A culinary adventure to the Mediterranean!

It was an important route for merchants and travelers of ancient times that allowed for trade and cultural exchange between emergent peoples of the region — the Persian, Egyptian, Iberian, Greek and Byzantine, Roman and Italian, Levantine, Gallic, Armenian, Arabic, Berber, Jewish and Turkish cultures. The history of the Mediterranean region is crucial to understanding the origins and development of many modern societies. We will be showcasing a number of different regions cuisine, be prepared to experience a wide variety of dishes.

Mediterranean cuisine is characterized by its flexibility with a range of ingredients, its many regional variations and the wide use of olive oil, garlic, fish and vegetables in its cuisine.

This week for our feature menu we will introduce a few menu items that exhibit what an authentic old world Mediterranean dish should look and taste like. Here are a few samples from our upcoming menu:

Dolmades – Short-grain rice and fresh herbs wrapped in tender grape leaves and simmered gently in a flavorful chicken broth. Served with tzatziki.

Chicken Marrakech – Lightly braised chicken, sweet bell peppers, and garbanzo beans with an earthy Moroccan spice blend in a flavorful chicken stock. Served over saffron and toasted almond couscous and finished with Greek yogurt

Lamb Souvlaki – Large pieces of lamb marinated in olive oil, lemon juice and oregano, then skewered and grilled on our char broiler. Served with a yogurt garlic sauce and wilted spinach with olives 

Kompeka – A rich chocolate cake sandwiched between layers of phyllo pastry and drizzled with a spiced syrup


Keep in mind that we will be closed to the public this Friday , December 16th, but we will be taking reservations for Thursday, and you will get another chance to book on the 22nd and the 23rd. What a nice reward for completing all of your season's shopping!

This week, a trip to Mexico!

Mexican cuisine, not to be confused with Tex-Mex cuisine, which is often referred to as "Mexican food" in the U.S. and Canada, is known for its varied flavors, colourful decoration and variety of spices and ingredients, most of which are native to the country.

The cuisine of Mexico has evolved through thousands of years of blending indigenous cultures with later foreign elements. It has a long and flavourful history, and we will be showing what a real Mexican meal looks like this week for our evening service, here’s a quick peek at what we are offering;

Canaron y Vieira ponzole

Shrimp and scallop posole

Carne Adobada: A la parrilla marinado Adoba carne lomo de frijol negro y cebollin cauterizada

Grilled adoba marinated striploin steak with black beans and seared scallions

Tostadas de frijol negro con salsa de tomatillo asado y guacamole fresco

Black bean tostados with roasted tomatatillo sauce and fresh guacamole

Canela churros con chocolate caliente con especias

Cinnamon churros with spiced hot chocolate

Reservations are strongly recommended, 681-3225

Our second week of Italian is here!

We did it…our first feature weekend of spectacular Italian cuisine went brilliantly.

If you were unable to enjoy Chef Thorsen's zesty pomodoro or succulent calamari, you have the opportunity to savour it this Thursday or Friday because we have held it over for one more week…fear not though, if you can’t make it, then you will have to plan to visit us the first week of every month when Italian will be the feature of the week, followed by Mexican delights on week two, then Mediterranean delicacies on week three, and finally exotic Indian on week four of every month.

Here is a sampling of what to expect for this weekend’s menu:

Calamari con menta e aglio con salsa di pomodor

Fresh calamari marinated with egg yolks and cream, dredged in bread crumb and then lightly fried topped with fresh lemon & mint and accompanied by a marinara sauce

Gnocchi di Patate con Ragù de Carne

Handmade potato gnocchi in a rich Bolognese sauce with Grana Padano Parmesan cheese

Spaghettini con sugo Carne de Pomodoro

Spaghettini topped with a zesty pork and beef tomato ragù

Bavavese al ciocclato bianco, nocciola con de lampin

White chocolate hazelnut Bavarian served with a raspberry coulis

We look forward to you joining us for a spectacular night of fine cuisine. 

Reservations are strongly recommended, get them by calling 681-3225

Italiana is here!!

This week we begin rotating themes for our evening service, and the first theme we will be experimenting with is Italiana.


It sounds simple, I realize, but trust us when we say that there is a little bit more involved than simply tossing dried store bought pasta into a pot and opening a can of tomato sauce.


Knowing that we should turn to the experts for a bit of advice we contacted Chef Lanfranco Nardi of the   Italian Cultural Association of Nova Scotia, and asked him to come in and show us the essence of "La Cucina d’Italia".


The pasta itself is a tricky business if you don't know what you're doing, it's more involved that the three simple ingredients imply. The art to making great pasta is two fold. First you need to use the highest quality ingredients you can find, farm fresh eggs being key. Next you need to practice, practice, practice. It can be tempermental, and making a great fresh pasta is done almost completely by touch. Next you have to think about proper sauces, fresh quality herbs and techniques in the kitchen! Italian cuisine is something that is easy to do, but furiously hard to do right!


On November 24th and 25th we will launch the first menu of a series that will be indicative of what we will be presenting in the future, you do not want to miss this! So call us right away for a reservation, we only have a few seats in the cafe to use, and you don't want to have to wait four weeks for a brilliant Italian meal!

We've only a few tables, and without a reservation we can't guarantee you a spot for the event.