Terry Vassallo and Simone Mombourquette are humble veterans in Nova Scotia’s restaurant scene, but after paying their dues—making their marks on locally loved spots like Lunenburg’s Trattoria Della Nonna and Cafe Chianti— the pair are fulfilling a dream and opening their own spot. “If it’s a poker game, we’re all in,” says Vassallo, with a […]
Spring Garden
Posted inNews + Opinion
Stillwell Beergarden set for Spring Garden Road
After a successful inaugural summer on the Halifax Waterfront, and a surprisingly trying search for a new location, Stillwell has was scored a new spot for its open air beer garden on the corner of Spring Garden Road and South Park Street. Come early June, the Stillwell Beergarden will be slinging local craft beers from […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Scattershot sushi
Sushi Jet has managed to do the unthinkable and survive the Crown Diner Curse of 5171 Salter Street and crawl its way up to the bright lights of Spring Garden Road. Late last year, it traded places with its sister restaurant, In Spring, which is still holding down the Metro Park location. It’s barely past […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
New restaurant alert: Hong Yun Chinese
In the former home of The Cellar Bar & Grill (5677 Brenton Place)—which closed back in March—rises Hong Yun Chinese Restaurant, the latest spot to add to your to-try list . The new eatery opened to downtown diners in mid-July, serving up both authentic Chinese and Canadian Chinese cuisine. Owners Sui Fang Yu and Gigi […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Sweet, sweet Fantasie Music
The former Maritime Frame-It location is singing a new tune as of last weekend. It’s now the home of Fantasie Music (5512 Spring Garden Road), an instrument shop and private lesson space owned by son and father team, David Yu and Huiliang Yu. David’s studies here in Halifax inspired the Yu’s to bring the Chinese-made […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Tom’s and The Fireside are headed for Birmingham Street
Regulars of both Tom’s Little Havana (5428 Doyle Street) and The Fireside (1500 Brunswick Street) have been losing sleep lately knowing that both bars would be uprooted come this fall. After years of rumours, the construction of a new development on the Spring Garden/Queen/Doyle/Brunswick block is finally coming to fruition, meaning all of its businesses […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Hot pursuit at Forbidden City
It’s not the greatest first impression. The door creaks open into a hall that feels like the foyer of an old apartment complex: a scattering of abandoned mail sits fanned over a white pleather sofa, the harshly lit hallway ends with some plywood and a plant shoved in the corner. An unmarked door leads to […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
SHOP THIS: Fresh Goods/Quarrelsome Yeti collab tee
Tonight night brings the second installment of Shopping Under The Stars on Spring Garden Road, where special sales and carolers sweeten the holiday shopping from 5-10pm. Adding to the festivities, Fresh Goods (1491 South Park Street) will debut its collaboration t-shirt with the Quarrelsome Yeti AKA Geordan Moore. This hand-dyed, cotton Stanfield’s shirt—screenprinted with a […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Dress friends open East of Montreal
Linda Rand and Leeanne Carson admit they’re not the fastest out of the gate, their idea to open a consignment dress shop—East of Montreal (1474 Brenton Street, sharing a space with Eco Chic Salon)—has been brewing for about 10 years. Formerly coworkers at All Dressed Up, the pair have about 30 years of experience between […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Light it up at Mary’s Place Café II
Mary’s Place Café II (5982 Spring Garden Road) is smoking! Well, hookah, that is. The downtown Middle Eastern restaurant now offers hookah from 7pm until midnight every night and there’s a new menu for hookah hours, which includes falafel wraps, chicken shawarma and dips like hummus, baba ghanoush and more. To smoke a hookah, it’s […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Transit plan: not perfect, but necessary
Forget about the fast ferry to Bedford. Forget about an airport bus. Make the Barrington Street and Spring Garden Road shopping districts car-free so more buses can use those streets, but cut the already paltry bus service to Dartmouth Crossing. Increase transit use by 18 percent in five years, by spending $93 million on new […]