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Fid in Halifax

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Fid was always, by far, my favourite restaurant in Halifax, but I moved away a few years ago. I see in this years edition of Where to Eat in Canada that Fid has lost its former 2 stars, and the review is actually a little critical.

Have things really slipped? We are planning a trip and I want to know whether I should opt for Gio instead.

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  1. Unfortunately, I would have to agree with the critics. I heard a lot of great things about Fid, so my husband took me there on my birthday. The experience was marred by the terribly inattentive service. We sat in the middle of the action, at the center table, yet felt ignored the entire night.

    After waiting a good half hour to give our orders, we went for the tasting menu, which I was very excited about. The food was everything I expected: fresh, seasonal, clean flavours, and a nice showcase of local ingredients. The duck prosciutto with poached rubarb was a high point, and chef Johnston really knows what he's doing with lamb. The wines were a revelation, the pairings note perfect. Too bad the bottles were barely presented to us; the red served with the lamb was thrusted at us for a second with a curt "here's what you'll be having with your main", without even naming it.

    The chef made an appearance in the dining room about halfway through our meal. He stopped to chat with all the tables around us, and I overheard some fascinating information about the food we were enjoying. That was as close as I got, however, as he didn't deign stopping by us. I realize the kitchen staff is busy and that the chef's job is not to provide tableside entertainment, but it still stung to be so obviously singled out when others around us enjoyed a much higher level of service.

    I have a feeling that since we are a younger couple, it was assumed we were not able to appreciate the meal on the same level as older patrons. I guess we should have flaunted our foodie cred a bit more, or our wallet. The meal itself was worth every last one of the 2500 pennies it cost; the tip, however, didn't feel like money well spent.

    2 Replies
    1. re: Freyja

      Then why did you tip? I agree - I think Fid has terrible service. I quit going.

      1. re: Freyja

        Interesting. FID used to have great servers. But they have lost staff in the past year to other places. The person who does the wine pairing there is a fully trained Sommelier, but not a full time employee, so she would not be there to help with wine questions, or witness that type of service.

      2. Is there consensus that the service needs improvement? I always though the service was quite good, but I used to go once a week for lunch, so they knew me to some extent.

        Is the food still good?

        1 Reply
        1. re: BarnNB

          This was our 1st visit and we either must've picked a bad night or the quality has diminished from what we've read and heard.

          My SO didn't particularly like the roe on scallop and the black bean sauce was invisible with the Monkfish (with wok prep'd veggies and sprouts). The flourless choc. cake was nice. I had the smoked eel (very nice) and the halibut, which I found dry for the most part (guilty for not returning as it was seared on one side leaving it with dark brown edges, almost burnt..surprised it was served). I found the lentils and bok choy the best part of the entree. The assiette de desserts was nice..the spoonful of ginger creme brulee too skimpy compared to the other two.

          The white wines we chose were great, the service good and the decor/ambiance very nice.

          Overall, we will check other fine dining experiences in Halifax over returning to chance a 2nd time.