So, where does one eat in Sydney, Nova Scotia in the middle of a snowstorm? Lets just say there are not many options. Well, I don't know if snow "storm" is really the right word, but it was definitely messy.
We were at a bit of a loss when the place that was recommended to us ended up being closed when we got there (even though we called an hour earlier and were told they were open), due to the weather. Luckily, I'm extremely smart and have an amazing memory (insert sarcastic scoff here) so I suggested we try out Cambridge Suites, for two reasons: one, I had stayed in the hotel on business last year and remembered it was nice inside, and two, the owner of our B&B also recommended it as a place to have a good meal.
I think TRIO is fairly new (it used to be called something else and they renovated if I'm not mistaken). In any case, there were only a few tables occupied (which isn't a surprise given the weather), so we had great choice of seats. Since I'm a dork and notice completely useless stuff, I loved their neat swirly cutlery and pink recessed liting in the ceiling - it felt very warm and modern with a touch of quirk, which was nice since most hotel restaurants tend to resemble prison cafeterias more than a warm, cozy place with lovely waitstaff. Our waitress was really friendly and helpful - attentive without being pushy.
The boy and I were immediately drawn to the Lobster Poutine because...well, why wouldn't you?! Ummm, french fries topped with hollandaise sauce and chunks of lobster and cheese?! Ya, DELICIOUS. We ordered this as an app, and I ordered another app (bruschetta) as an entree bc I wasn't starving, plus they brought us bread. The boy ordered the chicken quesadilla, which he only ate about half of bc he was too full (though the leftovers tasted really good in the car on the way home the next day!)
I have to be honest, the bruschetta wasn't my favourite; it was on pita for one, which was tasty but made it more awkward to eat, plus there was some kind of ingredient in the topping that had an odd biting taste to it. I can't place what it was, and it didn't taste terrible, just....wierd. It was still good and nicely presented but I've just had better.
However, my Long Island Iced Tea was delicious (and only $5.50, which I think given the size and amount of liquor was a great price) and we ordered Maple Creme Brulee to eat back at the room that was also delicious. I liked that they had generic menu items that you would see on many menus, but with a little twist. On top of this, I tweeted a photo of the poutine before we ate it and I got a Tweet back the NEXT MORNING from the hotel thanking me for stopping by! I was very impressed by that, and it was a great example of effective social media usage for customer service. This is something I will definitely share with people, so good on them for encouraging positive word-of-mouth.
I would definitely recommend eating here if you visit Sydney anytime soon. And I've since decided from now on, whenever we are stuck for a place to eat in a new, unfamiliar place, we will give hotel restaurants a try! read more