Rock Island Cafe
6293 Quinpool Road, Halifax
406-4387
Rating: ***
Signature Drink: Dark ’n Stormy
Signature Dish: Bermuda Fishcakes
Dinner & drinks for 2: $50
Rock Island is a colourful café, a few steps below street level, with bright photos of Bermuda and four large television screens. There is also the fastest moving server I’ve seen in this town — knowledgeable and personable, he’s a gem.
I once enjoyed a tasty chicken soup here. This time my pal and I share Bermuda Fishcakes ($8). This mix of salt cod, potatoes and onion, with an accompanying mayo, proves to be our favourite dish — crisp on the outside, they are scrumptious.
Chicken Roti ($12 with salad) is a large tortilla shell stuffed with plenty of chick peas and potato and not enough chicken. It surprisingly lacks spice.
The evening special is a Shrimp Pasta ($10), fettuccine in a cream sauce with cocktail shrimp and bits of broccoli. It also needs more flavour.
For dessert we share the Bermuda Bomber Dark Chocolate Molten Cake ($5). Buried under a large scoop of vanilla ice cream, the cake is rubbery and bombs with us.
We leave wishing the food were as impressive as our stellar server.
Dining out
Sandra Gardner Is The Best
Sandra Gardner from The Five Fishermen restaurant, 1740 Argyle St., was presented with a Taste of Nova Scotia 2009 Prestige Award for Restaurant Server of the Year at a ceremony Nov. 5. Visit fivefisher men.com or call 422-4421.
Top Cuisine
Chives Canadian Bistro, 1537 Barrington St., won Taste of Nova Scotia’s Cuisine of the Year, while Restaurant Le Caveau in Grand Pre won Restaurant of the Year. Visit www.chives.ca or call 420-9626. Visit grandprewines.ns.ca
