Maritimes Madness | DAY 2: (Pt. 1) Café Taiyaki 52 + Shediac

Our Maritimes journey officially commenced the next day. But just prior to departure, a visit to Cafe Taiyaki 52 was requested.

I hadn't expected trendy items such as taiyaki to be available on the East Coast, let alone in the form of ahboong soft serve. We had actually stumbled upon the cafe/dessert shop hybrid the night before after having made a wrong turn. Of course, it was obvious of me immediately include it in the itinerary.

Cafe Taiyaki 52 opened surprisingly early, presumably to cater to the caffeine addicts in the area as well as the late afternoon dessert crews. The interior was lovely and absolutely serene; an abundance of natural light filled the shop from the grey floors to lofty ceilings. With only one other customer in sight, service was expected to be swift. In accordance to the standard Halifax protocol though, it was slow and sweet (read: ridiculously friendly, but all too leisurely for my liking. We were on a time crunch after all.)

It was too early for Taiyaki Soft Serve, which rang in at a whopping $7.50 plus tax (15% HST on this side). Instead, I opted for a trio of standalone Taiyaki: Crunchy with Vanilla Custard, Crusty with Chocolate Hazelnut, and Regular with Matcha Custard. One of these were priced as part of the When Fish Meets Water combo, which included one taiyaki and caffeinated beverage set.
The girl behind the cashier suggested the T-52 Coffee, a supposedly "super sweet" coffee already equipped with milk and sugar. In reality, I craved an Iced Latte, but it was sadly exempt from the combo choices. Despite reeking heavily of granulated sugar, the T-52 Coffee was fine on its own. Consumed in conjunction with equally sweet taiyaki though, it was confirmed excessively sugary.

Taiyaki were offered in three types: Regular, Crunchy, and Vegan (at an additional charge of fifty cents). The "Crunchy" variation is more commonly referred to as Croissant Taiyaki, employing a puff pastry foundation; interestingly, both Crunchy and Regular were priced equally.

As Yelpers had mentioned, the taiyaki was made fresh to order, thus resulting in quite the extensive wait. I hadn't been informed of this ten-or-so minute-duration beforehand - which I would have appreciated - though it was evident that the girl manning the store at the time was making her best effort to speed up the process. Amidst her haste though, my Regular Taiyaki with Matcha Custard had been incorrectly produced with a Vanilla Custard filling. With that said, the quality was not compromised.

Both of the Crunchy Taiyaki were spectacular. Served piping hot, the pastries were wonderfully crunchy and decadent. It differed from Snowy Village's and Sukoi's renditions in that brown sugar granules were substituted with a sweet glaze. Thankfully, the consumption process was devoid of the horrible flaky messy that Sukoi's trio had yielded.
The fillings were average, but the pastry thoroughly impressed. Chocolate Hazelnut was a basic Nutella, while Vanilla Custard could not escape clumps of distinctly orange egginess. Snowy Village still remains superior.

View the full album HERE !

The Regular Taiyaki utilized a spongy, cake-like base, as opposed to the crisp, doughy style back home. I could have done without this version completely, but it wasn't bad even when kept for a/an (soggy) afternoon snack.

We then set out for New Brunswick, from which we would then continue towards Prince Edward Island. Along the way were a few scheduled tourist attractions, of course.

The first was Mont Blanc Cannon Park in Dartmouth, which was really less of a park and more of a heritage monument that had been maintained throughout the years in a residential area.

Traffic was quite minimal in the area, and thankfully so. We were able to pull over on the side of the road without causing significant disturbance to passing vehicles and buses.

Resuming our route, we travelled onwards towards Shediac, New Brunswick, spotting a wind turbine farm along the way. These fixtures are rare sightings for inhabitants of the urban and suburban districts in Ontario. Its sightings are most vividly recalled in the rural areas of BC and driving along a quiet stretch of Hawaii.

It added a much-needed dose of breath air amidst the three-hour car ride. (I'd also be unable to finish this segment without referencing the striking appearance of wind turbines in GOT7's You Are MV.)

At long last, we crossed the provincial border and laid eyes on the Giant Lobster.

Weather was dreary for the most part, prompting a scurry back towards the car for our windbreakers.

Unlike back home, the nation's official languages were wholly embraced here, most evidently via road signange. The French influence was indeed apparent.

As with a handful of other tourists, we patiently awaited our turn to climb the Giant Lobster (and then proceed with some hilariously extravagant poses).

I dove into the gift shop to review their selection, but alas, most items were overpriced and not entirely of interest. Moreover, a steep markup on saltwater taffy was observed.

Stopping for lunch in a tiny scenic neighbourhood, we were puzzled to find many of the eateries still closed at noon - on a weekday no less. After searching up several spots in the area, La Coast emerged as the final contender, primarily since it was one of the few restaurants open.

The interior was dim, Wi-Fi was absent, and service was passable. Its laminated menu consisted of overpriced entries that not only failed to thrill but served only to disenchant.

A Vegetable Chowder (Soup of the Day) was complained to be too creamy. Mussels were overdone and lacking seasoning; worst of all, its broth was bitter, fishy, and highly reminiscent of the very pot used to cook them. And let's not leave out the pieces that had escaped their sandy shells.

My own Greek Salad, which led me to relinquish a total of $6.50 before taxes, arrived submerged in a slick, tangy Balsamic.
Ah. I subtly kicked myself. I had omitted my usual dressing-on-the-side request.
The greens had been doused in the rusty brown-pink emulsion, which ultimately filtrated through the contents of the dish and settled in a pool at the bottom. There were sufficient leaves between the dried cranberries, nuts, and other toppings. In its defense, I had never witnessed such a generous portion of crumbled feta cheese. Otherwise, it was merely a tolerable source of greens.

More than ready to continue our quest to P.E.I., we bid the establishment good riddance and marched out.

Read Part 2 HERE !