Peaceful Loft

This is the best reviewed restaurant in St. John’s for a reason. It was the highlight of our visit to the city.

My friends and I road tripped from Virginia to Newfoundland, going across Canada and making use of the Port aux Basque ferry. As we got further and further north, our single vegetarian had more and more issues finding good food, while the rest of us were very happy with the fish and meats on offer across most of the island.

However, when we saw that Peaceful Loft was well reviewed, after our boat tour we headed back to St. John’s and walked through the rain for a kilometer to get there. When we arrived in, the owner immediately set the table and began pouring us some wonderful high altitude oolong tea, which he kept topped off throughout the two hours that we would stay there.

He continued by bringing us out some of his homemade sauces for us to try, which he also refilled as they got low. I was so enamored with the mushroom sauce I asked him for the recipe, which he happily described to me in detail so that I could make it at home. My other favorite one was a deliciously earthy and pungent mix of TVP and herbs. He also brought us the soup of the day, which was a flavorful and hot squash soup. He gave our members with wet hair from the rain warm cloths to dry off with, then gave us the menu. The tea, sauces, and soup were all complimentary.

We each ordered a different thing to share amongst ourselves and all of us greatly enjoyed our food. While ordering, the owner (Paolo) was happy to describe each dish in detail and recommend things to us. When my vegetarian friend mentioned the troubles she had been having with finding good vegetarian food, he was quick to reassure her that nothing in the restaurant was animal based and that she could safely take food from any of our shared plates, which she usually isn’t able to do. Trying something from each dish, I found everything to have wonderful flavor and texture. The spring rolls there were some of the best I’ve ever had.

When we left, our bill was under CA$100 for five entrees and an appetizer, and doesn’t count the complimentary teas, soups, or sauces. He walked us through the bill, then sent us off with a big bag of fresh clementines, chocolates, and strawberry candies.

I would come back to St. John’s just to go here again.