Coffee, Tea & Sea

Restaurant · Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia, Canada

About Coffee, Tea & Sea

Coffee, Tea & Sea is an Indonesian cafe in Fisherman's Cove, a restored fishing village in Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia, on the eastern side of Halifax Harbour. The cove's boardwalk is lined with colourful heritage buildings that now house artisan shops selling knitwear, pottery, woodwork and other handmade goods, along with a heritage centre devoted to local maritime history. Coffee, Tea & Sea sits among them at 18 Government Wharf Road, with a waterfront patio that looks out over the cove itself.

The cafe has operated for roughly a dozen years under owners Johannes and Bianca, who introduce visitors to Indonesian home cooking in a part of Canada with few other outlets for it. The best known dish is nasi goreng, Indonesia's everyday fried rice, prepared here with a fried egg on top and finished with kecap manis, the sweet soy sauce that gives the rice its characteristic dark colour and caramelised edge. Reviewers describe the kitchen as turning out authentic Indonesian cuisine rather than a diluted version aimed at unfamiliar palates, and several note that the food was their first encounter with the cuisine.

Because Fisherman's Cove draws visitors primarily for its seafood, shops and views across the harbour to Halifax, Coffee, Tea & Sea stands out as an unexpected stop for anyone looking for Southeast Asian cooking on a day trip to the cove. It keeps shorter hours than many of its touristy neighbours, open from 10 in the morning to 6 in the evening on weekdays, 11 to 6 on Saturdays and from noon to 6 on Sundays. The cafe can be reached by phone for groups or questions about the day's offerings.

For Indonesians living in or visiting Atlantic Canada, a region with only a small diaspora community, a working Indonesian kitchen this far east is unusual enough that it has drawn attention beyond food reviewers: a visiting Indonesian ambassador to Canada and members of Nova Scotia's small Indonesian community group have cited it as an example of Indonesian hospitality taking root locally.

Address

18 Government Wharf Road, Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia, Canada

Opening hours

Monday Friday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
12:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Contact

Category

Indonesian Restaurant in Canada

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