Pelican Grill
1500 Bank St., 613-526-5229, pelicanseafoodmarketandgrill.com
Open: Monday to Wednesday 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Thursday to Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Prices: mains $17 to $42
Access: no steps to front door or bathrooms
I’ve spent some time at the Pelican Grill this month trying to sort the old from the new.
The restaurant itself is very well-established, having last year marked its 20th year in the Blue Heron Mall on Bank Street. Meanwhile, its sister business under the same roof, the Pelican Seafood Market, turns 42 this year.
In late 2015, there was a major makeover for the Pelicans that nearly doubled their combined space. The restaurant now seats about 60 at a mix of wood and metal-topped tables with much reclaimed wood figuring into the look. Where the fish counter used to be, there’s a new centrepiece oyster bar with several beers on tap. One constant that has carried over is the collection of large, framed photos of Pelican staff happily holding fish. They are still prominently displayed on the restaurant’s walls.
Of course, a succession of chefs has been responsible for the food at the Pelican over the years, with the ByWard Market stalwarts Trisha Donaldson and René Rodriguez notable among them. Now, the young chef and Algonquin College grad James McMillan is in charge, having worked his way up in the Pelican’s kitchen.
My predecessor, Anne DesBrisay, reviewed the Pelican four times between 1997 and 2010. In short, she liked the restaurant quite a bit in its early years but with her last review, she was less impressed, and she suspected that too many shortcuts and pre-made products marred the kitchen’s efforts.
Keen for an update, I’ve found, after three visits, that the Pelican did basic fish and seafood items well enough, and that the stars of each dish, whether they were pan-fried, steamed or deep-fried, arrived at our table moist and tasting of freshness.
Meanwhile, more than a few dishes, including some that have been on the Pelican menu since DesBrisay’s visits, could have been punchier, more concentrated or more complex in the flavour department.
That said, this is a restaurant with no small number of regulars among its clientele, which also skews to the older end of the spectrum. If they prefer the reassurances of food that’s more comforting and accessible than novel and thrilling, that counts for a lot.
“We never want to be a trendy restaurant,” Jim Foster, co-owner of the Pelican businesses, told me this week. “We’re not that cool,” he kidded.
Regulars and newcomers alike should agree that the Pelican’s dark, freshly baked, seed-studded rolls are a nice and even gracious meal-starter, especially now that bread on the house falls under the “old-fashioned” category.
It was also hard to fault the crisp and un-greasy wild halibut and fresh-cut chips ($17 for one piece). Among other deep-fried items, crab cakes were massive, meaty, clean-flavoured and well-fried, but they seemed somewhat under-seasoned on their own, much in need of their miso aioli. Calamari ($12) with a harissa-spiked mayo made a similar impression.
Halibut fish and chips at the Pelican Grill
Crab cakes at the Pelican Grill
Calamari at the Pelican Grill
A lunch-time bowl of mussels ($17) was very generously portioned, but there could have been more richness and savouriness to its white wine and cream sauce. A cup of clam chowder ($5) was tasty, but fell short of being special.
Mussels in white wine, garlic and cream sauce at the Pelican Grill
Cup of clam chowder at the Pelican Grill
A dinner serving of seafood stew ($30) had chunks of halibut, a king crab leg, mussels, clams and shrimp — all fresh and enjoyable. I wished though that the tomato-studded broth had more depth and authenticity.
Seafood stew at the Pelican Grill.
At that dinner, pan-roasted trout ($26), crisp-skinned but moist and finished with a hit of salt, was the best entrée, well supported by its roasted fingerlings, sautéed kale and cauliflower cream.
Trout main course at the Pelican Grill
A serving of scallops with pork belly, served with apple parsnip purée and French beans, should have been perfect for its $42 price. But the sear on the scallops could have been harder, the food could have been piping hot when it hit the table and the plating could have been more artful.
Scallops and pork belly at the Pelican Grill.
A lunch-time Niçoise salad ($19) was enjoyable, even if it raised some questions. Why did the seared tuna have a slightly sweet, barbecue-like dry rub? What happened to the grilled octopus that the menu had listed? Happily, the swap-in — perfectly cooked, pristine shrimp — was delicious.
Niçoise salad at the Pelican Grill.
Red Thai curry shrimp ($19) was chockful of veg and its shrimp satisfied, but the curry was a little toned-down heat-wise.
Red thai curry shrimp at the Pelican Grill
Speaking of desserts, the Citizen reviews of 2006 and 2010 mention just one: crème brûlée. For two of my three visits, the only dessert mentioned by the server was — wait for it — crème brûlée ($6.50). It was maple-flavoured, as it was in 2010, and if I can borrow my predecessor’s words, it was “more pudding than custard, but comforting nonetheless.”
If you compare the Pelican’s food to other seafood and fish options around town, I think you would find more wow-worthy and memorable fare elsewhere, but also a considerable amount of lesser stuff.
But for Pelican regulars, that might not be the meaningful comparison. They might take the shortcomings I’ve mentioned as mere quibbles rather than big disappointments, if they take them at all. What draws them back, I suspect, are consistency and the pleasures of fresh, albeit less than dazzling, seafood and friendly service.
“You want to update (the menu) but you also don’t want to alienate,” Foster said. Point taken.
phum@postmedia.com
twitter.com/peterhum
Peter Hum’s restaurant reviews
