Dining Out

Karl Wells

A Pub with Grub

Nautical Nellies

201 Water Street

Ph. 738-1120

There’s a term - originally coined in England - going about these days: gastro pub. It refers to pubs that sell food that’s a notch or two up from a soup and sandwich or burger and fries. Many of these pubs not only sell high-end food, they also try to create dishes that match the various beers and wines they sell.

I’d been wondering whether we had any gastro pubs around here (God knows, we have plenty of watering holes) Then I remembered a downtown pub whose name keeps getting mentioned to me over and over for having really good food. It’s called Nautical Nellies.

I checked it out with a companion the other evening. Signs were good. The place was filled with people waiting for tables. A look ‘round gave me the impression this was a pub with lots of regular customers. Many of the contented punters seemed to be so comfortably settled that you’d almost expect a particular person’s wrist, arm or elbow to fit perfectly into the worn grooves of various bits of furniture.

The place had lots of dark wood, Kelly green walls and all sorts of bric-a-brac that I’m sure no decorator had a hand in. Yet, the overall effect was quite charming. I especially liked the models of two and three masted sailing vessels that sat atop booth dividers. Eventually we were seated at a table for two at the back of the pub, next to a picture of RMS Titanic. Before long, menus were under our noses and we began the job of figuring out what to have.

My guest has a dairy allergy and was having difficulty finding a dairy-free appetizer. I suggested he ask if Nautical Nellies could do their “mussels in cream sauce” without the cream. Our server quickly obliged by offering to steam them in white wine.

The mussels arrived beautifully arranged on a plate with a garnish of lemon slices on top. It was a generous helping. They were fat and flavourful with plenty of juice, inside and out. Steaming mussels in wine is a classic method, simple and very effective for imparting the shellfish with extra flavour.

The crab spring rolls looked good to me, so I tried them. They were quite tasty, well worth a go. Apart from the usual crunchy, papery golden fried wrapping, I mostly enjoyed the filling. It contained loads of real crabmeat. The meat was sweet and very well matched with a mild, super creamy aioli.

Shepherd’s pie is a general cafeteria staple all over the world. Thousands of pubs sell it too. Jacqueline Kennedy famously served it at lunchtime to guests who would visit her posh Fifth Avenue apartment. The standard recipe is ground meat in gravy topped with mashed potatoes, then baked until crispy golden on top. Usually the meat and gravy mixture contains some peas or chopped carrot. Nautical Nellies’ version came in a very small dish with a too white topping of mashed potato. The lack of browning meant the potato did not have much crispness and I couldn’t see any veg amongst the ground beef and runny gravy. Nautical Nellies’ shepherd’s pie was acceptable but certainly not sensational.

People have raved to me about the pan-fried cod at Nautical Nellies. I’m sure it is every bit as good as my friends tell me it is. I trust their judgment. However, I was keen to see what they could do with the more challenging “fish and chips.” Unfortunately, it was not as perfect as the pan-fried cod that people rave about. First of all, the battered fish that arrived at our table should never have left the kitchen. When making fish and chips you need to be very careful how you place the fish into the fat fryer. If the battered cod is too heavy it might sink to the bottom and stick to the fryer. Then the area stuck to the fryer will burn, burn absolutely black.

A portion of the battered coating on the fish we were served was charcoal black, not very appetizing. In my view the cook should have trashed the burnt fish and started over. At any rate, you should never send out food that is so obviously imperfect. The chips were not burnt but they were flavourless, extremely bland, so much so I found it difficult to eat them.

Nautical Nellies makes a selection of their own desserts, most notably cheesecake. I tasted a piece of their mild chocolate cheesecake topped with a coating made of smashed strawberries and raspberries. I was impressed by the lightness of the cake. It wasn’t at all cloying or heavy on the palate, as some are. This cheesecake was a delicious ending to our meal.

As a pub, Nautical Nellies is dandy. It’s fun, relaxing and lively. I’d tip a pint or two there any day of the week. Their food has its moments. I did thoroughly enjoy the mussels, crab spring rolls and dessert. They need to keep an eye to quality control however, starting with the fish and chips. I don’t think Nautical Nellies qualifies as a “gastro” pub quite yet but I do see potential.

Our meal, including four pints of draught and gratuity, cost $85.13.

The noise level at Nautical Nellies was moderate and it’s not wheelchair accessible.

Best Points:

Great service and atmosphere.

Areas for Improvement:

Don’t burn your fish and chips.

Ratings Category:

Nautical Nellies gets 7.5 points.

7 points = satisfactory, 7.5 points = good, 8 points = very good, 9 points = excellent, 10 points = perfection

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