Murray Premises
Ph. 726-5791
If the Hungry Fisherman did not exist, someone would have to
create it. Otherwise, there would be no restaurant specializing in seafood in
one of the oldest fishing ports on the continent. That would be akin to not
having a steakhouse in Calgary; and they have plenty, believe me.
Given the history of the Murray Premises, the structure that
hosts the Hungry Fisherman, it might be difficult to come up with a location
more appropriate; unless it was placed on the harbour apron itself. However, a
restaurant specializing in steak (likely from Alberta) not seafood, occupies
that particular piece of real estate. The Murray Premises offers a setting with
a history of being associated with Newfoundland’s fishing industry for at least
one hundred years. For example (among other uses) the old mercantile buildings
warehoused fish and fishing supplies.
The Hungry Fisherman is adjacent to the Murray Premises
Courtyard on the ground floor. The timber frame walls of stone and brick, found
throughout the entire mall, can also be found in the Hungry Fisherman,
considerably softened by low lighting and decorative touches. The restaurant is
on two levels. A tiered portion, a few feet above the main floor, is situated
at the end of the restaurant. My guest and I sat in a small room off the main
dining area. It accommodated about four tables. We were seated at a table next
to fishing net (strewn with Christmas tree decorations) hung from an adjacent
wall. Fishing net decorations in a seafood restaurant? It’s a cliché. I’m not
sure whether I was amused to see such a thing in a higher end restaurant in
2004, or, disappointed by the obvious lack of imagination (also expressed in
their method of Christmas decorating).
We started with a glass each of the Robert Mondovi Coastal,
sauvignon blanc. It was nice to see a favourite wine of mine being sold by the
glass. Arriving soon after the wine was a basket containing only three rolls,
an odd number. (Were we supposed to flip a coin to see who got the third roll?
We were starving and both wanted the roll. All of it!) The rolls were hot and
tasty but not unique. They were the same type of dinner rolls found in many
restaurants these days, probably purchased frozen and raw, then baked off at
service.
I could not resist the Hungry Fisherman’s appetizer, a
lobster and jalapeno purse. The purse was made from phyllo pastry. I love
lobster and I love phyllo, so this was a dead easy choice for yours truly.
Sadly, instead of containing mostly lobster, the phyllo purse contained mostly
cream cheese with a few shreds of lobster mixed in. In my view, a product as
delicate and mildly flavoured as lobster should never be mixed or paired with
something as thick, heavy and overbearing as cream cheese. It results in a dish
as subtle as a sledgehammer. I liked the idea of it. It had the potential to be
something extraordinary. The purse looked deliciously plump sitting on a plate
painted with a bright sauce that tasted of orange zest and orange juice. It was
decorated with carefully positioned orange slices as well. But, as I said, the
purse was full with cream cheese, not lobster meat. (I’m reminded of the line,
“You can’t make a silk purse out of…”) It’s a purse, to be sure, but NOT a lobster
purse. However, as a purse of primarily cream cheese with fruit sauce, it was
quite tasty.
My guest decided to prime his digestive system with a quite
satisfactory warm scallop salad. The ocean scallops were served on a bed of
tender baby spinach. The seafood and greens were further flavoured with
balsamic vinaigrette. I had a nibble and thought it was fine.
Having gotten past the preliminaries, the “trailers” and
being quite settled in, we were now ready for the “feature presentation,” the
entrees. Being a longtime fan of one of the truly classic liqueurs, Grand
Marnier, I selected an item called, shrimp and scallop Grand Marnier. What it
lacked in presentation it made up for in taste and sheer quantity. They may
have scrimped on the lobster purse but the huge mound of orange and liqueur
scented juicy shrimps and scallops on my plate belied any perceived parsimony
in the kitchen. Croquette potato was served with the shellfish. It’s a bit
retro but I enjoyed the nostalgia of tasting those breaded, deep-fried balls of
mashed potato again.
Being a salmon lover (Atlantic salmon at least) my guest
ordered the blackened salmon. The exterior of the salmon was…well…charred. I
guess if I were into blackened food I would probably say something like, “I
thought the blackening of the salmon was perfection itself!” However, what I can say without equivocation
is that, apart from its exterior, the salmon was cooked to perfection. It was
moist and delicate, a real treat. (However, I still don’t get the attraction of
“blackened” food. To me, it’s burnt food…period.)
Desserts at the Hungry Fisherman are nothing if not extreme,
in one direction or another. Take their Newfoundland Screech chocolate pie. In
reality it is a bottle of Screech masquerading as a pie. I’m serious. This
thing should come with a warning…”Flammable when lit” or “Do not consume if
driving.” All I could taste was rum, rum, and rum. I think there was a hint of
chocolate in there somewhere but I’m not sure. However, if you happen to like a
little chocolate with your rum, then by all means…go for it. Trust me, you’ll
never forget it.
My dinner guest tried the Newfoundland berry crumble. It was
fabulous. It was warm, fresh and bursting with berries and juice. I’ve never
eaten a better crumble, unless you count my very first crumble at age five.
That’s when my sister took me from my kindergarten class at Harrington to her
school, Prince of Wales College, next door. It was lunchtime. I remember she
sat me down in the basement cafeteria and fed me my first piece of apple
crumble. I thought the lady working there must have been some sort of sorcerer
cook. I had never tasted anything so good in my life. The Hungry Fisherman’s
crumble was in good company.
Our meal for two at the Hungry Fisherman, including two glasses
of the Mondovi sauvignon blanc, a bottle of Stonehaven red, and tip cost
$169.90.
Best Points:
Service at the Hungry Fisherman was good and their portion
sizes were generous.
Areas for Improvement:
Food presentation, or the way food appears on the plate, needs some attention. This is important because we eat first with our eyes.
Ratings Category:
Based on service and the overall quality of their food, I’m giving the Hungry Fisherman 8 points out of 10.