GaddAboutEating visits Mallard Cottage in Quidi Vidi Village – St. John’s, NL.

Article and photography by GaddAboutEating

What do you get when you combine a beautiful old cottage with a menu featuring fresh local products and deliver that with beautiful and professional service?   Well, you get Mallard Cottage.   Located in an 18th Century Irish-Newfoundland cottage – originally home to the Mallards, a fishing family – the cottage was an antiques shop from around 1985 and onwards, then bought and converted by the current owners in 2010.

Every brunch and dinner menu is a fresh sheet; it is different every day based on the availability of local ingredients and pickings from their on-premise garden.   The menu below was the brunch menu on the day we visited. Every day there is a fresh table of baked goods.   The costs is $7 for cake or $10 for cake & coffee and how it works is:   you can visit the cake table once and take as much cake (or cookies) as you can fit on your cake plate.   It’s an amazingly appetizing offer and the baked goods really are delicious.

I managed to control my desire for cake long enough to order my brunch main dish which was porchetta with eggs and chimichurri. It was absolutely delicious and if you love pork (like I do) you will love this dish.  It will satisfy your need for the sweet greasy meat for some time to come.

My wonderful companion (Mom) had the frittata which was full of local lamb – curried – and veggies.   The edible flower garnish came straight from the garden.    Brunch dishes can also be ordered with a side salad made with their fresh ingredients,  or a side of fresh local potatoes – pan fried.   We didn’t’ order sides.  I think we were subconsciously trying to save room for cake.

Then there was CAKE.   Clockwise from the left:  Orange Cake, Coconut Cake, Cranberry Bread Pudding with Hot Toffee Sauce. I’m so thrilled with what has been done with this cottage.   It’s a pleasure to come here and enjoy the surroundings, consume some delicious comestibles, and comfort in the friendly and hospitable service.   Highly recommended! Mallard Cottage 8 Barrows Rd St John’s, NL A1A http://www.mallardcottage.ca/