50-60 Commonwealth Ave.
Mount Pearl
Ph. 368-3494
Around the World is a clever name for an eatery but it takes
a lot of chutzpah to think your restaurant has what it takes to live up to that
moniker. Why not call it, Crossing Canada, Negotiating North America, or
Meandering the Middle East? Well…maybe not. But it is a tall order to provide a
menu that actually serves patrons a variety of dishes that closely match those
of many different cultures. It’s almost impossible to achieve, no matter who
you are.
I live in the west end of St. John’s and there aren’t a lot
of restaurants (apart from fast-food ones) in my part of town. Occasionally,
I’ll venture across the border and visit Mount Pearl to try some of their eateries.
(They don’t have many, but the number is growing.) Around the World was a
recent stop. It can be found tucked away at the southern end of a strip mall on
Commonwealth Avenue. An RNC community police station occupies space at the
other end.
On Thursday evenings Around the World features live acoustic guitar music. The night I visited a young MUN music student named Matthew Walsh was performing. He was very good. The music was expertly played, graceful and unobtrusive. I found it melodious and relaxing. Unfortunately, because the restaurant features mostly booth seating, with each table separated by high dividers, most diners were unable to see Matthew. He was forced to play from a booth where the table had been temporarily removed. However, I doubt it bothered the besotted couples seated in my section of the room. They were totally engrossed in one another’s company, nursing coffees and nibbling desserts, the sum of their orders. I can’t blame them. After all, what could be better than sharing chocolate eruption cheesecake with your inamorato at a private booth, in a remote corner of a cozy restaurant, while listening to romantic guitar music? As a night out, it’s pretty good value for money too.
In reality, Around the World does not make many foreign culinary excursions with its menu, just a few quick jaunts to places like Italy, Mexico and Thailand. All of the dishes they serve are pretty much the standard Canadianized ones you find in many restaurants around these parts. For example, they serve fettuccini, lasagna, enchiladas, and Thailand chicken (as well as Jamaican
jerk chicken, and Greek lemon chicken).
I found some of the cocktails on offer intriguing. One had such a provocative title, even though I wanted to try it, I couldn’t summon the nerve to ask. It was called Sex on the Beach. Eventually I chose the safer sounding Around the World cocktail. It was a summery concoction containing Amaretto, grenadine, citrus, and 7-Up. The drink was light and fizzy with just enough sweetness and, happily, the flavour of the Amaretto did not overpower. I like almonds but I don’t much care for almond flavourings.
My appetizer was steamed mussels with a white wine sauce (served on the side). The mussels themselves were absolutely extraordinary. They were, without doubt, the biggest mussels I have ever seen, easily twice the size of an average mussel. I don’t know how they got to be so big but they were delicious, meaty and full of mussel flavour. The sauce was just the right accompaniment. It was creamy and discreetly seasoned with herbs and a hint of white wine.
The Texas ribs were advertised as being “grilled” and “basted” in Texas style BBQ sauce. I doubt mine were. The ribs I was served showed no signs of having been grilled or basted. They were pale and did not bear the telltale signs of grilling, no grill marks, charring, caramelization, or smoky aroma. I suspect they were steamed until tender and plated with some sort of prepared BBQ sauce poured over top. True Texas style BBQ ribs would have been nicely browned, crunchy on the outside, messy, sticky and intoxicatingly smoky. That said, they were tasty enough and contained fewer calories than the authentic version; which meant I wouldn’t have to exercise like a demon the next day to burn them off. The ribs were served with superb coleslaw, fresh with lots of crunchy texture. I was disappointed in the carrots. They were mostly tasteless and soggy. The baked potato was another story…
Like the mussels, the baked potato on my plate was the biggest single tuber I have ever been served in a commercial dining establishment. It towered over the rest of the food like some vegetable Everest. It came swathed in tin foil, which, for some reason, made it look even more intimidating. Not surprisingly, it was undercooked. It was so big they probably would have had to extend business hours to cook it properly. (Okay, that was a slight exaggeration but my spud could easily have taken another thirty to forty-five minutes in the oven.) My single glass of Lindeman’s shiraz/cabernet was not enough to wash it down. I should have ordered a flagon, at least.
My guest did not travel to the “land of the giants” for his meal. The pad Thai looked much more demure. It was a delicious mixture of chicken, peanuts, garlic, peppers, and rice noodles in a mildly spicy sauce. I’ve never been to Thailand but if I were served this dish there I would be quite happy.
Dessert was an odd assembly. I ordered a fresh fruit and yogurt crepe. I imagined I would get a light crepe filled with fresh fruit and a spoonful of yogurt, with, perhaps, some decorative squirts of raspberry coulis on the bottom of the plate. What I received was far from that. The plate was filled with a sea of pink strawberry sauce containing bits of canned pineapple and mandarin orange sections. Lying underneath all of the pink sauce was a crepe filled with nothing more than yogurt. The crepe was surrounded with so much moisture that it had reverted to a soggy, almost raw state. The whole affair tasted more like fruit soup than fruit crepe.
I liked Around the World for what it is. It’s an unpretentious little bistro that serves good, modestly priced food. And, it’s a place where you’re able to have a quiet conversation without too many distractions, unless, of course, you find potatoes the size of Bell Island distracting.
Our meal for two at Around the World including cocktails, wine, and tip cost $75.49.
Best points:
Around the World has a warm and intimate atmosphere. I also liked the friendly, quick service.
Areas for Improvement:
Don’t improvise desserts. It’s the concluding item and a meal should end on a high note. Think about scaling back your menu. Concentrate on preparing your most popular dishes.
Ratings Category:
Around the World gets 7 points out of 10.