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A7

Dan and Brufrog

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South of Hampton

Holly's Café SoHa, Market Square, Saint John, 642-9191

[Dan]

I've never thought about dining at Holly's Café SoHa on the second floor of Market Square mainly because I never really think about it. I hardly ever go to Market Square and although I would probably make good use out of the public library I guess it's just not on my radar. What is a SoHa anyway? I looked it up. Apparently the term comes from shortening south of Harlem which is the neighbourhood called Morningside Heights. George Carlin had referred to it as white Harlem and I'm not sure how any of that relates to a café in Market Square so I'll refrain from digressing any further.

[Brufrog]

Actually, SoHa is their invention, if also a cheeky reference to Harlem. Holly's Café SoHa is part of the small local restaurant group www.singhdining.com that also includes Holly's original restaurant in Hampton, House of Chan in Brunswick Square and Thandi (which has improved greatly since we reviewed it almost two years ago "" I'm a regular now for curries and noodle dishes). SoHa means South of Hampton. Get it? Pretty cute. When I arrived on Friday for an early supper (they close at 7 p.m. Fridays), Holly's was pretty busy, so we took a seat in the outer café area, a great spot for people watching.

[Dan]

SoHa's menu has a few different categories such as sandwich/wraps/paninis, soups, pastas, and a few other items. There are limited options for alcoholic drinks such as bottled beer and one red and one white wine by the glass.

[Brufrog]

Yes, booze is a problem here. I can understand why a casual, family-friendly place in the square by the library and museum might not want to promote excessive alcohol consumption, but I wish they had a decent wine by the glass. How about a chalkboard with a couple whites and reds advertised? They don't need to be fancy. Well-chosen, inexpensive wines, rotated regularly, might sell well if promoted. There was no craft beer either, so I had a glass of the house white ($5) from Jackson-Triggs. It was barely tolerable.

[Dan]

I ordered a glass of white wine ($5) and their blackened chicken ($12), served with a side salad along with grilled mushrooms, tomatoes, onions and peppers. The chicken was actually several slices of a chicken breast, cut thin, possibly pounded/tenderized as the meat was very juicy and tender. The several thin slices also allowed for more surface area to be covered by the Cajun-style spices that gradually grew in heat throughout the meal and after, leaving me with a pleasant sensation afterwards. I ordered an Alpine bottle ($3.50) during the meal. The light hop flavour in the Alpine went well with the heat in the dish.

[Brufrog]

I went for a side salad ($6) and an order of Kung Pow Chicken ($13). The salad was fresh and good, not just greens. The Kung Pow is a new interpretation, at least to my palate, a twist on Asian/Italian cuisine, with chicken, shrimp and vegetables in a spicy tomato sauce served with pasta. There were three shrimp in there, if you are counting"¦I know some folks do. It was quite tasty, medium hot (not wimpy at all) and a large portion, enough for two people, really. I'm not sure what the source of the heat was, but it lingered in a good way. I'd call this dish good, but not great. I ate about half and took home the rest.

[Dan]

For dessert I couldn't resist homemade cheesecake ($6) and it was an excellent decision to order this. In fact, it's worth the trip just for a dessert as several are homemade. The cheesecake was like a mixture between a whipped and a baked cheesecake. It was light and fluffy but also had some density, if that makes sense.

[Brufrog]

Agreed on the cheesecake. I had some of Holly's homemade version, and it was excellent.

[Dan]

I'll be sure to return to SoHa sometime soon, if I can remember. Surely the great meal will keep this place on my radar.

Dan has more food stuff at foodontheoffense.blogspot.com. Brufrog can be found hopping around on www.frogspad.ca