Oxford Street may be ground zero for old school diners in Halifax, but after Sully & Porter opened…read morein the former Local Jo space two summers ago, it brought a third-wave cafe dynamic to the mix, and judging from the crowds, West End Halifax is here for it.
Although my wife and I nearly moved into the neighbourhood, we ended up getting a place in Dartmouth, so a trip to the West End takes more effort and has to be much more deliberate compared to when we lived on the peninsula. We found ourselves making our way across the harbour for some weekend errands, and came over a little early to both beat the traffic and to pop in Sully & Porter.
Tables were readily available when we arrived shortly after 10am, but steadily filled up until it was a full house by 11am.
S&P always has a great spread of sweet and savory baked goods, and normally I'd go savoury, but I'd been intrigued by the croissant and muffin mashups that they do. Fittingly called "cruffins", the one on offer that day had a blueberry filling and was topped with whipped cream, so it seemed like an easy choice. For science!
We also got a pair of brewed coffees, and S&P's never disappoint, typically using top-notch beans from local roaster Have Fun.
I probably should have knife and forked the cruffin, but it was amusingly awkward and messy to bite into, especially for my wife watching me try to figure it out like one of the apes at the beginning of 2001: A Space Odyssey. I would suggest knocking the whipped cream off and dipping as you go.
The cruffin was an interesting iteration of the croissant x other baked good trend. The exterior wasnt tough, but it was certainly less flaky than a regular croissant, and I feel like the physical constraints of a muffin tin didn't allow for the airiness that I like in a croissant.
That all said, there were little air pockets aplenty, and the blueberry cream filling was decadent and fruity. Would buy again.
A return visit had us meeting a friend for coffee and treats before doing some shop-hopping in the North End.
I love me a breakfast sandwich, and S&P offers either an Izzy's bagel or a (presumably) house-made English muffin for the base. I wasn't stopping there though, as the banoffee pie croissant piqued my inner glutton's interest.
Things were bumping, but we snagged a table on the upper level and awaited the assembly of our foods.
The Oxford Breakfast Sammie did not disappoint! I had added the optional bacon, so it was the complete breakfast sandwich package of (air) fried egg, melty cheddar, and crisp bacon. A bright tomato jam added a little sweet and acidic contrast, and that English muffin! Buttery and crumbly, it was more biscuit-like than I think of English muffins, but hot damn it was GOOD.
The banoffee pie croissant was pretty much as decadent as you'd think with that name. It wasn't a typical croissant shape, and was rectangular and bowl-like, but the crisp edges and laminated layers of buttery pastry made for a delicious platform. I'd argue that this style is better than many other fancied-up croissants in the city.
The actual banoffee part of the pastry was no slouch either - vanilla pastry cream, bananas, dulce de leche and whipped cream. There's nothing not to like here.
Judging from the crowds, Sully & Porter has quickly become a fixture of the West End, and deservedly so, with creative, well-executed pastries and baked goods, and killer coffee, it's everything you could want in a neighbourhood cafe.
