The Best Dishes of 2024
From more than 90 restaurant meals; plus cocktails!
For the past five years my “best dishes of the year” column for The Telegram was my most popular piece of the year – a roundup of the most exciting and delicious things St. John’s restaurants had to offer. Sadly, the column is no more, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t eat (and drink) my face off in 2024 in St. John’s and beyond. I ate more than 90 restaurant meals this year!
And while this year I mourn not seeing that double-page spread of the St. John’s culinary scene for various reasons (R.I.P. printing presses, multiple local restaurants and the end of my column), I wanted to expand my reach. The new iteration of my “best of” includes dishes from my work travels, vacations and meals enjoyed here in St. John’s.
Here, in no particular order, are the best things I ate this year, from foie gras trompe l’oeil to the transformative nature of cabbage. Plus, there’s a bonus section for great cocktails! Dig in.
Red Curry Cabbage at Namjim
St. John’s, NL
In the cold winter months, this spicy dish was a godsend through the chefs of Namjim. This red curry cabbage I devoured last January brought my love for cabbage to a whole new level, and here in NL where cabbage is abundant but often boiled and overcooked, I’m excited to see what local chefs do with it. They have a new rendition of this dish on the menu currently but act fast – this pop-up-turned-award-winning restaurant is closing its Bannerman Brewing kitchen at the end of the year.
Shrimp Aguachile at Secrets Riviera Cancun
Puerto Morelos, Mexico
This year marked the first-ever all-inclusive for Adam and me in Mexico. I talked at length about this type of dining in a newsletter earlier this year; the Mexican food at this resort was fantastic. My favourite dish was one I tried the first day at lunch and ate many more times throughout the week – the shrimp aguachile with red onion, avocado and lots of lime.
Crab Rangoon Flakie at Portage
St. John’s, NL
A chance double date for Adam’s birthday dinner in September meant twice as many dishes were devoured that night. Several of Portage’s dishes have a permanent place on my Insta grid this year, including the Bibimbap Tartare and a summer tomato dish I’m still thinking about, but it was the Crab Rangoon Flakie that won my heart. The savoury creation by Celeste Mah was a combination of the beloved Flakie snack cake and crowd-fave Crab Rangoon – a light and flaky, cheesy thing.
Meat Fruit at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
London, England
A trip through British culinary history at the two-Michelin-starred Dinner by Heston Blumenthal at the Mandarin Oriental hotel was the pinnacle of our trip to London (and probably our year of dining out). This culinary trompe l’oeil is derived from the 13th century when people were scared to eat fruit and chefs intended to play a cruel joke – on the outside, it seems like a plum (it’s really a red wine plum gelee) but on the inside is the smoothest chicken liver pâté I’ve ever consumed. I learned about this dish more than a decade ago and it totally lived up to the hype – a pâté worth travelling for.
Beurassse Panna Cotta at Terre
St. John’s, NL
Adam and I trudged through a snowstorm to enjoy a cozy night at Terre last February. We were on a mission – to eat their Battle Burger offering the Bistro Burger with ground hanger steak, bakery sesame bun, onion jam, Swiss cheese and crispy shallots. It was served with piping hot French fries and beef jus to dip. The burger was totally worth the windburn, but it was the dessert that blew me away: a smooth Beurasse Panna Cotta with blueberry sorbet and bay leaf that catapulted me right back to summer.
Flambeed Ginger Beef at Brazen
Banff, AB
I ate my face off in Alberta last May on a FAM trip. While highlights included lakeside dining at Aalto in Jasper and mountaintop eating at Sky Bistro in Banff, it was the Flambeed Ginger Beef in Banff we enjoyed on our first night that stuck with me. A tableside show at Brazen saw this Calgary-invented Chinese Canadian classic set ablaze before us and served with blistered shishito peppers, pickled onions and a sticky sweet ginger syrup. This dish was modern and showstopping – clever and delicious.
Lester’s Carrots at Stella’s Brasserie
St. John’s, NL
I reviewed the newly opened Stella’s Brasserie over the summer and these carrots still stand out in my mind six months later. Lester’s Carrots were barbecued with ranch dressing drizzled all over and punched up with a ton of fresh dill and a squeeze of lemon. They were tossed with candied pecans that added a sweet crunch and variety to each bite.
Arctic Char Escabeche at Faux Bergers
Baie-Saint-Paul, QB
A lingering seven-course meal at Faux Bergers in Charlevoix tops the list for best overall experiences. From cocktails on the patio to a mind-blowing dessert finale, this was as much a lesson on local producers and fine wines as it was pretty food on a plate. The June trip was eye-opening to a wonderful culinary-focused region (read my newsletter here) but this Arctic Char Escabeche, bathed in a melon emulsion, blew my palate away.
Chongqing Noodles at Sunny’s Chinese
Toronto, ON
Down a dingy hallway in Chinatown, we found Sunny’s Chinese, a gorgeously decorated Michelin-recommended restaurant with great vibes. My friend Kara and I dove headfirst into the chef’s choice tasting menu in July – it was hard to pick just one dish that I loved most, from the Husband-and-Wife Beef to the intricate flavours of the Chrysanthemum and Spinach dish, it was tough competition. But it was the Chongqing Noodles, mixed tableside with pickled mustard root, sweet bean paste and chili pork, that won my heart.
Sashimi Platter at Nupo
Calgary, AB
The end of my Alberta press trip in May landed me in Calgary for a few nights at the ALT Hotel Calgary East Village, where I dined solo at Nupo. Sitting at the bar alone was new for me, but I was kept company by the fantastic cocktails and the Sashimi Platter which was presented most beautifully. A flavourful oyster thinly sliced Mexican Seabass in the centre, Hokkaido scallop with herb oil and popcorn, succulent salmon and massa with a whine of smoke and vinegar.
Crispy Pork Belly from Johnny & Mae’s
St. John’s, NL
The second annual dinner party with my friends was catered by the dynamic duo behind the fleet of Johnny & Mae’s food trucks, Chef Kyle McKenna and host extraordinaire Alicia McKenna at a friend's house. A medley of Mexican and Asian techniques and flavours was the dominant theme throughout the menu and the finale dish was classic Kyle – crispy pork belly with tamarind glaze, rice and lots of dill, all on a scallion pancake. Eaten like a burrito, this dish was a crowd-pleaser (and a button fly buster; there was so much food!).
Prime Rib at Prime Seafood Palace
Toronto, ON
I love a good restaurant bathroom almost as much as I love a big slab of prime rib; luckily Matty Matheson’s Prime Seafood Palace in Toronto has both. Adam and I had a wonderful dining experience there in July from the dirtiest martinis to the tallest of marble walls in the bathroom. The architectural beauty of a restaurant presents a fabulous spread of perfect potatoes, huge Yorkshire puddings and the piece de resistance prime freaking rib. It was glorious.
Bluefin Tuna at Canada’s Great Kitchen Party
St. John’s, NL
In October I judged my first professional cooking competition and what an experience it was. Canada’s Great Kitchen Party was a culinary fete indeed with Chef Nick Walters of The Merchant Tavern taking the top prize. Aged bluefin tuna with foie gras cremeux, partridgeberry lime compote, sesame crisp, ponzu and a super cool black sesame tuile made to look like fish bones was an instant success and I would have licked the bowl had I not been on stage.
BONUS: My Top 5 Tipples of 2024
Premier Padmini Negroni at Dishoom
London, England
Pre-batched and served in chilled little corked bottles, this chocolatey Negroni with dark Indian cocoa and sweet pears soaked overnight in bitter Campari, vermouth and dry citrus gin was the perfect precursor to our Indian feast at Dishoom, one of London’s best.
Dill Dill Goose at Portage
St. John’s, NL
Few things feel as good as sipping on a good martini at the bar while you wait for your table in a busy restaurant. This iteration at Portage with Grey Goose vodka, tomato, dill, gooseberry and vermouth slapped. No notes.
Negroni Bianco at Eataly
Toronto, ON
When I was in Toronto for the Taste Canada Awards in October, Eataly just happened to be across the street from our hotel, so the easy thing to do for a late dinner was to saddle up to the bar for a bowl of pasta. To start, I sipped on a White Negroni with Luxardo Bitter Bianco, Lillet and gin – it had the punch of bitterness expected from a Negroni but with floral and fruity notes.
Pet Nat Miel & Framboises from Hydromel
Charlevoix, QB
After a prolonged day of travel to Charlevoix in June, there was a can of Pet Nat Miel & Framboises on ice waiting for me at Le Germain Charlevoix and wow few things tasted better. This honey wine from Hydromel was so good I took a bunch of cans home.
Toast Punch, Seed Library
London, England
This was Adam’s second drink at Mr. Lyan’s famous Shoreditch cocktail bar, but it blew my mind, so it makes the list. I rarely have order envy, but I did at Seed Library for the Toast Punch with Singleton 12 whisky, buttered toast, kinda vermouth, saffron and herbs really did have buttered toast vibes (our server explained they put kombu on actual buttered toast to ferment and extract the flavours).
