If the walls could speak at Blomidon Inn, I’m sure it would
have stories to tell. From its construction as the Burgess family’s private
home in the late 1800s, it has gone on to serve as apartments, the residence
for Acadian University girls, before finally becoming the current inn in 1980.
The main floor of the ornate inn is largely used as the
dining area for their restaurant. Where you can enjoy a 3-course meal
($62.50). Or add an extra $2.50 to receive a small salad course between the
main and dessert. For those want a smaller dinner, dishes are also available a
la carte (prices reflected in this post).
Their tomato bruschetta ($14) uses a decadent whipped
ricotta as the base, building upon the classic ingredients of cherry tomatoes, herbs,
and a balsamic reduction. With tons of flavours and not as messy to eat, this
was a wonderful starting bite.
Arriving as a big chunk, the maple smoked salmon ($14) could benefit
from a bit of preparation to present it in a crostini form. The candy sweet
salmon was powerful on its own but balances out with the maple yogurt sauce and
baguette. A bit of pickled red onion and/or arugula would add some freshness
the dish needs.
Save some of that bread for the steamed mussels ($14),
classically prepared in a white wine and garlic broth. I rather enjoyed the
bell pepper used throughout for colour and added flavour. The mussels just
needed to be soaked longer as they were still several gritty crustaceans.
You can’t go wrong with seafood in Nova Scotia. The pan
seared halibut ($37) was perfectly cooked to a flaky and moist consistency.
The thick meaty piece could use more seasoning but if you get enough of the
‘hodge podge’, a medley of vegetables cooked in a cream sauce, onto the fish it
helps to add flavour.
The scallops in the scallops picatta ($37) were
beautifully seared and just cooked through. The natural sweetness of the
seafood was also prominent since the lemon caper sauce used with the pappardelle
wasn’t too strong. With a touch more salt, this dish would have been
perfect.
While the lobster linguine ($44; $7 supplement
with the prix fixe) smelled good, the dish was majorly lacking on taste.
The spaghetti was overcooked, and everything screamed for more seasoning,
butter, and acid. My nose was more impressed than the tongue.
The grilled filet of beef ($44; $7 supplement with the prix
fixe) was a touch over cooked but nevertheless tender and did have a nice
crust. I just found the sides of mashed potato and carrot date puree to be too
similar and soft. And the red wine jus and bourbon bacon butter was
non-existent on the dish. Like the other mains, it was bland.
If you still have room for dessert, I’d recommend the fruit
cobbler ($14), which contained tons of berries while still leaving the
sweet biscuit on top not overly soggy. Served warm, the vanilla ice cream adds
a lovely cooling sensation and creaminess as it melts into the dessert.
Blomidon’s crème brûlée ($14) had a nice thin sugar
crust and was flavourful of its own. The side of lemon curd was a nice touch,
so you can combine into the brûlée to help balance out the sweetness.
If you like graham cracker crust, you’ll love the blueberry
cheesecake ($14) since it has a thick portion of the pastry. The cake
itself was a nice balance of sweetness and thickness. In the end, a solid
cheesecake with plenty of blueberry flavour.
How anyone could even manage to eat a quarter of the chocolate
mousse cake ($14) is a mystery. I could only manage one bite, the cake so
thick and dense it’s like eating the chocolate ganache centre of a truffle. The
intensity certainly didn’t make it very mousse like. Pack this up and you can have
a couple bites per day to get a chocolate fix.
While the food wasn’t the greatest at Blomidon Inn, after a
day of wine tasting, it was a treat to not have to leave the inn after
showering and relaxing. Plus, after the filling meal, we could easily just roll
into the sitting room to continue our conversation. After just spending a day
in Wolfville, we had our own new stories to tell.
In a nutshell...
- Must order: tomato bruschetta, pan seared halibut, fruit cobbler
- Just skip: lobster linguine, chocolate mousse cake
Overall mark - 6 out of 10
How To Find Them
Location: Wolfville, Canada
Address: 195 Main Street
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Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
Is That It? I Want More!
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