Restaurant Review – Cork & Bone Bistro, Moosomin, SK

Until about three years ago I had never spent any time in Moosomin. It was a town I passed by on my way to Winnipeg. I had stopped at the well known Red Barn Family Restaurant a couple of times along the way and filled up with gas at the Co-op station. That really was the extent of my “visiting” Mossomin. And now, well, I just happened to be involved with a fella that has a fair amount of work obligations in that area so I find myself making the two hour drive there on a somewhat regular basis. Other than my week long stay at the Moosomin Lake Regional Park this summer, my visits are typically short so dining out isn’t often on the agenda.

This past weekend I headed out to Moosomin after work to sneak in a little time with my partner. I arrived early enough that he hadn’t eaten yet and I hadn’t stopped for anything along the way. He had mentioned the Cork & Bone Bistro before and we had talked about trying it out if the opportunity arose so he called over to make sure there was a table for us and we headed over.

Walking in, the ambiance was in line with what I expected from a small town (or is Moosomin a big town?) Saskatchewan restaurant that is striving to offer something a little elevated without trying to be pretentious. The bistro is pieced together (not in a bad way) with a quirky variety of lighting, seating and décor. It was spacious enough for the amount of seating so it didn’t feel at all cluttered or like you were closer to your neighbors than you wanted to be.

It was about 8:00 pm on a Friday night when we visited and the bistro wasn’t completely fully but many of the tables were occupied when we arrived. It was lively but not overly noisy like a smaller open space can be. We were seated at a table for two with big comfy chairs beside an electric fireplace.

We looked over the menu while we sipped our drinks. The menu has some good offerings. There are about 7 or 8 appetizers, I believe it was 9 main dishes and a few desserts. A decent variety, if you are a meat (and seafood eater). Not much of an offering if you are vegetarian (a few appetizers) and nothing I can recall for vegans. Of course, I didn’t inquire if they could accommodate and whip up a delicious vegan meal so if that’s your preference. I’d definitely call ahead and inquire.

We went with the tempura shrimp for our appetizer. The shrimp was served with a traditional miso/soy sauce as well as a wasabi crème sauce. All in all it was a lovely appetizer. We received 4 good sized portions. The tempura was light and crispy. The shrimp tasted fresh. I’m not a wasabi fan but my partner enjoyed the sauce.

For our mains I ordered the roast pork tenderloin (pictured above) and my partner had the braised lamb shank. Both were served over mashed potatoes with a side of asparagus. According to Randy, who loves asparagus way more than I do, it was perfectly cooked. He actually commented several times on how good the asparagus was.

The pork tenderloin was, not bad. It was slightly overcooked and I found it very salty. That mixed with the abundance of peppercorns really distracted from the pork itself. I loved the comfort food feel of the pork and sherry sauce (very much like a gravy) over the potatoes. It’s the kind of dish I would make at home to serve to guests.

The braised lamb shank was a hit. Cooked just right and seasoned very well. It was a substantial piece of lamb, topped with a lamb stock jus, all served over mashed potatoes. Randy gave it an easy 10 out of 10.

We were too full for dessert so that will have to wait for another time.

Overall our experience at Cork & Bone was a good one. It has a pleasant, comfortable atmosphere. The service, which included visits from the owner, was good and timely. The only thing I would mention about the service is that at no point did anyone stop and ask us how our meal was which which I found a little puzzling. I will definitely pay another visit to the bistro on one of my ventures back to Moosomin. I’d like to try the ravioli fritti and maybe the smoked tandori beef.