicken Cacciatore, and the New York Striploin with brown rice. Both meals were good-sized portions, tasty, and arrived hot. Those, along with a drink each, cost us around CAD$40.00.
The price range of the dinner entrées was from just less than $11.00, to just under $18.00 for either the Seafood Platter, or the Roast Prime Rib of Beef. Most entrées were between $11. to $13. This was quite reasonable, when compared to some restaurants right downtown, where the same meals would likely cost $20.
Some of the other dinner meals they offer include broiled salmon, fried scallops, BBQ chicken, Chicken Souvlaki, Moussaka, steaks, stir-fry, ham, and pork chops. The lunch menu includes sandwiches such as a clubhouse, Souvlaki on pita, chicken rolls, and a variety of hot sandwiches.
Overall, my wife and I enjoyed our dining experience here, but if I'm going to deduct points, it will be for two reasons:
1) there isn't much of a divider between the restaurant area and the pub area. If you're looking for a quiet dinner, you might be somewhat disappointed, depending on how busy the Blue Olive is;
2) we found the washrooms were not well tended to. The sinks didn't look like they had been cleaned in hours, and it wasn't busy when we were there. Leave a Comment Theme: Eclectic/InternationalPrice: US$11-20 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: 419 Rothesay Ave., Saint John, NBPhone: (506)-634-3183Directions: Watch for it along the north side of Rothesay Avenue. Nice big sign out front, so you won't miss it.Website: www.medrestaurant.com
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