A week in Newfoundland - part 4 - Twillingate

Driving from Glovertown to Twillingate, was about 175 km.  Anywhere off the TransCanada, the speed limits are relatively low and the distances did not go by fast.  But we used the time to listen to some local talk radio and learn something about cod fishing, which is what they happened to be talking about on that day.  Twillingate is on South Twillingate Island on the north coast of Newfoundland, and you drive through a chain of islands to get there.

Twillingate is a charming, picturesque, and pleasant small town, like many in Newfoundland.  It surrounds a harbor, and so there are many water views.

The end of the road, just north of Twillingate, on North Twillingate Island is Crow Head.  There is a lighthouse and views of the water, and maybe some whales and icebergs.  Twillingate is the Iceberg Capital of the World and we saw a couple white specs way out there, which we thought were icebergs, but nothing nearby.

One thing that I enjoyed the most about Twillingate is that there are trails everywhere, so it was fun to pick a trail and explore part of the island.  We hiked one near Crow Head and then later on watched the sunset from another trail near our B&B. Most of the lodging in the area are B&B's and we stayed here, which was pleasant and convenient, although the room was small.  We were leaving early the next morning and the host went out of her way to make sure we had breakfast before leaving.

Newfoundland is very connected to the water, and cod is a main food source.  So important, that they talk about the "food fishery", where "food" refers to cod.  Other fish, including lobster, are much less desirable and important.  We were lucky to be there while cod was in season.  My main experience with cod has been fish and chips, but it soon became apparent that there were many preparations that Newfoundlanders use with cod, including cod tongues and cod au gratin.  So I wanted to make sure that I tried each of these while I was there.  

For lunch we ate at D&T Seafood & Restaurant, which was pretty much one of the first restaurants you see when entering town.  Cod tongues were on the menu, so we gave it a try. They were deep fried on this occasion, but I also found them grilled at other places.  They were just fine, not a lot of flavor.  These were relatively large tongues, so they were a bit more chewy towards the end, but they were perfectly edible and enjoyable.

Addy's Seafood Cafe was our selection for dinner, with a nice view of the harbor.  One of the popular items that we saw many people ordering, was the seafood platter, which looked great, piled high with large crab legs, and other seafood, but that didn't work for me, so this was our chance to try cod au gratin.  It turns out, cod baked in a white sauce with a little cheese is pretty tasty.  I may need to try to make it myself sometime.

So while planning the Newfoundland itinerary, we were debating whether to go all the way to Twillingate, it was a long way and a bit out of the way, but I was really glad that we did decide to keep it on the itinerary.