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Before the quarantine began Aunt Gloria and I finally got to have our lunch date at St. John’s Fish Exchange @sjfxofficial - it was something I had promised a long time ago, but time and circumstances kept delaying it. We were thoroughly impressed by the service and the food was spectacular. We’ll be back! #sjfx #yyt #yyteats @downtownst.johns #downtownstjohns https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Sv_W0B9xl/?igshid=zothji2vzvmh

#sjfx #yyt #yyteats #downtownstjohns

Exchanging Fish

If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, you know that I have never been a fish fan. As a result I have studiously avoided St. John’s Fish Exchange, assuming that there would be little on the menu that appealed. Recently I’ve been trying to expand my palate, and when my top 3 choices for a birthday dinner were not available (including one cancelling literally the same day), I figured it was time to give it a shot.

SJFX, as it is colloquially known, has an interesting atmosphere. It certainly has a nautical feel, but also has elements of an avant garde hotel lounge. The layout is a little unusual, but not enough to be a detriment.

I started with the carrot coconut ginger soup. As much as I detest shredded coconut, the flavour and creaminess of coconut milk is one of my absolute favourite tastes in savoury dishes. Carrot and ginger are a great combo, and this soup was delightful. Thicker than I expected, but warming and creamy. Exactly what you want on a very, very cold January night. The soup was definitely elevated by adding fresh ground pepper, with the kick offsetting the expected sweetness from carrot and coconut milk.

The choice for the main course was not a simple one, but I was sucked in by the promise of jambalaya. The flavours were well constructed, but the heat was a little too much and that detracted from the overall flavour.

Now, even with my expanded palate I still find myself unable to stomach shrimp. Having excluded that from my dish might have affected that overall impression, but I can’t fight the feeling (any more...) that this just wasn’t that good. The pasta was a touch overcooked but not falling apart by any means. Maybe a little less cayenne, replacing it with more garlic or even some lemon, would really have stepped that up a level.

The older I get, the less I find I enjoy most desserts. As good as this giant brownie looks, it was a bit too sweet for me. It was gooey and dense as any good brownie should be, but I would greatly have preferred a coffee flavouring in it. Then again, when can I not say that?

One notable thing that happened was that I was able to try some scallops on the night and...I have been missing out. It might just be that they were perfectly cooked and I won’t often find them that tasty, but the sear on them was great and the texture was not at all as rubbery as I expected.

All told, I will almost definitely be going back to SJFX to try again. Nothing was bad, and although I was somewhat disappointed with my order, that could be due to changing it from the intended presentation or residual disappointment from not being able to go where I actually wanted to go. Most of the gang really enjoyed their meals, so that says a lot. You can do a lot worse.

#yyteats #lansdelliciouseats #sjfx #St. John's Fish Exchange #food

Just hangin’ out #restaurant #selfie #sjfx (at St. John's Fish Exchange Kitchen & Wet Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5v4WgpHcpSJm5H5ci9_1pG4sCOrWGONs7pGqc0/?igshid=16d9nrl0hjsu4

#restaurant #selfie #sjfx