So Crab So Good

Here we go again.  Another seafood boil.  Man, Vancouver does like its fads eh?  First, we had Crawfish King, then Cray Kitchen and followed up by Glowbal's Fish Shack. Now all of a sudden, and quietly I might add, another one has popped up in North Burnaby of all places.  At first, I was perplexed as to where it was located as I drove by twice without noticing it.  Well it turns out they took over the space once occupied by El Mariachi (but the signage had not been changed yet, now it is!).  I met up with Choobee, Rich Guy and Gordo for lunch as we immediately noticed that the place was completely no-frills.  No mariner-themed decor (like Crawfish King), no attractive waitresses (like Cray Kitchen) and no hype (like The Fish Shack).

We were greeted by the owner, Steven, who was very attentive and aimed to please.  We ended up sharing 2 orders of the Combo A (Shrimp, Clams, Mussels, Red Potatoes, Corn and Sausage) for $15.99 per person and 2 orders of Combo B at $25.99 per person.  The only difference between A & B is the addition of crab to B. As with most of these types of establishments, there was a choice of sauce and spice level.  We had the sauces on the side consisting of Hala-Cajun, White Wine and Holy Smoke (a combo of all the flavours).  Normally, the seafood would be tossed in the sauce, but we specifically asked for them on the side to try more than one flavour.  We liked the holy smoke the best because it had a multitude of flavours including sweet, spicy, savoury and garlic.  The sauces were on the thicker side and if the seafood was dressed in them, it might've been plenty wet.

As for the seafood itself, everything was fresh (well, the white shrimp were frozen) including the crab, which was fluffy and cooked just right.  The corn was sweet and plump while the potatoes could've stood for more boiling.  A decent amount of food for 4 people considering the fact the bread was complimentary (which we got a second order).  This was not the sexiest seafood boil I've ever been to, but for once, the costs were controlled and it was an acceptable value.  Yes, this type of eating will never be inexpensive, but consider that you can easily spend the same amount of money at a chain restaurant, at the very least, this was a fun, if not messy way of eating.

The Good:
- Fixed cost option where you don't get a surprise at the end of the meal
- Seafood was cooked properly
- Owner that cares about his customers

The Bad:
- Not an "authentic" seafood boil, more "Asian-style" (if you care...)
- Although we thought it was a decent value, some may still find it pricey