Curated Food Tours
Best of Spring Garden Food Tour
TASTY ADVENTURING IN HALIFAX
BY LOLA AUGUSTINE BROWN
PHOTOS MICHELLE DOUCETTE
To me, this is one of the best restaurants in the province right now,” Alexander Henden tells our group as he guides us through an alley to Smyrna Restaurant on Dresden Row, “You’re going to love this.” Inside we’re treated to a mezze plate piled with Mediterranian classics like hummus, baba ganoush, and sauteed eggplant, but also mounds of food I’ve never tried before, including a beet puree yogurt dip and a richly spiced quinoa that is absolutely delicious. I mop up every last morsel and smear of dip with the basket of oven-warm flatbread. I had no idea Smyrna even existed and—at stop two on the Best of Spring Garden Road food tour— felt like Henden had shared the kind of place that only a local would know.
Meze plate at Smyrna Restaurant
Truth be told, I am a local, but I’m not plugged into the food scene in Halifax like Henden, so accompanying him as he shows off his favourite spots was three hours of epicurean pleasure. Besides, like many people, I get stuck in ruts, eating out at places I already know or choosing cuisines I think are my favourite. Going on a food tour in Halifax enabled me to expand my horizons and find new favourites.
Plus, I am a great fan of food tours. When I travel, I always try to take one because I feel like they are the fastest way to get to know what a place is really like. Tours give you a deeper dive into the destination than just ambling around solo. Taking the tour early in the season, our group was small but fun, and we had plenty of laughs as we stuffed our faces and received an introduction to both the neighbourhood and food scene in the city as a whole.
Chef Michael Toker at Smyrna Restaurant
From the top
Meeting Henden at 2 p.m. outside of Indochine Bahn Mi on South Park, I knew I’d love our first course. At Indochine, they use the softest white bread rolls that go perfectly with the spicy fillings, and I’ve enjoyed everything I’d ever eaten there. Henden introduced the restaurant and cuisine and warned that ordering anything spicy at Indochine was only for those who could truly handle it. I ordered medium spice and the Korean BBQ Pork Bahn Mi was spicy enough for me. The pork was tender, topped with pickled daikon and carrot, cucumber, and housemade citrus mayo that cut the heat and rounded the ingredients out to give a perfect, mild burn. Served a half-sandwich (because portions there are always generous) and an iced Vietnamese coffee that perfectly accompanies the spiciness of the food. We left not-too-full and raring to go for our tasting plate at Smyrna, where I tried to pace myself, knowing there were still six more stops to go.
Albap at Kanpai Izakaya
From Smyrna, we walked a few doors down to Kanpai Izakaya—a Japanese-style bar with Korean owners—somewhere I’d wanted to visit. “The food here is incredible, and they have a huge range of sake,” Henden explained. Here we were getting Albap, a variation on Bibimbap, served in a piping hot rock bowl. We couldn’t see the rice below the pork, crab, kimchi, vegetables, salmon roe, and perfect orange egg yolk. Henden recommended scraping the rice from the bottom as we mixed everything together to ensure we got the crispy bits that had sizzled against the stone. The mix of textures and flavours in the Albap was intense and different from anything I’ve had before. I didn’t love it, but I’m glad I tried it, and when I quizzed my tour mates about their favourite dish of the day, they all said the Albap, so I was the odd one out on that count. As we were leaving, we commented how fun it would be to spend more time there working our way through the Japanese and Korean dishes menu, but we had a schedule to stick to and plenty more to come.
Curated Tasting Flight at Bulwark Cider House
Cider and cocktails
From Kanpai Izakaya, we crossed the street to Bulwark Cider House, taking a pew at the wooden farmhouse table in front of the fireplace. It’s a warm and welcoming tasting room, and Henden had pre-selected his four favourite Bulwark ciders for our group to try—Classic, Pear, Strawberry Rhubarb, and Winter. As a non-drinker, I enjoyed a full-sized glass of Bulwark’s (reasonably new) de-alcoholized cider, which was excellent and tasted just like regular alcoholic cider. Sitting there and sipping was a perfect way to give our full bellies a break before devouring more delicious eats.
Our other boozy part of the tour came last when we headed to Le Bistro by Liz for a slice of their legendary and incredibly decadent lemon-parfait pie. This was served with a light and fruity Le Bistro Martini made with Chambord Raspberry Liqueur, vodka and pineapple juice that perfectly matched the tartness of the lemon in the pie. Liz herself came over to chat, explaining how the recipe for the pie dated to the 60s and was found in an old filing cabinet by the chef of the original Le Bistro (where Liz worked as general manager in the 90s).
Bolognese Tagliatelle at La Frasca Cibi + Vini
Meats and carbs
My two favourite dishes came from somewhere I had eaten before, the consistently excellent La Frasca - Cibi + Vini, and somewhere I’d never considered: Primal Kitchen. I devoured the Tagliatelle con Funghi di Bosco at La Frasca, which was a creamy delight with wild mushrooms, speck (a lightly cured Italian ham), caramelized shallots, Port, cream, and parmesan. At Primal Kitchen, we were served a crunchy tostada piled high with braised and pulled boar, lettuce, tomato salsa, mustard, chipotle aioli, and sour cream. That tostada was absolute perfection and made me determined to return for a proper meal and try more from their everything housemade and cured carnivorous menu.
When the last morsel of that lemon parfait pie was eaten, and it was time to say goodbye, we swapped contact info and vowed to stay in touch. It’s hard to stay strangers when sharing amazing food and stories for three hours, especially when you’ve got an engaging host leading you on a culinary adventure in a city they love to share with locals and visitors alike.
Tour Group on the Steps at Smyrna
Braised Pork Tostada at Primal Kitchen
Lemon Parfait Pie and Le Bistro Martini
Tour Group on Spring Garden Road
