The Dockside Bistro Campbellford - a restaurant review

 

the corner table closest to the river is where I ate

With the ongoing genocide in Gaza, it’s hard to stomach life. But we need to eat, and we need distractions. The  poetry calling I’ve accepted, a people’s poet in the broadest sense, sure doesn’t pay and often makes me enemies of those in power, even petty power like local library boards. So often I've used my creative writing for non creative efforts, even the occasional restaurant review. In fact the most “pay” I’ve received for my writing was for a review for the Beaches community paper when I lived in Toronto. It was for The Caravan Treats, a small cafe which served delicious food. It was on The Danforth in a relatively downscale neighbourhood, but when the trendy Beachers read the review, Caravan Treats was swamped and firmly established as the unpretentious but delicious restaurant it was. The owner, Milana, thanked me with free meals for a full year. I ate there almost every night, and even took dates who also enjoyed Milana’s excellent Hungarian recipes. So with that memory, here is one of my  favourite area restaurants and a backroad trip.

Yesterday was so sunny and warm for March here on the edge of The Kawarthas that I fired up my old Miata and drove from Marmora to Campbellford for lunch at The Dockside Bistro. The owner couple, Sandy and Sarah Sanyal, are also from Toronto, and they provide food and service which is at least on a par with the food I ate when I lived in TO’s Little India. The building is a renovated stone church on the Trent River, and I was first to grab a table on the outdoor patio. Mallards were swimming towards me from downstream, and their slow approach amused me while I sipped my craft pale ale. Soon a couple also touring this beautiful spring-like day sat at the next table with their gorgeous golden retriever. They had called ahead to check that Dockside is dog friendly. They were from Newmarket, and had driven to Campbellford to cross the newish suspension bridge over The Trent River gorge to hike in Ferris Park on the outskirts of CFord. Their retriever was afraid to cross the high bridge, with its open mesh floor which gives a vey scary feeling of imminently plunging into the far below spring torrent. I remember having to carry my little dog Chase across the bridge, but larger dogs often balk and refuse to cross, so the couple had to go in the park from a different access. 


full monty butter chicken

The man asked if I was a regular, and what would I recommend. The quick serve butter chicken was my choice, although the last visit I had the full butter chicken meal with all the side dishes, which was enough for two small eaters! Our meals arrived promptly, and chatting and dog petting had to wait for a while. The couple thanked me for the helpful choice in food, and after some more waterfowl watching, I headed home via the twisting Cordova Mines backroad.