I was fortunate to be able to dine at two of Canada’s up and coming restaurants while in St. John’s recently – @portagerestaurant and @terre_restaurant . Portage Restaurant terre.restaurant
Food was exceptional in both.
Wonderful to see a burgeoning restaurant scene in St. John’s after the pandemic, which was so cruel to many fine establishments.
Portage recently opened, and is run by chef Ross Larkin, former chef de cuisine of the iconic Raymond’s , and winner of “top chef in Canada” – along with his wife Celeste Mah, top pastry chef in Canada.
Terre is run by chef Matt Swift, who’d run the kitchen at Joe Beef in Montreal before coming to NL. Terre has been named one of Canada’s top new restaurants.
Go hungry!
If you’d like to try some of those wonderful restaurants in St. John’s, also also have some of the best fresh cod all around the island (and shrimp and scallops, and, depending on season, lobster), you really should come to Newfoundland with me next May.
I’ll be returning to Newfoundland in May 2023 with another group of clients. This time, we’ll add a day for the iceberg festival.
I have 3 rooms left.
Newfoundland & Labrador with Iceberg Festival May 2023
The tour dates are: MAY 29 – JUNE 10, 2023
per person rate, based on double occupancy:
$4,637.71/p CAD
$4,637.71/p CAD
(This excludes prepaid gratuities, air, transfers, and insurance.)
What a wonderful trip I just had with some clients to Newfoundland, and I can’t wait to return.
We had an absolutely fantastic time, and travelled over 2300 km over 12 days. It was spectacular.
I’d previously taken some clients on a circumnavigation cruise of Newfoundland (my home province), and while that was fantastic, and I was worried about doing a motorcoach tour, I was blown away. We saw so much more of my home province by having the time to go interior.
We travelled from Corner Brook (my home town) to visit the Bay of Islands, and then headed to Gros Morne, and up the Northern Peninsula into Labrador. We saw 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites at the Whaling Museum in Red Bay, Labrador; the Viking Settlement at L’anse aux Meadows; and the Tablelands at Gros Morne.
We did boat tours at Bonne Bay in Gros Morne, as well as Witless Bay bird sanctuary on the Avalon peninsula.
We toured Twillingate and Bonavista and Trinity.
And we had a grand time in St. John’s.
I’ve had clients consider this trip, and worried about the amount of time on the bus (given the distance we covered). But the bus stops at least every 1.5-2.0 hours for a comfort stop, if not a visit to a spot along the way.
I really had a great time, shared my insights and my family history, and had a great tour guide, bus drive, and some local guides along the way share history and details of the cod fishery, the resettlement program, how Canada came to join Newfoundland (it’s own country) in 1949, etc. etc.
Most of the clients onboard had never been to Newfoundland before, and were so surprised by the natural beauty and the craggy coast – plus the resilience of a people who kept getting beat down, but kept getting up and helping each other.
Great scenery, wonderful food, terrific music, and wonderful camaraderie.
Honestly, if you want to go to Newfoundland, let me know this week, and secure your spot to come with me in Newfoundland.