The Old Triangle
THE OLD TRIANGLE
424 Charlotte Street
Sydney, NS
424 Charlotte Street
Sydney, NS
Sydney, NS
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| The Old Triangle on a crisp fall evening |
This evening's outing reminded me of how much the city of Sydney has changed since I was a young woman working downtown, popping into the Tweed & Hickory, grabbing a sandwich at Ike's, and Christmas shopping along Charlotte Street, long before the Mayflower Mall opened. Charlotte Street has seen so many changes, yet it manages to still draw people downtown. The owners of The Old Triangle recognized the value of this location and opted to bring the franchise to Sydney. So what did we think of the transformation of Smooth Herman's to The Old Triangle?
For those of you who remember dining at Smooth Herman's (oh, remember their Caesar Salad?), you will find that everything is where it was. The renovations have simply opened the front area, spruced up the restrooms and refreshed the main dining areas. Most importantly, however, this is an Irish pub now, so be prepared to sit on wooden chairs at wooden tables, with lots of photographs on the walls, all the noise of people coming and going, music, and many, many waitresses running to and fro. Six of us met up at the pub for supper; half of the group had already eaten at the OT and for the rest of us, this was a new experience.
The first dish ordered was the Advertised Special, which was Lemon Dill Pan Fried Haddock with Cracked Peppercorn and Roasted Potatoes.
Although the waitresses were always on the run, the potatoes arrived, unfortunately, hardly warm. Many of these beautiful-looking roasties were left alone on the plates at the end of the meal.
The fish was delicious and the sauce wonderful, however.
The next dish ordered was the Turkey Meatball Linguini, and yes, that is an interesting combination, isn't it?
Unlike the Advertised Special, this dish was a solid success and enjoyed thoroughly.
Just look at that garlic bread!
Next to arrive at the table was the Kick A** Chicken, and let this be a lesson for restaurants that think it's cute to name dishes with superlative adjectives, this chicken did not, in fact, kick ass.
Being a pub, there are dishes that have to be done well and the Dublin Pastie is one of those dishes. No Irish pub worth its name would mess up a pastie and The Old Triangle did not.
Several of us commented on the salsa that you see on the side and that is - it's not really salsa. It tastes wonderful and is refreshing, but whatever makes salsa salsa is absent. It's nice, but no, not salsa.
This diner knew exactly what she wanted and ordered the Advertised Special with fries! And what a good choice that turned out to be.
Although we were disappointed with the salsa, please note that those who received the cole slaw were thrilled - it was homemade and delicious.
We also tried their gravy on the side and although it is not as good as what we had at The Cedar House, it was very nice and worth ordering.
Now let's take a moment and chat about the teapots; as our regular readers know by now, we are always interested in how tea is served at restaurants.
Aren't these pretty? Each of the tea orderers received a pot of hot delicious steeped tea and a selection of sugars and sweeteners - we shared a glass pitcher of milk to lighten our tea. This isn't the best teapot that we've seen, but it is one of the very best.
And what kinds of desserts do you find at an Irish pub?
Yes, indeed, four of us ordered desserts and these were the two selections that we chose. Lovely! The OT has indeed mastered "afters" and we enjoyed these dishes very much.
For those of you who remember dining at Smooth Herman's (oh, remember their Caesar Salad?), you will find that everything is where it was. The renovations have simply opened the front area, spruced up the restrooms and refreshed the main dining areas. Most importantly, however, this is an Irish pub now, so be prepared to sit on wooden chairs at wooden tables, with lots of photographs on the walls, all the noise of people coming and going, music, and many, many waitresses running to and fro. Six of us met up at the pub for supper; half of the group had already eaten at the OT and for the rest of us, this was a new experience.
 |
| Advertised Special |
Although the waitresses were always on the run, the potatoes arrived, unfortunately, hardly warm. Many of these beautiful-looking roasties were left alone on the plates at the end of the meal.
The fish was delicious and the sauce wonderful, however.
 |
| Turkey Meatball Linguini |
The next dish ordered was the Turkey Meatball Linguini, and yes, that is an interesting combination, isn't it?
Unlike the Advertised Special, this dish was a solid success and enjoyed thoroughly.
Just look at that garlic bread!
 |
| Kick A** Chicken |
Next to arrive at the table was the Kick A** Chicken, and let this be a lesson for restaurants that think it's cute to name dishes with superlative adjectives, this chicken did not, in fact, kick ass.
This chicken hardly raised its leg.
And to make matters worse, it arrived with those darn cold roasted potatoes. This dish was not a success.
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| Dublin Pastie |
Being a pub, there are dishes that have to be done well and the Dublin Pastie is one of those dishes. No Irish pub worth its name would mess up a pastie and The Old Triangle did not.
It was flaky, tasty, and wonderful.
And those fries! Excellent!
Several of us commented on the salsa that you see on the side and that is - it's not really salsa. It tastes wonderful and is refreshing, but whatever makes salsa salsa is absent. It's nice, but no, not salsa.
 |
| Advertised Special with Fries |
Although we were disappointed with the salsa, please note that those who received the cole slaw were thrilled - it was homemade and delicious.
We also tried their gravy on the side and although it is not as good as what we had at The Cedar House, it was very nice and worth ordering.
Now let's take a moment and chat about the teapots; as our regular readers know by now, we are always interested in how tea is served at restaurants.
Aren't these pretty? Each of the tea orderers received a pot of hot delicious steeped tea and a selection of sugars and sweeteners - we shared a glass pitcher of milk to lighten our tea. This isn't the best teapot that we've seen, but it is one of the very best.
And what kinds of desserts do you find at an Irish pub?
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| Chocolate Cake |
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| Gingerbread with Whiskey Caramel Sauce |
The Old Triangle is a pub, first and foremost, so there is noise, laughter, music, chatter and lots of people. There is also no rush to move along - you can sit and enjoy your meal and drinks. It's a fun place to spend a few hours and here's hoping they continue to brighten this corner of Charlotte Street.
And me, well, I'm curled up with a good dvd, my cats, and leftovers. Lucky, lucky me!
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| Reheated OT fries and half a pastie...heaven. |
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