One of the things I love best about Skye Cafe & Bistro is that everyone involved is passionate about living on the prairies.
It starts with their commitment to local , organic, Made-In-Saskatchewan ingredients with seasonal creations adorning the plates in the restaurant.
Even when the seasons change, Skye Cafe & Bistro offer their loyal clientele special events during Regina’s chilly winter season.
This evening we enjoyed a 5-course Seafood Dinner.
Lobster Roll:
Cucumber wrapped Lobster & Avocado with baby greens.
Artfully presented, the Avocado & Lobster are cocooned within a cucumber roll, with the baby greens & aioli providing color & depth to the dish.
The Avocado & Lobster is a match made in heaven.
I also love how Chefs Milton & Louise manage to surprise us with caviar, too!
New England Style Clam Chowder
Puff Pastry Shell
Milton is a Magician with this dish! First of all, as mentioned, the aromas are astounding yet subtle. The flavors are mesmerizing. This is a true testament to the skill of the chef when the soup finishes to its perfect pastry bowl, from starting like this:
Every step in the kitchen is carefully orchestrated to ensure each dish is a masterpiece.
But equally masterful is the ambiance of the dining room.
Allow me to talk about mood & setting.
Fur Elise aka Bagatelle No. 25 by Beethoven, is playing gently in the background.
I’ve always loved this piece of music. It’s one of the few classical pieces I learned to play on the piano. Checking Wiki, maybe now I understand why I have an affinity for this particular piece of music.
Since childhood I’ve believed in the power of 27. As I grew into adulthood, I came to appreciate how 27 can either help you or haunt you.
It’s always helped me.
Fur Elise was composed 27 April 1810.
Talk about karma.
Thanks, Skye!
& Wikipedia!
Back to the excellent music selection during the Seafood Dinner at Skye Cafe & Bistro.
There have been studies done regarding the effect music has on food & wine.
In this case, it truly does provide an emotional & an olfactory journey.
Ha! I have to laugh. The couple sitting next to me … and I apologize for eavesdropping … but he said to her “I hope you don’t like the Chowder” to which she replied “I do like it!”
… I’m sure he was hoping he might be the fortunate recipient of an extra bowl and I can’t say I blame him!
This soup transcends any pre-conceived notion of chowder. It’s in a class by itself.
So delicious … and like my neighbor said: “The pastry is amazing!”
Sea Food Trio
Garlic butter poached Tiger Prawn.
Crispy Oyster with roasted pepper aioli.
Salt Cod croquette accompanied by lemon aioli & crispy capers.
I probably sound like a broken record, but I cannot state clearly enough how much of a role “aroma” plays in the enjoyment of this Seafood Dinner.
I was just served the Seafood Trio and it’s like being right by the ocean.
It’s almost like I’m catching a hint of saltwater that’s so common when visiting an ocean coastline.
Yet, here we are, in landlocked Regina SK Canada … giving thanks to Skye Cafe & Bistro for finding a way to make this Seafood Dinner true to its natural habitat.
OMG. I just took a bite of the crispy oyster!
Milton! Louise! How did you do this? How did you take it beyond seafood?
The seasonings are a triumph!
Accompanied by equally triumphant Crispy Kale with Crispy Capers, it’ s a joy to experience.
Every restaurant in the world should serve this!
Salt Cod. Love it!
I love it even more when reminiscing about my trip to Portugal a few years ago.
It was there that I walked into a supermarket to find myself surrounded by dried, salt-laden cod piled high in giant bins.
Cod. In a region more typically known for other kinds of fish. Like sardines.
Upon return to my hotel, I asked the concierge about the blindingly white fish I saw at the supermarket.
That’s when I learned that Portugal prides itself in their legendary “1000 ways to prepare Salt Cod”
Well, Portugal might have half a millennium of experience with Salt Cod, but there’s no doubt that Skye Cafe & Bistro found a way to make it its own in the most delicious way!
We’re lucky to have this restaurant in #YQR.
Sea Food Paella
Mussels, Shrimps, Scallops, Clams, crispy Snapper & Calamari
Saffron Rice.
I can’t even begin to describe this dish. It’s a seafood-lovers dream!
Tender Calamari. Succulent Lobster. Clams! Mussels! Scallops!
The variety of seafood & shellfish in this dish goes on and on … on a bed of fluffy, saffron-rice. Skye Cafe & Bistro uses only the finest saffron and it totally shines in this Paella.
Dessert
Lemon Saskatoon Berry Tart
Here’s where Skye brings it all home. The Saskatoon berry is a Saskatchewan mainstay and Skye likes to keep it local … so it’s the perfect end to a perfect evening.
… prior to Skye’s 5-course Seafood Dinner, Milton Rebello and Louise Lu gave me a tour of the Skye Kitchen.
The size of the area where all the food is prepared is very interesting.
It’s relatively small, considering the size of the restaurant seating are.
But most impressive is how it’s incredibly quiet. Really quiet.
For someone like me, who spent years in the restaurant business and remember most kitchens as a place of clanging & banging & chatter at various decibels … this one is serene to the point of being spiritual. Meditative. Zen-like.
This is one of the things Milton & Louise consciously aspired to … a quiet kitchen.
It’s an oasis.
While in the kitchen, I was fortunate to have Milton offer me a taste of the Clam Chowder.
For anyone who’s done sensory training, you’ll know what I mean when I say the entire soul of that soup was captured even before it hit my lips.
The aroma was astoundingly subtle and the flavors matched the aromas.
Subtle, yet full bodied without being overpowering.
It’s the kind of chowder that once you’ve tasted it – you want another bowl very soon.
Louise & Milton are also very proud of the ceramics she creates for Skye.
Let’s face it, how many restaurants create not only the culinary but also craft the vessels upon which they are served?!
The world – and particularly Regina #YQR – is lucky indeed to have Milton & Louise grace us with their culinary expertise, creativity, artistry and friendship.
Like they say:
At Skye, There is no Limit!
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