New at Bishop’s Landing…Little Oak & Haskapa

A visit to Downtown Halifax is always a treat! I have my favourite places, but I’m thrilled when I have the opportunity to explore somewhere new…as was the case when I visited Bishop’s Landing and their two new shops, Little Oak and Haskapa.

Little Oak

Nestled into the shops at Bishop’s Landing is a lovely new wine bar, Little Oak. Opened just 8 weeks, and the “sister” location to Agricola Brasserie, Little Oak is the perfect spot for a snack and some fabulous wine with a friend.

I took a look around the restaurant and bar and while lovely, it was such a gorgeous day that we opted to sit outside.

Campbell, our server, was a wealth of knowledge and helped us pick out wine along with a few small plates for snacking. Little Oak carries a list of local wines as well as wines from all over the world and there’s always something new and exciting to try from their well-stocked cellar.

Along with their extensive list of wines, Little Oak has a cocktail bar with a row of stools just perfect for a group of friends.

Onto the food, Little Oak serves market-inspired “small plates” changed daily, depending on what’s in season.

We started with Scallops with garden vegetables and minted pea puree.

I have to admit, I made a bit of a mistake here. As in, I’m allergic to broccoli!!!

Typically, I ask when I see “vegetables” listed but for some reason, I got caught up on the idea of scallop and pea puree…and let me tell you, I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED! Bacon and onion and peas and scallops go PERFECTLY together…and my friend enjoyed a little extra broccoli with hers!

Next up, we gave the Gnocchi with mushrooms and pesto a try and it was an absolute thrill to every single one of my taste buds. The gnocchi itself was perfectly cooked but the whole “fried in butter with three kinds of mushrooms” thing…was AWESOME! Add in the pesto and parmesan…and it really was delicious.

Still in a snacky mood, we decided to order both the cheese and charcuterie trays.

Served with lots of bread and fabulous jams and chutneys, the trays were delicious. I will admit that I usually avoid the “pate” part of the charcuterie board, opting for more of the dried-cured meats…but in this case, the entire plate with pate based. My friend, having once been a vegetarian, completely shied away from the plate and while I sampled each of the pates and enjoyed them…I think I’ll ask next time what to expect. (It’s different every time.)

To finish things off…we had a DELICIOUS spicy chocolate mousse that had me surprised at the spiciness of the dessert. I liked it…it was different…I actually really liked it…BUT, I think I’m more of a sweet dessert person than a spicy dessert person if given the option.

All in all, we had a lovely lunch at Little Oak at Bishop’s Landing with a few glasses of wonderful wine and amazing company.

Haskapa

Following our lovely lunch, we popped across the parking lot to Haskapa.

Opened just 6 weeks, Haskapa is turning heads with their abundance of exceptional foods and innovative health products made from the haskap superberry.

Often referred locally as the honey berry, the haskap is ripe in early July and grown on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. The berry itself resembles an elongated blueberry and tastes like a cross between a blueberry, raspberry and cranberry. So why all the fuss? The haskap has THREE TIMES the antioxidants of blueberries, is packed with vitamin C, is low in sugar and high in fibre and contains high levels of anthocyanins.

With a Taste of Nova Scotia theme…Haskapa (with its new location in Bishops Landing and a second location in Mahone Bay) has multiple “made in Nova Scotia” products on its shelves including tea, chutney, maple syrup, ice cream, vodka and gin.

Along with their fabulous food products, they also sell the Haskap Berry Powder that is made with a unique drying process maintaining 94% of the berrys healthy compounds. The powder can be used in smoothies or sprinkled on yogurt to start your day off in a healthy way.

We had a lovely visit to the store and were well-educated on the Haskap Berry and its benefits from Lisa, Eli and Veronica (it was Veronica’s first day, but she definitely had a lot to share with us including her love of the Haskap Relish!)

Pop in to learn all about this fantastic new product

Our visit to Bishop’s Landing was both educational and delicious…we met some fabulous folks and will definitely be back for another visit. Check out the various shops and restaurants at Bishop’s Landing the next time you’re out exploring! It truly is one of my favourite Halifax locations…to spend an afternoon with a friend.

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Disclosure: Curtains are Open is a personal lifestyle blog based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I received compensation from Bishop’s Landing to visit their shops. As always, opinions are my own.