The Salmon House on the Hill

Gosh, this place really brings back memories. Since I could remember, we would frequent the Salmon House on the Hill for eats. Yah, imagine me, a little kid munching on goodies enjoying the spectacular views. How lucky was I! I can only imagine this was one of the many influences that has led to my obsession with food. Fast forward many years later and guess where I took Viv on our first date? Yup, you guessed it. With probably one of the nicest views in the GVRD, why not? Sure, the food ain't the main attraction; but the view, it's breath-taking. Of course Fraiche further up the hill boasts a similar view with better food. Today, we decided to kick it ol' skool since my aunt and uncle were in town visiting from Hong Kong. They actually were long-time residents in Vancouver until a few years ago when a job opportunity came knocking. So to relive the past, we decided to take him out to the Salmon House for some brunch (and a bit of reminiscing). Grandpa, Grandma and the kiddies were also dining on my coin. I wonder if this will help spark my son's gastronomical engine? Yah right. He's more interested in my iPhone than Alderwood grilled salmon.

Since it was a fairly large order, the food took a bit of time to arrive. Unfortunately, the server dropped 2 dishes on the floor and one of them happened to be mine. I really felt bad for her, it was freak thing and I don't blame her. But that ultimately meant that I had to wait to eat. No matter, I just took my time taking pictures of others' food. I'm normally the last one to eat anyways since pictures of food are more important! Well... and that people will starting giving me glares when they are anxiously await to eat! So for my mom, she went for the Seafood Crepes. There was plenty of shrimp, scallops and fish; however, my mom thought all the pieces were quite small. She did like the crepe itself, thin and not chewy.

My aunt ordered a the classic Folkstone Eggs Benedict. It's nice to see that all of the normal components were there such as the toasted English muffin, Canadian back bacon and soft poached egg. Too many times, restaurants take the shortcut and we end up with Black Forest ham. The eggs were poached perfectly with fully cooked whites and a runny yolk. She remarked that the Hollandaise was quite good with a nice balance of flavours. However, just like the crepes, the hashbrowns were squishy and soft. My uncle decided on a the simple Traditional Breakfast which included 2 eggs, bacon, Sloping Hills pork sausage, toast and hash browns. I don't know about you, but the over easy egg looks pretty overcooked here. Not sure if that was the intended result; but I don't like my eggs fried like that. My daughter actually had the kid's version of this breakfast and I got to try it all since it was almost as large as the regular version (she can't finish that!). I really enjoyed the meaty and lean pork sausage. It is a nice departure from the greasy links we normally are accustomed with.

Viv decided on one of the items on the featured menu - the Salmon & Dill Omelet. If you look at the omelet, there is no mistaking that there is dill. Consequently, there was no absence of dill flavour. However, as you can see in the picture, the omelet appears to be quite "dry". Although there is a marscapone component to this dish, in reality, there was only a small dollop in the middle. Thus, the rest of the omelet was sorely lacking moisture, especially with the somewhat dry salmon. If the omelet had more "sauce", it would've worked out much better. On a side note, they really like that fruit skewers since all of our dishes had it. Not a complaint because it was quite fresh, just a bit repetitive. After a short wait, our remade dishes arrived. My dad had the Alderwood Grilled Salmon. Beautifully presented atop a potato salad, the salmon was cooked perfectly (we should be expecting that since it's in the restaurant name!).

I wasn't feeling all that creative and went for the Shrimp & Pancetta Sandwich. Well, what can I say, it was a pretty solid sandwich. With a good amount of shrimp, avocado, greens, pancetta and bruschetta "topping". There wasn't anything amazing about this sandwich; but it was good nonetheless. And honestly, this pretty much sums up the experience at the Salmon House. Food won't blow your socks off while it is generally decent. What really sets the place apart is the location and the killer view. Sometimes that is an important criteria when entertaining people from out-of-town or when trying to impress someone. With that being said, Fraiche is nearby and shares an equally nice view.

The Good:
- Million-dollar view (well, more like 2+ mil since that's the housing prices nearby)
- It's got character
- Spacious dining room

The Bad:
- Food (albeit decent) is not the main draw here
- The place could benefit from some renovations