A whole wood-fired fish on the grate over glowing coals.

HALIFAX WATERFRONT · COASTAL FIRE KITCHEN

Fire, salt,and theNorth Atlantic.

Oak burns down through the afternoon, and the boats decide the rest.

Birch coals glowing under a fine layer of ash.

Everything here touches fire.

The grate rises and falls by hand. Fish gets the fierce edge of the fire, vegetables the slow middle, and nothing is plated until the coals say so.

A cook turning a whole fish on the grate with long tongs.

THE BOATS

Caught this morning.

The fish comes off day boats we call by name. What lands at dawn is over the coals by dark. When the weather says no, the menu says no.

DAY BOATS · OFF THE WHARFon the fire tonight

Four movements.

DEMO MENU · TONIGHT'S FIRE: BIRCH COALS, MUSSELS IN THE SHELL

Oysters on crushed ice in low candlelight.

I · FROM THE SEA

  • Raw oysters, mignonette ice4 ea
  • Scallops in the shell, brown butter19

Shellfish over seaweed, finished with cider butter.

Whole wood-grilled fish with charred lemon.

II · FROM THE COALS

  • Whole daily fish, charred lemon38
  • Short rib, ember glaze34

Whole fish and aged cuts, salted an hour before the fire.

Charred vegetables finished over coals.

III · TO SHARE

  • Coal-baked flatbread, seaweed butter9
  • Charred cabbage, anchovy cream14

Cooked in the coals' shadow, for the middle of the table.

Burnt basque cheesecake with warm honey.

IV · TO FINISH

  • Burnt basque cheesecake, warm honey12
  • Toasted hay ice cream9

Smoke, cream, and burnt sugar.

The HEARTH dining room at night, lit by the open hearth and candles.

The room.

A long room on the waterfront: the open hearth at one end, the harbour at the other. Forty seats, and one private table for eight beside the fire.

Charred dish on a ceramic plate, embers scattered across dark slate

Reserve a table.

Forty seats, one fire. Tell us when and how many, and we will hold the rest.

TONIGHT 5 TO 11 · 1741 LOWER WATER ST, HALIFAX · PRIVATE TABLE: ASK FOR THE FIRE SIDE