The Clansmen Motel

9 Baird Street

North Sydney, NS

I know that you, our dear readers, have been visiting our blog for a few years now, so I think that we have reached that point at which we can confide in you. Let's put our feet up, sip our tea, and chat.

I have to tell you that the Clansmen Motel was not our first choice. Our first choice was ruled out when we visited their website and saw their prices. Quelle surprise! Yes, we are the Up for Anything Group but we're getting wiser with age and our instincts told us to keep looking. And that search led us to the website of the Clansmen Motel - not too far from our first choice, but with a nicely varied menu and prices that would allow us to put gas in the car to drive home. None of us had ever been there and what with it being a Friday, we jumped into our cars and headed to North Sydney.

When we arrived, we noticed how lovely the grounds were and who could resist that sign? We entered the motel, passed this delightful lunch room:

 

and then walked through the Lounge and into the second of two connected dining rooms. These were bright rooms that overlooked the grounds to the side and back of the motel. Our table was next to the windows and across the room from the lit fireplace. For those readers who may not be aware of it, Cape Breton is experiencing a very cold summer. So yes, the fire was on until the room filled with people and it could be turned off. What a busy spot! We must have been the last people on the face of the earth to know that the Clansmen Motel is a wonderful place to eat.

Two of the members of our group ordered Befores:

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Small Caesar Salad

Both members stated that their choices were delicious. And if we're going to continue to be honest with you, I have to tell you that they also stated that they wouldn't have ordered them if they had known how large the servings of the rest of the dishes were going to be - live and learn.

So what did we order? Well, several of us ordered the Special of the Day and that was a strip loin steak served with a choice of potatoes, turnips and carrots, onions, or mushrooms, or gravy.

Medium Well Steak with Homemade Fries, Mushrooms and Onions

Well Done Steak with Homemade Fries, Onions and Gravy

And I have to tell you that the steaks were cooked perfectly as ordered! Now take the word Tasty and multiply it by a hundred and you've got an idea of how delicious this meal was.

Other members ordered these Tasty (see rule above) dishes:

Hot Turkey Sandwich...just look at that gravy...

Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry with Garlic Bread (half of this had to be taken home)

Chicken Parmesan with Garlic Bread (half of this also went home)

The eight of us had a wonderful time chatting, enjoying the view and our meals. Several of us, as you know, are tea drinkers and we were curious about how the Clansmen served their tea.

You might assume that we were disappointed that we did not receive our tea in a teapot. But I have to tell you that the tea was so lovely that we really didn't care. Imagine!

There was lots of milk in that tray and there was sugar and wait for it, Splenda (my favourite) in the dish next to the tea.  We all agreed that the Clansmen serves a Good Cup of Tea.


Now we were anxious to try the Afters - three were offered and of those, we chose two:

Fresh Strawberry Shortcake on a Tea Biscuit with Whipped Cream

Poor Man's Pudding with Whipped Cream

The strawberry shortcake could also have been served with angel food cake instead of a biscuit and both desserts could have been ordered with ice cream instead of whipped cream. Let me tell you about the Poor Man's Pudding - this is a boiled milk cake with a coconut topping and a caramel sauce. Lord only knows how it got it's title - it is rich! We were all pleasantly stuffed, so much so that we took the long route back to Sydney in order to let our suppers settle.

So dear readers, the surprise was on us - our second choice was absolutely wonderful and, in fact, it is our New Favourite.  Not only was the meal delicious, but the service was quick and the waitress was professional. We were all talking about bringing our friends and families back so that we could sit in the dining room once again and enjoy a lovely evening.