Canada's insider blog

After our morning mussel plant tour and raking in a dozen oysters from Raspberry Point Oysters, we were ready to eat, drink and be merry before driving over the Confederation Bridge to Shediac, New Brunswick.  

John Bil’s new restaurant, Ship to Shore was our fait accompli. And we accomplished this mission well. 

The restaurant is in Darnley, about a 30-minute drive from Charlottetown. Newly renovated to a country-beat, the wooden tables and mismatched-coloured napkins are charming.  Keeping it simple, the vibe is friendly, the service is prompt, and the fresh seafood and quality dishes hit the mark. 

Just the way John likes it.  And we liked what he had planned for us, visiting folk: We shucked oysters, watched him shuck more oysters, and then ate until it was time for us to leave. 

Starting with a killer cappuccino (made on his personal espresso machine via Montreal), John had us perked up and ready to mange.  On the menu was a cup of the creamy-and-velvety Billi Bi soup, made with a recipe circa 1961 from the New York Times' Cookbook.  (Just crème, flour, butter and muscles.)  Served with slices of multigrain homemade bread, it was all the meal I needed, but we moved on to sampling more. 

One-by-one, I slurped up the fleshy-and-salty oysters we caught that morning.  Then came Stephen Stewart’s mussels, two ways: One version had mushrooms, fatty bacon and crème, and the other one was lighter with garlic and white wine.  Both scenarios played out well.

Now it was my turn to take the game to a new level.  I got a play-by-play on “how to oyster shuck," and yes, I did shuck my first oyster today, albeit a process.  The real treat for me however was seeing the master at work.  (Watch the video and tell me what you think.) 

Overall, like John’s restaurant, we too, came ship to shore today.  I’m just glad we anchored near his port.  Thanks John, we’ll be back.