Magnum and Steins is a Canadian restaurant, wine bar & lounge inside The Duckworth hotel in St. John’s, offering creative dining with seasonal fare & an intimate vibe.
We sat at the bar lounge area which is a very intimate and cozy atmosphere.
Chef Leon John, from Montreal, is the Executive Chef of Magnum & Steins. He is very friendly and passionate about his creations.
Also Read: 12 Best Restaurants in St. John’s, Newfoundland
Creative Dining Tasting at Magnum & Steins
For our dinner at Magnum & Steins, Chef Leon has curated a tasting menu for us. In our Creative Dining Tasting, we had the following courses.
Asian Duck Confit Nacho
This was a unique bar snack. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this kind of Asian nacho before.
I love duck confit so was very happy to see this here. The mix of the duck confit with the vegetables and fresh nacho was very good.
However, I do wish there were more duck confit than vegetables. As you can see from the photo, I can barely see the duck. And the duck confit was a bit salty.
But overall, a refreshing bite!
Fish Soup
I was wow’ed with how much fresh seafood there is in this bowl, which consists of Cod, Salmon, Prawn, Scallop, Mussels, Julienne Vegetables, Asparagus Coins, Cherry Tomatoes!
I found the soup was a little bland. I was expecting the soup to be full of seafood flavour considering how much seafood is in this bowl.
I have a feeling the seafood was added to the soup in time for serving as opposed to the soup being made with the seafood in it.
I definitely felt a cream-based soup would’ve worked better here to retain the seafood flavour. But I still enjoyed all the seafood that’s included!
Pan-seared Scallop
This was such a perfectly seared Scallop with Green Pea Puree, Warm Chorizo Relish, Beet Gastrique, Olive Oil.
I like how it was seared half way thru as opposed to just the top part. I love the taste of sear up to the 1/3 of the scallops because this brings out way more flavour than just being seared on the top.
The inside was also perfect when you bite into it. The green pea puree and warm chorizo relish were so good to mix with the scallop. It brings out a totally new flavour profile.
I suggest trying it with just the puree separately with the relish, then try it mixed. It’s just so deliciously good!
Pan-fried cod
If there’s one thing to order at Magnum & Steins, it’s the Pan-fried Code. This was probably the most creative dish here and the best cod dish I had in St. John’s.
The Pan-fried Code comes with Pan Roasted Baby Potatoes, Forest Mushrooms, Caramelized Shallots, House Cured Bacon, Chorizo Cream Sauce, Pureed Avocado.
The chorizo cream sauce was just amazing with the cod. And mixing it with some fresh guac, enhanced the flavour. Creative and refreshing take on cod!
Kudos to Chef Leon John on this one!
Charcuterie
The Charcuterie had a unique meat selection consisting of Lamb Lonzino, Duck Prosciutto, House Cured Pancetta, Shallot Jam, Mostarda, Pickled Jalapeno & Dill Pickle.
The duck prosciutto was my favorite because it was fatty, smokey and flavourful!
Tomato strawberry black olive sorbet
Yum! I’m usually not a sorbet person but I found this really refreshing.
It also was a great palate cleanser for the dessert since I didn’t feel any of the previous courses lingering in my taste buds.
And it also didn’t taste like vegetables – something important for me!
Dessert of the day
The Dessert of the Day was House-made maple, ginger and pineapple ice cream with caramelized pineapple, candied cashew and a coconut tuille.
I found this very creative. I’ve never had a dessert like this before.
It was very refreshing with the mix of citrus and sweetness (just the perfect amount of sweet). Reminds me of being in a tropical island.
Hope this restaurant review of Magnum & Steins help you decide where to eat in St. John’s!
While you’re in the city, you might want to check out these 10 Best Things To Do in St. John’s!
Magnum & Steins
Website / Address: 329 Duckworth Street , St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
Located inside The Duckworth Hotel.
Disclaimer: Although this was a sponsored tasting with Magnum & Steins, the opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of the restaurant.