It's easy to be curious about new restaurants in a small town, as you quickly get well-acquainted…read morewith the existing ones. This goes double for a restaurant consistently has a packed parking lot every day that it's open, which was the case for Tilly's Kitchen.
I'd never been inside the restaurant(s?) that preceded Tilly's at their stately accomodations on Stellarton Road, and am worse off for it. The interior has character galore, with wooden arches and door frames, stained glass and more, although light stains for the woods and neutral paint colours keep it from being dark, dreary and dated.
For appetizers, the table started with an order of their crispy dumplings ($15) and mussels ($16).
The deep fried dumplings strayed far from their Asian origins, with pulled pork, lime and ginger creme fraiche, and pea shoots, but were a tasty start to the meal nonetheless.
I focused on the mussels, mainly leaving the dumplings to my seafood-adverse wife. They were wonderfully tender, without a hint of overcooked rubberiness. The smoked tomato sauce didn't have a lot of smoke to it, but a hint of spice and herbs kept it from being bland.
My wife's chicken and chorizo pasta ($23 + $2 GF noodle), was a savoury and hearty dish, with a hit of spice from the chorizo and a lovely red pepper and Dijon sauce that clung to each piece of pasta.
The paella I ordered for my main ($32) may have been missing out on the crispy edges of the less fancy, more traditional version, but it would be hard to drum up any other complaint about this iteration. The plentiful seafood (*deep inhale* scallops, haddock, shrimp, squid, salmon and mussels) was cooked to tender perfection, while the chorizo, tomato and saffron broth added a layered and rich flavour to the whole dish.
We finished the meal with a shared dessert, the truffles and port. A steal at just $12, it comes with two shots of the classic fortified wine, along with four house-made truffles, which were spectacularly smooth and rich and would satisfy any chocolate lover.
Tilly's Kitchen is checking all the right boxes - beautiful atmosphere, great service and food that's bringing new flavours to Pictou County in well-executed, stylishly-plated dishes.