284 Duckworth Street
Ph. 576-6500
In 1978 I purchased my first piece of serious
art from a place called The Gallery on Duckworth Street. Eventually that
business closed and the building at 284 Duckworth St. became the site of a few
different businesses. I'm delighted to say that the location is once again a
home of quality art...the kind you can eat. Magnum and Steins has a name that
suggests a blend of the casual and the formal. That may be the case with regard
to ambience and decor but make no mistake; there is nothing casual or laid-back
about this restaurant’s food.
As you enter Magnum and Steins you might think
you’ve stumbled into a rather dark and dreary place. You might even want to
turn around and leave. That would be a mistake. Just beyond the bleak main
floor bar is a spiral staircase that will take you to an upstairs dining room
and a singular dining experience. Without a doubt, Magnum and Steins produces
the best food I’ve tasted in St. John’s for a long time.
A charming, well-informed server named Guillaume
lost no time in taking our drinks order and delivering two types of bread for
us to munch on. We eagerly dipped the bread into a swirl of extra virgin olive
oil and rich balsamic vinegar. I enjoyed both breads, one a flavourful, herby
foccacia, the other whole wheat. Both were substantial, as opposed to airy,
especially the whole wheat. It was exactly the kind of bread we needed to sop
up that wonderful combination of oil and sweet vinegar. I felt a bead of oil
heading south down my chin but greedily pushed it back up into my mouth before
it could escape. By the way, all of Magnum and Steins’ bread is made on the
premises by their pastry chef, Krista. (All of their desserts are made fresh as
well but more on that later.)
I looked at the swirl of olive oil and rich
black vinegar against the white of its serving dish. The contrast was striking.
I also noticed the contrast between the neat pile of dark bread and the neat
pile of white bread. It occurred to me that the display set in front of us
perfectly matched the décor of the restaurant. Magnum and Steins dining room
presented a bold, pleasing contrast between dark and light. Silver and black
dominated. Tables and upholstered chairs were covered in black cloth, with
tables topped again with smaller silver cloths. The modern, beautifully
designed stainless steel flatware provided more contrast, and also matched the
stainless steel sheeting that covered sections of the room’s walls and ceiling.
I especially liked the lattice of stainless steel that dominated the room at
the top of the spiral staircase.
A gemstone masterfully cut and polished is
turned into a sparkling diamond. Substitute a basic plateful of meat and
potatoes for the gemstone and the analogy might yield something like Magnum and
Steins’ gnocchi with seared beef appetizer. Gnocchi is hand-made potato pasta.
In this case it was served atop thin strips of seared steak. The beef was
arranged in a pattern that made the gnocchi appear to be floating on a
starfish, a beautiful presentation. Creamy sauce flavoured with garlic,
shallots, mushroom slivers, fennel and Gouda provided a fitting coat for the
gnocchi. These gorgeous cushions of potato pasta seemed to melt in my mouth,
leaving a wonderful residue of sauce to tease the taste buds. The sauce also
complimented the perfectly seasoned, caramelized steak strips that balanced out
the dish. Magnum and Steins’ gnocchi and seared beef appetizer was merely the
overture in what would become a dining symphony.
My guest feasted on a plateful of large ocean
scallops with just a hint of browning at their edges. They were arranged around
a puff pastry centerpiece and drizzled with a light, sweet red pepper sauce
scented with the tiniest amount of Sambuca (an Italian licorice flavoured
liqueur). The sublime expression on his face as he ate, rendered words
unnecessary.
That expression remained unchanged through his main course, a beautiful slab of salmon fillet. The large piece of seared salmon dominated the plate as it rested on a combination of basmati and wild rice. Asparagus would have accompanied the entree except my friend requested a broccoli substitution. Chaqu’un a son gout. (I would have had the asparagus because, in my view, salmon is a fish that cannot only compete with, but also compliments the distinctive flavour of asparagus.) At any rate, he absolutely enjoyed every morsel of each floret and salmon flake. In between his relished mouthfuls he managed to make comments like, "Delicious!" and "Just right!"
My choice, a pan seared pork medallion with roasted sweet peppers was a tour de
force. A thick piece of pork sat atop a pile of freshly mashed potato. The pork
and potato were sufficiently flavourful. However, the dish was made
outrageously more so by the Cajun chipotle sauce with cream finish that covered
all. I also picked up the delicious taste of caramelized shallots in the sauce
and I’d be remiss if I did not mention the perfectly roasted small sweet
yellow, orange and red peppers that gave a sunshine colour boost to the plate.
They were tender, moist and flavourfully sweet. I didn't think it could get
better than this but more pleasant surprises were to follow!
Two wondrous desserts provided the conclusion to
a meal that I honestly did not want to end. First was a chocolate raspberry
torte. Apart from its deliciously rich cocoa flavour, this torte had hints of
walnut and a texture that suggested coconut. Magnum and Steins torte was a
refreshing change from some of the heavy, sugar-laden ones I’ve tasted lately.
Pastry chef Krista completely outdid herself
with the second dessert. It was an Italian influenced ice cream invention
called peanut butter semifreddo. (Semifreddo is Italian for “half cold.”)
Inside a glorious dark chocolate cup resided the peanut flavoured ice cream. It
was the smoothest, richest, most sensuous ice cream I have ever tasted. Imagine
an oversized peanut turned into some sort of rich, chilled oyster lazily
sliding down your throat. That’s what each spoonful was like. I can think of no
other words to describe this maddeningly perfect dessert.
If I tried I’m sure I could find one or two
things to criticize about my meal at Magnum and Steins but the truth is I was
so impressed by most of the meal I would be venturing into the picayune to do
so. Sometimes it’s better to just round out the memory and file it away under
“Rare.”
Our meal at Magnum and Steins, including two
glasses of Gallo chardonnay and two of a reasonably good Spanish cabernet cost
$128.56 (tip included).
Best Points:
This restaurant’s best assets are its cooks and its food.
Areas for Improvement:
The narrow spiral staircase is a problem for people with limited mobility.
Ratings Category:
For this dining experience I am giving Magnum and Steins 9 out of 10 points.