Dining Room
Sinbad’s Hotel
Bennett Drive, Gander
Ph. 651-2678
Gander does not offer many options when it comes to fine
dining. Outside of the main hotel dining rooms I’m not aware of any restaurants
that rise above the level of what we call “family” dining. That’s not to say
family restaurants aren’t good. It’s just that sometimes it’s nice to have a
meal that’s had a little extra put into it and be able to enjoy it in a
restaurant with tablecloths, linen napkins and a wine list. The dining room at
Sinbad’s Hotel has always been on my list of places to dine when I’m looking
for something more than ribs or a hot turkey sandwich.
It may seem that I’m hung up on the nomenclature of hotels
and restaurants lately but the name “Sinbad’s” is better suited to a fantasy
themed Las Vegas hotel and casino than a smallish side street hotel in Gander,
Newfoundland. For a Gander hotel to be named after a character from The Book of
One Thousand and One Nights seems slightly incongruous, especially since there
isn’t a shred of anything about the hotel that connects it to the famous
sailor. There’s a raft of names that reflect Gander and Newfoundland they might
have used. For that matter there’s a raft of names that don’t reflect Gander or
Newfoundland they might have used. All would have been better.
When I walked into the dining room at Sinbad’s Hotel
recently and had a good look, I immediately thought it was straight out of the
seventies. The focal point of Sinbad’s dining room was a large light coloured
angel stone fireplace with floor-to-ceiling bricks and narrow mantelpiece. It
was exactly the type of fireplace I remember from larger homes built in the
seventies. Think “Brady Bunch” living room and you’ll get what I mean.
Sinbad’s dining room was square with a sunken square center
making two levels for dining. The sunken level, about four steps down, had
approximately six tables arranged around a large planter that sprouted palms -
speaking of dating the place. Shiny large tube brass railings bordered the
upper level. The railings, along with crisp cream coloured tablecloths and
burgundy napkins gave the room a touch of elegance. The room had a surprising
coziness about it that was no doubt partly created by subdued lighting. Hanging
fixtures that looked something like upside down salad bowls hung above our
heads.
Restaurant wine lists outside St. John’s tend not to be
extensive and that was the case at Sinbad’s. Most of the wines were moderately
priced Australian and North American products.
Guest and I decided on a bottle of Australian red. It was a robust 2004
Lindemans Bin 45 cabernet from southeastern Australia. A very friendly drinks
server who identified herself as the bar person poured each of us a healthy
glass.
I love crab cakes so much I think if I were presented with
a wagonload I’d eat them all in one go. Sinbad’s serve them two at a time,
topped with tarragon butter. They were large, round, crispy and golden
brown. Some crab cakes include a lot of
filler like breadcrumbs and potato but Sinbad’s were mostly snow crab. Just
looking at them made my mouth water and they tasted as good as they looked. The
addition of the tarragon butter was effective. I tend not to think of tarragon
as a seafood herb - I use it with chicken - but it was delicious married with
the sweet, ocean scented crab.
My guest began with a warm scallop salad. A handful of
tender, moist scallops rested on a pile of spinach leaves, pieces of crispy
bacon and tomato. The salad was acceptable but far too much balsamic was used
to dress the salad. The extra acidity threw off the balance of the dish.
Luckily it was balsamic, a sweet vinegar that was used and not a dry, rougher
one.
The seafood theme continued with our entrees. My guest
enjoyed his maple-glazed salmon. The flavour of maple seems to go with many
foods, especially chicken. In the case of the fish the maple enhanced the
distinct salmon flavours while still maintaining the integrity of its own
unique taste. Among the vegetables on guest’s plate, only the carrots impressed
for flavour and perfect texture.
I don’t have halibut often but on my Sinbad’s visit I was
in the mood for a taste of that beautiful milky white-fleshed fish. The menu
offered halibut steak in lemon butter. It was served with carrots, rice pilaf
and green peas. The halibut literally took my breath away. It was drenched in
lemon juice. That, plus the too chewy texture of the fish from overcooking and
the lack of much halibut flavour did not impress. I liked the rice pilaf but
since the rice contained green peas, the side helping of yet more frozen green
peas was redundant.
Because the salad was vinegary and the halibut lemony there
was an unexpected result to the extra acidity. Our palates were so numbed it
made it difficult for us to appreciate the wine. Had the wine been very
expensive the experience would have been more than disappointing.
My meal had a black and white ending. That is to say, a
piece of pie with a black Oreo crust and white filling - whipped cream,
mandarins and Philadelphia cheese - found its way under my nose. It was called
simply, “orange delight” and it was delightful. There was that tasty
combination of chocolate and orange with the additional contrast of crunchy
chocolate crumbs and the smooth silky texture of the orange cream filling. It
reminded me of the type of dessert you might find at a potluck party. You know,
the kind Carol Brady might plan.
Our meal for two - including a bottle of Lindemans Bin 45
cabernet and gratuity - cost $110.87.
Sinbad’s dining room was wheelchair accessible and the
noise level was low.
Best
Points:
Friendly staff and pleasant atmosphere.
Areas
for Improvement:
Do not overcook the halibut.
Ratings
Category:
Sinbad’s dining room gets 8 points out of 10.
7
points = satisfactory, 7.5 = good, 8 = very good, 9 = excellent, 10 =
perfection