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Liquid Gold Tasting Bar & All Things Olive
- Hours:
Tue-Fri 10 am - 6 pm
Sat 10 am - 5 pm
Sun 11 am - 5 pm
- Price Range:
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$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
14 reviews for Liquid Gold Tasting Bar & All Things Olive
Review Highlights
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"The oils and vinegars are sold in reusable bottles." In 5 reviews -
"...is very nice with large stainless steel vessels and little..." In 2 reviews -
"...sophisticated shop in the Hydrostone must be a godsend for..." In 3 reviews
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14 reviews in English
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Review from Jill M.
2/13/2012 2 Check-ins Here
If you like olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and baguette, then this is a place for you. If you don't well, then I don't know what to make of you.
Liquid Gold is THE PLACE to buy olive oil and balsamic in Halifax. There are so many tasty, interesting options and you're free to sample them all in the store. My kitchen is currently stocked with about five or six bottles (luckily, they come in smaller sizes so you can try them out without hurting your wallet).
Plus, the store is located in the adorable Hydrostone neighborhood right by Julian's bakery, where you can pick up a fresh baguette to go with your purchases.Listed in: Hi, I'm Jill, and I'm a…
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Review from Lori M.
4/16/2012 2 Check-ins Here
I could do circles in this place all day! Honestly!! And never get tired of trying things.
When you walk in you are greeted with small stainless casks on top of wooden shelving. Below are bowls of bread bites and cups to aid you in your sampling.
I will say that the plethora of flavors of vinegar and oils are impressive. From fruity and light to dark robust tastes. I cannot imagine anyone entering and not finding at least one item to.suit.your palate or dish. There is an espresso balsamic and Sicilian lemon that makes me squeal and promptly buy.
The oils are no less represented here. Faint tastes of apple, nut and even asparagus are infused in these oils from all over the world.
The neatest thing for a gift is the gift box where you purchase two empty bottles in a box and the recipient can return and select the products they want... How brilliant is that? -
Review from Sam A.
10/11/2011 ROTD 5/1/2012
Ever walked into a place and felt like you were being taken for a ride? Like not a good one, one where you feel like everything about their products are just BS and you can see right through the fancy pants marketing and signage? Well my friends, Liquid Gold is the complete opposite.
I wandered in here last Christmas having heard about the concept and looking for a good present for my foodie/chef mother. Amongst a large group of women I was greeted by a kind man with a beard (who I'd come to find out is one of the owners) who immediately made me feel welcome. He gave me the low down on the place in an unpretentious manner that didn't make me feel like as a 26 year old I should be out drinking Red Bull and not tasting olive oil.
I still can't get over how distinctive each one of their olive oils and vinegars are. Wine, I find, is very subjective, while I found the palette descriptions for each of their oils and vinegars to be very accurate to what I was tasting. The setup is very nice with large stainless steel vessels and little spouts to pour yourself a sampler.
Everytime I've been in the staff have been always helpful, offering pairing suggestions and recommendations. I've tasted a variety of their oils and vinegars and truly feel they are worth their weight in... well liquid gold. -
Review from Ben B.
This lovely, sophisticated shop in the Hydrostone must be a godsend for hobby chefs, Europhiles, and frankly anyone who loves a good reason to dip carbs in oils. So just about everyone, really.
Stainless steel pots line the room, each containing a particular blend of oil or vinegar ranging from butter and garlic varieties to Cranberry and Pear, and Wild Mushroom and Sage. There are plenty to choose from and surely tons of new options for spicing up your at-home hosting.
If you can't resist a taste, there are little bites of bread and small cups for sampling purposes. I believe most of them to be on a self-serve honour system, but to be honest there was only one person working that day and she was helping one customer the entire time I was in...so I'm not really sure how the system works. I didn't go out on a limb to just start trying things in case that wasn't allowed which sadly meant no tasty treats for me.
Prices definitely put these oils in the occasional treat range in my books but there are sampler options where you get to mix-and-match a selection of smaller bottles at a lower cost which sounds great!
Next time I'll visit at a busier time of the day/week in order to catch them with more staff on deck. It's not the easiest place to just browse solo without any help.Listed in: The Hydrostone Market
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Review from Craig S.
9/11/2011 ROTD 1/1/2012
This is one of those reviews when half stars aren't necessary unless they are bonus stars. I'm sure my review will echo much of what is in the ones before, but this place deserves as many positive acknowledgments as possible. This was an impromptu stop in as we were in the area having just visited the Italian Market (awesome too!).
It is a smallish but inviting and cozy store filled with ``All Things Olive``. There were probably 4 or 5 staff present to greet, tour, and educate. I have a friend who has told me he believes that coffee, cheese, and chocolate are among the great culinary treasure of we normal folk (non-chef or hugely rich people who could afford truffles twice a week). While I agree, although I don`t drink coffee, I have to add olive oil and balsamic vinegar to the list. Sorry, I went on a tangent as I was talking about the staff. All of them were friendly and knowledgeable. They were happy to share their favorites or suggest couplings of oils and vinegars.
One was suggesting to use the little spoons to stir the oil and vinegar to emulsify them before trying and also said she always splatters herself when doing... yea, so did I!
Now to the star of the show. The Oils are amazing! You can often taste the flavors individually of the oils as the description purports. Almonds, grassy, a touch bitter, etc. The infused oils are excellent... wild mushrooms and sage, Tuscan mix, and so many more. We then moved on to the balsamic vinegars and started with a Jalapeno one before trying most of them.
My favorites: Chipotle Oil and then paired with an Apricot balsamic vinegar; Blood Orange Oil paired with Cinnamon and Pear balsamic.
Wild mushroom and Sage oil; Meyer Lemon Oil.
Go with some time to taste and enjoy the experience! -
Review from Cheryl C.
10/28/2011
Want to know why you should go here? Because they sell olive oil that is as good as you get from a Sicilian who makes it from their own olives outside Palermo. I really mean this. Italians told me I didn't know about olive oil and I thought they were being food snobs until I tasted the oil there.
They weren't kidding. If you are buying your oil at the grocery store, even the high end stuff, this will be a new world of wonder.
Go to Liquid Gold, taste the peppery Sicilian oils (not pepper flavored - Sicilian olives have a delicious heat of their own)
We love it so much we bought a small fusti (hold a few litres of oil) to fill. We did not, however, buy their fusti as it seemed a bit overpriced and over large. They'd be smart to get in a line of these containers in various sizes. They offer a discount when you fill one, and I think a lot of people would like to take home more than the small bottle they offer.
They also have a great selection of balsamic vinegar. I'm not much for flavored oils and vinegars, but if that's your thing, they've got it. -
Review from Andrew P.
4/16/2011 ROTD 10/28/2011
"A bar of olive oil?
SIGN ME UP."
This was the thought that ran through my head when I first stumbled into Liquid Gold. I was greeted by silver canteen after silver canteen of olive oil and more importantly, balsamic vinegar.
I happen to love vinegar much more than olive oil (leading to balsamic shots back in college), so I walked to that side of the store, but was then led away by sales girl.
"You can't have dessert before the main course..."
I then tasted many, many, olive oils such as blood orange, garlic, herb, and many vintage special pressings. Some of these oils are better than others, but the only way to tell is if you try them, which is the best feature of this tasting bar.
However, I ran as quickly as I could to the vinegar side of the store for cinnamon pear, jalapeno, and strawberry (my favourite.)
In addition to the great selection of olive oils and vinegars, there are also great gift ideas here. Some of these include, olive oil soap, olive wood products, and shampoos.
Liquid Gold is a great place to stop by to brighten your day and imagine that you are in sunny Italy, which is desperately needed in a city of fog and rain -
Review from Mel H.
4/12/2011
Finally got to check this place out over the weekend. Not sure why I waited so long!
The staff were all super helpful and very knowledgeable. Each olive oil/ vinegar has handy tasting notes and it's amazing how each type really does have a different taste.
Foodies and non-foodies alike can find something here.
Bonus points for their proximity to Julian's which makes picking up a fresh baguette super easy to use to sop up all that delicious, delicious liquid gold. -
Review from D B.
Halifax, NS
4/14/2011
Excellent shop and the selection is outstanding - not only do they have a wide variety of olive oils but balsamic vinigars as well!! Excellent way to spend an afternoon shopping then grabbing a snack at Julien's.
Staff is extremely knowledgeable and friendly - no question is stupid - they are there to serve.
This is also a great place to buy gifts for the foodies or chef's on your list as they have great gift packs and gift wrapping - be sure to check this place out!! -
Review from Sue A.
10/20/2010 ROTD 8/11/2011
I went into Liquid Gold to taste olives as I mistakenly thought it was an olive tasting store. That's how much of a foodie I am. I missed the Liquid Gold reference. What I discovered was an olive oil and vinegar tasting bar carrying top-quality products.
Rows of shiny urns line the walls of the wood paneled store located in the Hydrostone market. Beside each urn is a stack of cups which are used for tasting the liquid gold. You can try as many flavours as you like. Bread is provided to cleanse your palate between tastes. It's like a wine tasting but with olive oil and vinegar.
The staff is friendly and very helpful. As foodies are obviously a target group and I am so not a foodie, I confessed my ignorance about balsamic vinegars other than knowing what's sold in supermarket chains is not that tasty. The clerk was happy to tell me that most balsamic vinegars sold in supermarkets are aged for only four years. The ones sold in this store are aged between twelve and eighteen years and urged me to taste a vinegar that had been aged eighteen years.
I was instantly wowed. The vinegar was light with notes of strawberries and other fruits, perfect to be used as a salad dressing. It was like a fantastic wine, but the price was much less, around $18. The oils and vinegars are sold in reusable bottles. If you bring your bottle back, then you get a 10% discount off your next purchase.
I went home with a bottle to try and look forward to sampling the olive oils next time. I may well be on my way to becoming a serious foodie.Comment from Myrna and Bill M. of Liquid Gold Tasting Bar & All Things Olive 11/6/2010
Thank-you Sue! next time you are in come and try the… More » -
Review from Leslie F.
10/28/2011
Yes to Liquid Gold. Just yes. When I first ventured in to this shop I wondered if Halifax was ready for such a super-specialized vendor. Luckily for me, the Hydrostone, and HRM in general - we were. With every conceivable flavour of oil and vinegar under the sun, you can spend hours in this place dipping and tasting your cares away. From the dessert-inspired blueberry and peach vinegars to the robust garlic or butter olive oils, the possible combinations are out of this world. I'm not usually one to shell out big bucks on designer food-stuffs, but Liquid Gold's products are absolutely worth the splurge. The product, the decor, the staff - everything about this place deserves 5 stars. Go there. Go there now.
Listed in: Yelptober, Shop Local Halifax
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Review from Kimberly W.
Halifax, NS
7/7/2011 6 Check-ins Here
The name basically says it all. Whether you're new to the world of EVOO and balsamic vinegar or a long-time aficionado, the staff are welcoming and knowledgeable. Faves so far: Frantoio olive oil, Meyer Lemon olive oil, Espresso balsamic vinegar.
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Review from Anne C.
Boutiliers Point, NS
4/29/2011
This is one of my favourite shops. It is such a treat to purchase high quality, well priced products from helpful, knowledgeable people.
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Review from K B.
Toronto, ON
10/22/2010
Beautiful shop, excellent service, and the highest quality product. I highly recommend you check it out.
Comment from Myrna and Bill M. of Liquid Gold Tasting Bar & All Things Olive 11/6/2010
Thanks Kyle! Please come back again soon. We will update our… More »
