Day 7 - Halifax, Nova Scotia
Donair is a Halifax Dish
Crystal Serenity is docked in Halifax, Nova Scotia, today. And, I must admit, it is not the nicest berth in Halifax. Cargo cranes and other commercial port structures are the view this morning from Marketplace at breakfast. Part of the reason for this is that cruise lines book these berths up to a year or more in advance and, for 2023, Crystal is a little late to the party. I am sure that by 2024, Crystal will have better berthing locations and fewer tender ports.
Not The Best Berth In Halifax
There is a complimentary shuttle that takes guests from the ship’s berth to Pier 23 where they can meet up with their shore excursion, find a taxi to do independent exploring, or simply walk along the Halifax boardwalk as we did a few weeks ago when we were in Halifax on another cruise.
Today, I have been invited to join our friends and fellow travel writers, John and Sandra Nowlan, to visit their home and their waterfront cottage outside of Halifax. As soon as we depart the shuttle bus, we walk to where the taxi stand is located and take the short drive to their home.
Sandra and John Nowlan are award-winning travel & food writers and photographers based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They've travelled to and written about all seven continents and more than 120 countries. Their articles and photos have been published in magazines, newspapers and travel/cuisine websites across Canada, the United States, Britain and Australia.
Unfortunately, Rickee did not join us today for the visit to the Nowlan’s home and cottage. She was feeling a little under the weather and decided to rest onboard. After the taxi dropped us off at the Nowlan’s home, I was given a brief tour of their Halifax property after which John drove us outside of Halifax to their waterfront cottage. As you can see from the photo below, it is a beautiful location that most of us can only dream of having someday.
Beautiful Waterfront Property
Initially, John and Sandra wanted to treat me to the best fish and chips in Halifax, but unfortunately, their favorite restaurant is closed on Mondays. So, as an alternative, they decide to indulge me in another Halifax favorite: Donair. I have never heard of Donair but I soon learn that it is very similar to Doner Kebab, which is one of my favorite street foods with Turkish roots.
On our way back to Halifax from their cottage, we stop at a local spot (see below) to give this delicacy a try.
Donair is basically like Doner in that it consists of thinly sliced seasoned meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie and placed in a wrap with a variety of toppings. Traditionally, the Donair will be topped with tomatoes and onion. Where the Donair distinguishes itself from Doner is the sauce. Doner Kebab is usually offered with a garlicky yogurt sauce, or even a hot chili sauce, or, a combination of both.
Donair sauce is hard to describe but it is sweet by comparison, almost like a salad dressing. It is made from condensed milk, vinegar and garlic powder. And, at this particular restaurant, they do not spare the sauce. As you can see in the photo at the top of this page, my Donair was drenched in the sweet, sticky sauce.
There is no elegant or sophisticated way to eat Donair. A pro would keep it wrapped in the foil to hold in the sauce and prevent it from getting all over the place. But, I am no pro, so I unwrap the whole thing and try to pick it up and eat it like a sandwich. I think we ended up using a hole stack of napkins! Donair is a sticky, sweet mess. But, it was delicious and I would eat it again in a heartbeat. However, I would order it LIGHT on the sauce.
After the delicious Donair, we drove back to Halifax and John gave me a quick tour of Halifax, including a drive up to the Halifax Citadel. Four fortifications have been constructed on Citadel Hill since the city was founded by the English in 1749, and were referred to as Fort George. These fortifications were in place to protect the harbor from enemy attack.
Halifax Citadel
As soon as we drove into the Citadel, I immediately recognized it from a shore excursion many years ago when we visited Halifax. I remembered that they fire off a cannon every day at noon referred to as the “Noon Gun”. The Noon Gun was among many signals used to alert soldiers to their daily routines.
After our visit to The Citadel, we return to John and Sandra’s home where they park their car and a taxi is ordered to return us to the port.
I am back on board Crystal Serenity just in time to take a shower and enjoy this afternoon’s canapés before we meet John and Sandra for dinner this evening.
This afternoon’s canapés
This evening, Crystal Serenity is offering the Stardust Supper Club, a unique dining experience where the Stardust Club becomes a venue for dinner and entertainment. However, we arrive early enough to visit Avenue Saloon, which is next door to Stardust Club, for a pre-dinner cocktail. Avenue Saloon is still the best place on the ship to enjoy a quiet drink.
Time for a pre-dinner cocktail
When we arrive at Stardust Club, we are greeted by waiters handing out glasses of Champagne and shown to our table for four. We arrived about 20 minutes before the doors opened and there was already a line forming, so it is a good idea to arrive early.
All of the tables at Stardust Supper Club are set for four guests and there really is not a bad seat, or table, in the place. Tables are elegantly set with a rolled up menu in a napkin ring.
As there are only 252 guests on this sailing, I am pretty sure most guests booked a table at Stardust Supper Club. The lounge appeared to be pretty full for this evening’s service.
John, Sandra and Rickee
The menu is a smaller version of the Waterside restaurant menu for this evening. There is a choice of starters: Lobster Medallions or Mushroom Tart. The soup was a Jerusalem Artichoke soup that was delicious. Serenity is three for three on soups! Each one I have tried has been excellent.
For main courses, we had a choice of Sea Bass or Prime Rib. There was also a vegetarian Cabbage Roll on offer. Rickee and I both chose the Prime Rib.
Everything I had was excellent, from the starter to the soup to the Prime Rib. The dessert was a dark chocolate mousse with salted caramel panna cotta and it was also superb.
Prime Rib At Stardust Supper Club
Throughout our meal, we enjoyed a variety of acts from the onboard entertainers backed up by the ship’s musicians.
Karin Kovacova Entertains at Starlight Supper Club
After dinner, it was once again showtime at Galaxy Lounge. Tonight’s show was Crystal on Broadway and featured the Crystal Serenity Ensemble of Singers and Dancers. Unlike the previous production show we attended, this show did not feature live music. Instead, a variety of popular Broadway show tunes were performed to recorded tracks.
The vocalists and the dancers on this sailing have been excellent. All .of the performers are very talented
Unfortunately, this show was not very well attended. I am guessing only 40 people showed up, most likely because of all of the entertainment at Stardust Supper Club. It is a shame because this was a very lively and entertaining performance. The entertainment on Crystal Serenity is much better than you would expect on a ship that only carries 740 guests.
Tomorrow is another day at sea as Crystal Serenity sails toward New York City where we will disembark and fly home on Wednesday.
