Papa’s Pier 17
15 Rowan Street
St. John’s, NL
Several
years ago I was visiting Wales with a friend and happened to visit a restaurant
in downtown Cardiff that I’ve remembered fondly, ever since. There was
something about its atmosphere. It had subdued lighting; a friendly uniformed
staff, no windows, and seemed to cater to lots of shoppers, in for a bite of
lunch after a hard morning of rushing to the latest sale and rifling through
clothing racks. The crunching sound of department store shopping bags hitting
the floor competed with the sound of dishes being cleared from numerous tables.
The room had an appealing energy. It wasn’t extremely “high-end.” On the other
hand, it certainly wasn’t “greasy spoon” either. It was famous with the locals
for its ice cream desserts. They came in thick glass bowls with huge scoops of
ice cream, napped with various fruity sweet sauces, and decorated with things
like chocolate curls and waffle biscuits.
Papa’s Pier 17 at Churchill Square reminds me of that
Cardiff restaurant; so much so, it’s almost like being back there. They even
have ice cream desserts, although not nearly as impressive as the
aforementioned - just straightforward parfaits spruced-up with liqueur…if
desired.
Papa’s menu is large and quite eclectic. They serve soups
and salads, seafood, chicken, and beef dishes – grilled or Cajun style are
popular choices - plus a variety of pasta entrees. A bordered notation on the
menu indicates - somewhat formally - that they also serve “certified” Angus
beefsteaks as well. Papa’s has some Greek in its ancestry so there is a tip of
the hat to Greece with several Greek dishes, a couple of which found their way
to the table I was sharing with some friends. Besides the ice cream parfaits,
the desserts are pretty much run-of-the-mill ready-mades like the ubiquitous
chocolate eruption cake and cheesecakes with berry toppings. The only dessert
made by the cooks at Papa’s is the Greek joy called, Baklava.
The first food all diners at Papa’s receive is a basket of
their garlic bread. It’s a small loaf of sliced white bread, grilled with
garlic butter and Parmesan cheese. I thought the bread could have had more
structure. It was a bit too fluffy and light for my taste. The cheese tasted
like the shake-on kind that comes in a cardboard box, which, I suppose, is what
most of us are used to; but it would have tasted better with freshly grated
Parmesan.
My friend Patricia shared some cod tongues with me. They
arrived on a bed of lettuce with squares of crisply fried pork fat –
scrunchions - strewn throughout. The cod tongues were nice and crisp as well,
pretty much what you’d find in most Newfoundland restaurants. I washed them
down with some of the house red, Kressman, a French wine that’s better than
many house reds served around town.
Papa’s baked escargots bourguignon were delicious. You’re presented with an ovenproof, white, ceramic escargots dish. Resting in each receptacle of the dish was a tender morsel of snail suspended in garlic butter and topped with golden brown bread crumbs. Poorly prepared snails can be rubbery – with the consistency of an eraser - but these were not. One of these days I’d like to taste the large fresh ones they cultivate in France. It’s been said they taste like the finest beefsteak.
Tests of a cook’s skill, for me, are: how well the cook in
question prepares a fish fillet, and, whether he or she is able to get a piece
of meat to your table the way you ordered it, i.e. medium rare. Papa’s did very
well on the fish test. Their baked Greek cod with Greek salad and their
pan-fried cod are delicious. My baked Greek cod was covered with a layer of
tomato sauce and topped with feta cheese. The fish – a generous piece of fresh
cod – flaked nicely and the flavours were robust. The acidity of the tomato
sauce and the tartness of the feta were a good match for the timid cod. As the
late Telegram food writer, Mary Darcy, would say, “It gave the cod zip!”
My friend Theresa was thrilled with her pan-fried cod. She
liked the light coating – most likely seasoned flour – and said it was cooked
perfectly, very moist and flaky. Hers came with a garden salad. The Italian
dressing was fine but the salad itself, except for the iceberg lettuce, was
light on vegetables. It had 3 slices of cucumber, 1 slice of radish, 1 piece of
tomato, and a few bits of bell pepper and celery at the bottom.
Patricia also liked her seafood gratin. It contained a
variety of fish, including halibut and cod cooked in a smooth, creamy cheese
sauce. A layer of nicely browned cheese covered the mixture, which sat in an
individual gratin dish. She liked it so much she saved some to take home to
enjoy all over again.
Papa’s lamb kebab Macedonian was disappointing for a few
reasons. I had asked for medium rare and it arrived well done. The lamb lacked
flavour, natural flavour and recipe flavour. I got a hint of lemon, but not
much of anything else. I was expecting meat that had been marinated for a long
time in things like olive oil, lemon juice, onion, bay, oregano, and pepper.
Also, an entrée like this should also have featured generous cubes of lamb on
the skewer. Mine were quite small. The bed of curried rice was good, as was the
Greek salad. However, let’s face it, when the star of the plate puts in a poor
performance, that’s not much consolation.
My meal ended on a very high note, the dessert – baklava –
was amazing, warmed ambrosia. It had the dual characteristics of something that
is very good for you, but also, potentially, not so good. Here’s what I
mean…Papa’s baklava is made from buttery phyllo pastry – great, but maybe not
so good for you - that’s filled with wholesome finely chopped almonds, seasoned
with lemon juice, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla. The whole affair is laced with
wholesome warmed honey that tasted like it had come straight from a bee farm.
The baklava flirted with decadence but retained a firm note of respectability
thanks to the nuts and honey. I flirted with guilty feelings for having eaten
it but retained a righteous attitude thanks to the nuts and honey. I would have
felt even more righteous if they had used walnuts instead of almonds but that’s
life I guess.
A meal for two at Papa’s including tip and a glass of wine
will cost you around $67.00.
Best Points:
Good seafood and attention to detail in table presentation and servers’ formal attire.
Areas for Improvement:
The lamb kebab Macedonian needs help.
Ratings Category:
I liked Papa’s Pier 17, for its seafood and relaxed formality. I’m giving it 7.5 points out of 10.