Cole Harbour Road may be a soulless stretch of asphalt and strip malls, but there are some…read moreinteresting, locally-owned businesses amongst the sea of carbon copy chains. East Coast Dumpling House is one of those diamonds in the suburban rough, and their namesake specialty is what put them up near the top of my hit list. My wife and I stopped in for a weekend lunch while running errands in the area, and although the restaurant was empty when we showed up, a few more tables showed up and quickly filled up the small space. Being our first time here, we went all-in on the dumplings - pan-fried pork with bok choy, and steamed xiao long bao. I was really happy to see soup dumplings on the menu as they're a rarity, even in bigger markets than Halifax. We tacked on an order of edamame to ostensibly have a proper vegetable with our meal. The salty beans came out quickly, and we picked away at them as we chatted and eagerly waited for our dumplings. Being first in line to order meant that we didn't have to wait long though. The pan-fried pork dumplings came with a lovely lattice on them, which really amped up the crispness of the dumplings, while they still maintained soft, pliable wrappers on their other side. The pork inside was well-seasoned, tender and moist, and although not soup dumplings, there were some squirts of juice as we bit into them! We didn't have Chinese spoons to cradle the xiao long bao as you go through the process of eating them (nibble the top to let them cool down, slurp broth through said hole, then devour), but we made do with small dipping bowls. The broth was meaty and savoury, with a viscous mouthfeel, and each dumpling was a delight. A return visit saw us coming by on a Friday evening, with a couple tables already occupied and takeout orders steadily coming and going. The food took a little longer this time, but was well worth the wait. They were out of udon noodles, so we went with the Singapore noodles. The tender egg noodles had a heavy dose of curry powder and a hint of sweetness, and the added chicken was tender and moist, with a touch of colour from the wok. We couldn't not get some dumplings, and our order of xiao long bao were just as good the second time around. We also tacked on an order of chicken bao to round out our meal. The bao had a non-traditional feel (or one I'm not familiar with, which is just as likely) with the bao bun having been fried, and shredded lettuce coming in it as well. Pickled cucumber and julienned carrot were more typical, and some hoisin sauce added a layer of sweet and savoury. East Coast Dumpling House has standard Chinese-Canadian fare, but their standout dishes are the ones that are their namesakes and other authentic dishes, and it's those that make ECDH worth the trip to Cole Harbour.

Good and service here was amazing! The pork/shrimp dumplings were mouth watering and the chicken…read moreballs were so fresh!

Most delicious Thai food, red curry chicken dinner I enjoyed it so much, best food in Nova Scotia!…read more Waiter was attentive from beginning till end of dinner. Room was warm and cozy.

Absolutely delicious. We've beem several times now and it's always amazing. Cashew tofu is so so so…read moregood. Pad thai is always a good bet. Quick service both in house and for pick up. Portions are VERY generous in house. One entree is easily enough for 2 people to share. Highly recommended!

We were the only customers in this place... we should have left right then. We could eat our food.read more

Me and my boyfriend LOVEE happy veal hot pot! We have been going here for about a year and this is…read moreour go to date night spot! The food is AMAZING and the staff are so so kind!

In Halifax on business...found this ramen shop by accident; so, I decided to stop by and taste a…read moreramen bowl. Inside shop was nice - well lighted and spacious. Despite it was rather late hours, they were busy. I ordered their Tonkotsu ramen. It was good ramen...and I was glad that I stopped by. Tonkotsu broth tasted very good and soup was served "hot" in temperarure. Chashu Pork was nicely cooked - tender and tasty. There were plenty of toppings - nori piece, scalions, naruto, corn, wakame, bean sprouts and half-cooked eggs. I wish there was some bamboo shoots though. I selected wavy noodles instead of straight noodles. It was only thing that did not impress my tongue. Overall, their Tonkotsu ramen was good.

We were craving ramen and decided to try out this place. We ordered their chicken karaage which…read moretasted good. The potato croquettes were okay. The edamame also came with a chili sauce, but wasn't too spicy. I enjoyed their tonkatsu ramen and thought it was filling. I think the broth was flavorful. Definitely a solid place in Halifax for ramen.

While moving can be slog of packing, chaos, expenses, and yet more, endless packing, one of the fun…read morethings about moving to a new-to-you area is discovering what's in the neighbourhood. The main highlights of living in the Sullivan's Pond/Lake Banook area are readily apparent - the water, parks, trails, and nice houses - but sometimes you have to dig under the surface to know, oh, there's a food truck lot randomly on Prince Albert. One of those trucks is the pun-fully named Canton-Ease, and I had them in my sights while knees-deep in cardboard boxes and looking for a quick and, dare I say, easy dinner. Being a food truck, Canton-Ease's menu is much more compact than its brick and mortar forefathers, although that's not a bad thing. Another mark in the 'pros' column was the appearance of some legit Chinese dishes amongst the usual suspects. Ordering online is smooth , either through their own website's platform for pick-up or UberEats if you want delivery. I wasn't quite so tired from unpacking that I wanted to unnecessarily line Uber's pockets, so I did the pick-up myself. We started things off with the pan-fried dumplings. Takeout containers aren't the best friend of a food like this, but they still had some crispness by the time we got to them, and they had that great classic, dumpling flavour of pork and chives. I was very happy to see mapo tofu on the menu, and all the more so when I tried it. Even the Chinese places that have this on their menus often pull their punches a bit, but Canton-Ease's had a deep, rich flavour profile with spicy pops of chili, a little bit of funk from the mushrooms, and a hint of Sichuan peppercorn tingle. Together with the silky chunks of tofu and savoury bits of pork, this was an excellent map tofu! We had to get some noodles, and opted for the Singapore vermicelli, subbing in additional BBQ pork for the shrimp. While the noodles were broader than expected - more like a pho noodle - the curry flavour and crisp contrast of the veg made for a tasty dish nonetheless. Being the responsible adults that we are, we didn't completely forsake the Canada Food Guide, and ordered the stir-fried mix veg to get some much-needed green onto our plates. Tender-crisp chunks of broccoli, baby bok choy, mushrooms, carrots, bean sprouts and snow peas helped brighten up our plates and lighten our gluttonous guilt. Once we were more settled into the house, I made my way back to Canton-Ease for a lazy meal while my wife was out of town for work. The order was smaller this time, of course, but I did over-order ever-so-slightly so that my wife would have some leftovers to greet her when she got home the following night. Take notes, boys. I went for the boiled dumplings this time, figuring that they'd fare better as takeout than fried stuff does, and for my main I chose the Shanghai noodles. In a moment of weakness that I'll chalk up to culinary curiosity and not at all greediness, I tacked on a lone egg roll. The dumplings were expertly wrapped, with the supple wrapper perfectly hugging the juicy pork and cabbage filling. Dipped in some chili crisp, these were *chef's kiss* Not to be outdone, the egg roll was definitely made in-house, and leaned toward the "meat paste" style that used to be quite common in Halifax, but it still maintained some granular texture to the meat, and a rich, warm blend of seasoning further enhanced an egg roll that frankly puts its many cabbage-heavy competitors to shame. I love noodles of nearly any form, but the extra-thick ones in Shanghai noodles are always extra fun to slurp down. Once again, Canton-Ease's quality ingredients helped them stand out amongst the crowd, with the shiitake mushrooms bringing more to the table than their button cousins, and the rich, just-salty-enough-but-not-too-salty sauce gently coated every bite. While I didn't move to the Sullivan's Pond/Lake Banook area because it has a food truck lot, it *is* a nice little perk, and we'll definitely be ordering from Canton-Ease as long as they're our neighbours.

From the owner: Quality and freshness in every bite. We are a Chinese food truck offering local and authentic…read moreoptions. Our main staple is our egg rolls which we make in house with ground beef and a bespoke seasoning blend. Come try today.

I've been coming here for years and they are consistently a delicious bowl of love…read more I am a pho ho I would have liked to take a better picture but it was so delicious looking I jumped right in and then remembered to take a picture I can't speak to anything else on the menu because I've been getting this one for years. Family run locally run supporting small businesses in Dartmouth Nova Scotia Highly recommend if you're needing a little extra love

I was excited to eat some pho after eating lots seafood but I was disappointed. Our waitress was…read morethe highlight. She was super nice and when some lady yelled at her for something that was probably not her fault, she stayed kind and under standing. Ok so the bad part. I ordered (as seen in the photo) a beef pho with no bean sprouts in it and I understand that the broth probably had it pre mixed in but I received my soup with the bean sprouts everywhere. Also to the noodles were the same you could buy at the store so that was a little disappointing. The restaurant looked nice enough but in my opinion I'd rather have good food than nice decor.

Great food. Excellent service. A little loud inside. I couldn't hear my party talking at the same…read moretable. The food was amazing, all local food with some of the proceeds going to a local women's shelter when we went. We will definitely be back to try more of the menu.

Absolutely delicious! I had soba noodles with tofu and daughter had kids pasta which she enjoyed.read more

One of the hipster restaurants in downtown Dartmouth on Portland Street. Huge interior with plenty…read moreof table and bar seating. Wasn't terribly busy the Saturday night I went - probably because between Christmas and New Years. Tried a variety of appetizers and shareable. The chicharron and Brussels sprouts were stars. The Mac fries weren't bad. Had the Hustle Fried Ride with pork belly. Beautifully presented with good flavour - rice was a bit saucier than I would have liked. Great service, nice ambience. Will go back to try their Sunday brunch!!!

Feb 7 & Apr 18…read more Side Hustle's move to downtown Dartmouth from their original location in Cole Harbour was only just before my wife and I moved back to Nova Scotia. So unlike many places that opened during our exile in Ottawa, when we tried it out, it still felt like we were getting in on the ground floor, rather than playing catch-up to an established local favourite. The interior is sleek and modern, with warm tones of wood contrasting against a very black and white colour palette, and the pops of verdant green from the many plants are a literal breath of fresh air. Like many of its contemporaries, the menu at Side Hustle is casual but chef-ed up - a smash burger and fried chicken are approachable items, while a good chunk of the rest of the menu is either overtly Asian, or gets a dash of Asian ingredients - beef udon, fried rice and chicken wings with a fish sauce caramel, garlic and Thai chilis. The drink list has a little bit of something for everyone, but not so much that you're going to get analysis paralysis. There's several local beers and ciders on tap, plus some cans, specialty cocktails, and an assortment of local and imported wines, as well as an impressive selection of non-alcoholic drinks and NA cocktails too. Everything sounded so good, we decided to go with a handful of smaller dishes - dumplings, cucumber salad, Brussels sprouts and the Mac fries. The dumplings stayed with the classic ingredients of pork and chives. The meat was tender and juicy, with supple and pliable wrappers. A pleasant mix of lightly tangy black vinegar with the heat of chili oil added layers of flavour to the already delicious dumplings. The Brussels sprouts weren't a big serving for the price tag, but they packed in *tons* of flavour and textures with crispy shallots, mint, a smattering of Thai chilis (you don't need a lot!), and their "funk sauce". It was a little funky, a little fruity, and it did take away the crispness of the charred sprouts, but it definitely tasted good! The cucumber was a surprise hit - your taste buds get livened up with crispy shallots, chili oil, and maple tahini, while getting bursts of freshness from the bites of cuke. If I recall correctly, the Mac fries have been a mainstay of Side Hustle's menu since before their days in downtown Dartmouth, and they absolutely deliver! It's got a couple chopped up smashburger patties, cheese, special sauce that you'll get sued for if you give it a certain name, onions, pickles and good ol' shreduce. All of this was heaped on top of incredible, hand-cut fries that somehow stayed crisp to the last fry. It's a decadent dish that's shareable, but that doesn't mean you have to! On a return visit on a bustling Friday evening, we stuck to portions that were better suited to two people, although the veg was a bit more scarce this time around. I opted for the beef udon noodles, while my wife tried to resist the temptation, but succumbed to the Mac fries again. The composition of the beef udon came together fantastically. The shredded beef had the warmth of its five spice seasoning paired with a subtle but noticeable tingle of Sichuan peppercorns, some heat from chili oil, crunch and a mild funk from pickled daikon, and the thick, slurp-able udon noodles that got wonderfully coated in the aforementioned ingredients, as well as a savoury sesame sauce. Some bok choy and green onion kept this from being solely meat and carbs, but we know who the stars of this dish were. The Mac fries were once again familiar perfection, and really are much better than their namesake inspiration, as they're cooked with much more skill and don't make you feel gross afterward. Side Hustle is quickly becoming a go-to spot for us for quality casual food, and it's one of the many reasons we're loving our new Dartmouth digs.

Great ramen, got the Tan Tan pork. Sooooo goooood! Friendly staff. Looks small from the outside,…read morewas surprised to see quite a bit of seating inside. Highly recommended. Came back on July 28th with my husband and we both got the fried chicken ramen. We both left completely stuffed and satisfied. So delicious!!

Do you love ramen? Then what are you doing, get yourself to Truly Tasty!…read more It's a pretty small space, but they do what they can with it. It's packed with tables. I'd definitely recommend getting there before you are super hungry, cus both times I've gone I've had to wait for at least half an hour. But don't worry, it's worth it for the deliciousness within. The broth is so dang rich in flavour. It makes my tastebuds sing and sigh with happiness. I could honestly just drink the broth. But then the other ingredients come into play and it's a beautiful experience. The pork melts in your mouth. The fried chicken is a little fatty, it could be better quality. But just stick with the pork ramen and you'll be flying. You can't beat the service here either - despite being super busy I never once felt ignored or slighted. I felt well taken care of but not harassed, props Truly Tasty!