Dining Out

Karl Wells

Balance Restaurant

147 Le Marchant Road

Ph. 722-2112

I don't believe in ghosts. This may come as a surprise to those who've heard me relate, with relish, my account of two ghostly encounters of my own. I used to believe in ghosts. Over time, however, I came to the conclusion that they are a creation - granted, very convincing in some cases - of one's imagination.

Balance Restaurant, or rather, the building that houses Balance Restaurant is supposed to be haunted by a ghost. Those who’ve seen it describe a pale, gaunt female ghost dressed in dark Victorian clothing. Over the years the ghost has, apparently, walked or floated into people's bedrooms very late at night. Once inside she grabs onto the sleeping inhabitants and shakes them wildly. They awake finding themselves in the clutches of a sour apparition that is staring them directly in the face.

Rene Pollett, the woman who owns the ghostly Gear House on the corner of Le Marchant Rd. and Casey Street, as well as its Balance Restaurant, is anything but sour. She is an engaging host with the kindest smile who absolutely does believe in ghosts. It was she who delightedly told me the story of the Gear House ghost. Pollett, a Corner Brook native, has lived in many parts of the world and traveled extensively. Immediately before returning to Newfoundland and St. John’s she was living in Rome for eight years -where I’m sure you can hear a ghost story or two.

Renee Pollett opened Balance Restaurant in the front rooms of the former Gear family mansion that now consists of a series of apartments plus the restaurant. Balance Restaurant’s first year of operation was a bit of a bumpy ride for Pollett who told me she went through six chefs in the restaurant's first six months. That's got to be some kind of record. Yet, despite the rough start, four years later Balance Restaurant is still here, with no sign of calling it quits anytime soon.

The main part of the restaurant is the front or "morning" room. That's the space where historically the lady of the house - Mrs. Gear I presume - would have taken her breakfast tea and perhaps read the morning newspaper or mail. The room hasn't changed much. It has modern tables and chairs - with contrasting black and white tablecloths but many original fittings remain. The most impressive is the room's slate fireplace.

When my guest and I arrived two of the room's seven tables were occupied. At one, a woman was sipping a cup of coffee and reading a book she had pulled from Balance Restaurant's well-stocked bookshelf. In a cozy corner, beneath a large Richard Sparkes painting of kids shooting hoops on an outport road, two people from Ontario were debating what appetizers to order. We were seated at a window table close to the Ontario couple, who, as I later learned were here for a dental convention.

Since our first priority was a drink we promptly ordered a bottle of vino blanco: Ruffino Orvietto Classico. It was cool and crisp with just the right amount of tannins - or “pucker power.” I thought it went really well with most of our menu. It certainly suited my seafood or frutti di mare soup. Within its mild tomato flavoured base the soup had shrimps, mussels and pieces of fresh cod. As well, for decoration, a few grape tomatoes swam around in my bowl. The frutti di mare soup was very fresh tasting with individual flavours of the seafood clearly present.

I must tell you that my guest had an appetizer that I raved about. It was hummus - which I love anyway - but not hummus made with the usual chickpeas. This hummus was made from the yellow split peas that all Newfoundlanders over forty are familiar with. It had the zip of lemon, the scent of olives and the unique but mild flavour of yellow dried split peas. But it did not taste like Pease pudding, far from it. This hummus had the exotic quality of a foreign food. It, along with the pita bread and giant green olives it was served with, spoke of the Middle East.

I must confess I’m nosy. That’s why I had no trouble tuning into the comments being made by the Ontario couple about their appetizers. He had a vegetable soup that impressed. However, both were thrilled with her appetizer, a salt fish phyllo. This was essentially a fish cake baked in pastry and served with a wild berry salsa. The woman was very impressed with the amount of salt fish in the dish and with the way the berry salsa complimented.

She was also impressed with her entrée, which was the same as my guest’s, “baked halibut with lime and coriander sauce, accompanied by basmati rice and steamed vegetables.” The convention lady remarked, “It melts in your mouth. It’s like manna from heaven.” My guest liked his as well but was a little disappointed that the halibut came in steak form. I agreed and also thought the dish tasted fine, especially the lime and coriander sauce. It made an excellent match with the fish.

I was looking forward to “grilled lamb marinated in lemon and rosemary and served with yoghurt-coriander dip, accompanied by a blend of five wild rices and steamed vegetables.” It turned out the wild rice was not available and was substituted with tame basmati but everything else arrived as promised. The dip was sensational, very refreshing. The lamb chops were nice and thick. They could have used a tad more marinating but were still quite tasty.

Balance Restaurant had a couple of delicious desserts. We tried the chocolate mink, described as “silky smooth, luxurious pots of baked chocolate served hot and topped with coffee ice cream.” It was like one of those Sunday desserts your mom might have made when you were a kid, homey yet decadent. I loved it but gave first prize to a fresh blueberry cake with cream Rene Pollett had made from berries she’d picked on an outing to Signal Hill. I was charmed by that detail but I’m sure a tourist would have absolutely lapped it up. Meantime I savoured every one of those wild berries as they burst in my mouth surrounded by moist mouthfuls of fluffy vanilla cake and cream.

I’d eaten at Balance a few times before, once for dinner and once for lunch. I remember thinking, at the time, that the menu and food needed work, both being a little dull. Now I’m happy to say the situation has greatly improved. The current menu has an interesting range and the food, while not haute cuisine, is obviously prepared with a great deal of love, care and attention. It’s homey, comforting, fresh food that along with great atmosphere - check out the original art - and service can provide patrons with a wonderful dining experience. You can even have a ghost story thrown in for free.

Balance Restaurant has two dining rooms that together accommodate about thirty people. The back dining area is also used for Balance Restaurant book club meetings that are open to anybody with an interest in reading. Rene told me a few times a year they choose a food themed book or a book with some good food passages. Then, at the end of discussions they get together and prepare dishes talked about in the novel. Sounds like a great idea. By the way, the book club does not interfere with the restaurant business since it meets in a back room.

Our meal for two at Balance Restaurant - including a bottle of wine and gratuity – cost $141.00.

Balance Restaurant is not wheelchair accessible and the noise level is low. Reservations are strongly recommended.

Best Points:

Atmosphere and food.

Areas for Improvement:

Further enhancement of exterior landscape is needed.

Ratings Category:

Balance Restaurant gets 8 out of 10 points.

7 points = satisfactory, 7.5 points = good, 8 points = very good, 9 points = excellent, 10 points = perfection