John's Lunch - Deep Frying as an Art Form
Stephen Maher, the Halifax Herald
Sunday, May 7, 2000

John's Lunch, 352 Pleasant St., Dartmouth No non-smoking section / Not wheelchair accessible

EVERY now and then I'll be sitting at my desk here at the Herald, diligently and carefully editing the news, when I suddenly become aware of an extremely pleasant smell wafting over from the corner of the newsroom where the photographers and photo editors spend their time.

The smell is always accompanied by a hush from that corner of the office.

If you take a very brief break from the important business of editing and stroll over there to investigate, as I have done, you will find these photographers and photo editors hunched over their desks, their eyes glazed, silent.

They are eating take-out orders of clams and chips.

Their normally cynical faces are softened by an otherworldly glow as they hunch over their meals. Their eyes have the gleam of the addict who has just acquired a fix.

They won't even react if you stroll over and say, in a loud voice: "Say, don't you think we put too darned many photos in the paper? I say we cut back on them, and while we're at it, let's make them smaller."

It is only possible to address them in this manner after a photographer has been assigned to take a photo in the vicinity of John's Lunch.

My curiosity was piqued.

I resolved to make a trip to Woodside to investigate this John's Lunch operation.

First I had to assemble the team. I needed experienced, dedicated clam eaters.

I didn't have to look far.

My sister came to mind immediately. She would rather eat fried clams than lobster. As children, she and I spent our summers digging clams in Lower Economy and eating them at clam shops in Five Islands, on the other side of Economy Mountain.

To add geographic variety to the team, I added my friends Dan and Danielle Davis, and Danielle's brother, Michel Surette.

Danielle and Michel grew up in Moncton and Shediac Bridge, and they know a thing or two about clams.

Dan grew up in Saint John, N.B., but ever since he was fortunate enough to marry Danielle, he has expanded his clam-eating opportunities through frequent visits to Shediac Bridge.

So, team in place, we headed over the bridge and through Woodside to John's Lunch, a rundown-looking little building covered with green vinyl siding, not far from the Nova Scotia Hospital.

There are a few booths and a long counter. Behind the counter, there's a row of bubbling fryers. Everything looks clean.

We start with an order of calamari ($7.50) and watch as the pieces of squid are quickly covered in a light batter and briefly dipped into the boiling oil.

I normally like my squid sauteed, but this calamari is perfect.

It's so lightly battered and fried that it has just the right texture.

It's good and there's a lot of it, enough for five people to share, along with helpings of tasty, pale, vinegary cole slaw.

While the rest of the team is ordering fried seafood, I decide I'd better try one of the handful of non-seafood items on the menu, so I order fried chicken ($6.95).

It's not bad, but it's a bit dry and I am forced to console myself by sampling generous amounts of food from the plates of my friends.

Dan's seafood platter ($12.45) is a treat. It has good haddock and clams, deep-fried shrimp, and stunning scallops.

The scallops are covered in a paper-thin batter and fried for just long enough so they keep all their flavour and texture.

John's Lunch sells orders of scallops and chips ($10.95) and I am in a big hurry to get back to Woodside to try an order.

Danielle has the haddock tips and clams combo ($9.45), which is very good. The little haddock tips are lightly battered and delicate.

Michel and my sister both have clams and chips ($8.75) and both pronounce themselves pleased.

The clams, like all the other seafood items we try, are perfectly cooked, in fresh oil, at the right temperature, with the right amount of batter.

The people at John's Lunch know how to get the most out of their fryers, and that is not as common as it should be. To consistently offer deep-fried seafood this good requires an attention to detail that few fry shops manage.

And every order comes with crispy golden brown french fries and the tasty, acidic cole slaw.

As we leave John's and stand around in the parking lot discussing our meal, a consensus emerges: the clams are good, but not quite as good as some you can get outside Halifax.

John's Lunch uses big, fresh clams from Chezzetcook and handles them very carefully, even lovingly.

This was a very satisfying meal and it cost only $68.27 to feed a party of five.

And I can't get those scallops out of my mind.

Stephen Maher is an editor with The Chronicle-Herald and The Mail-Star.