Sherman's Food Adventures: River's Reach Pub

River's Reach Pub

Something out-of-the-ordinary happened after Friday night hockey this time around.  No, we didn't have beers in the dressing room...  Yah, what kinda hockey team is this anyways???  Rather, Ginseng was able to join us for eats AND we ate in New West.  Yes, something East of Boundary for once.  It still baffles me why we don't do this more often since 75% of the team lives in the burbs.  I digress...  We ended up at a local New West favourite in the River's Reach Pub.

It became quickly apparent that this place is popular as we bumped into several friends randomly (as well as being packed).  As for the food, Ginseng suggested we share the Meet You at the Reach Platter consisting of honey garlic wings, dry garlic ribs, chicken strips, phyllo prawns, veggie spring rolls, sesame pot stickers and yam fries. Starting with the positives, the chicken wings were plump and not overcooked with a crispy exterior.  They were a bit too sweet though.  With a crumbled phyllo breading, the prawns were firmly crunchy while exhibiting a meaty snap.  Equally crunchy, the chicken strips were meaty and moist.  As for the potstickers and spring rolls, we thought they were rather dense and lifeless.  In particular, the filling in the spring roll was slimy and bland.  Milhouse opted for the Court House comprised of grilled chicken breast, goat cheese, arugula, sliced apples and pesto spread on cranberry sourdough. This was attractively toasted up on the flattop being crunchy with pops of sweet tanginess from the cranberries.  It complimented the moist chicken and pesto nicely.

Since we were struggling to finish the appie platter, Gordo and I decided to split the Big Mouth Burger.  This concoction included 2 fresh Angus beef patties, cheddar, bacon, mushrooms, onions, pickle, lettuce, tomato, mayo and relish.  We found the meat to be well-seared while still juicy.  The amount of ingredients added both the moisture and flavour (saltiness from the crispy bacon and buttery mushrooms).  The toasted bun was not dense and held up to the last bite.  On the other hand, we were indifferent with the fries as they were pretty generic and not all that crispy either.  Ginseng decided to go for the Pot Roast with baked potato and veggies.  The roast itself was soft and didn't need a knife.  It was naturally meaty in flavour where the gravy didn't really add a whole lot other than moisture.  The veggies were prepared well being vibrant and crisp.  From this visit, we all agreed that the food at River's Reach was decent enough for a return visit.  The great service didn't hurt either.

The Good:
- Decent pub fare
- Lively atmosphere
- Well-priced

The Bad:
- Pretty busy almost all-of-the-time (good for them)
- Being a pub, of course it won't be health food

Rivers Reach Pub on Urbanspoon

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