Beatniks Bistro

"Let's head out to Fort Langley", exclaimed Viv enthusiastically.  The kids seemed to be mildly impressed while in the background I was formulating as to which restaurant we were going to grab lunch.  Once I figured out that Beatnik's Bistro was close to the fort while being kid-friendly (and there was an Entertainment coupon too), I also piped up.  "Okay, what are we waiting for?  Let's go!".  The drive out was rather uneventful and we found a parking spot right away.  As we walked up to the place, for a fleeting moment, I considered sitting outside due to the natural light.  Viv nixed that idea pretty quickly as it was rather cold.  Ah zut...

So I had to suffer though crappy lighting for my pictures... Poor me...  My daughter went for her go-to dish being the Cod n' Chips with coleslaw.  The fish was fairly flaky while a touch overdone.  Coated with a lightly crispy batter, there was some greasiness, but not overly so.  The accompanying fresh-cut fries were good, if not needing a bit more time in the fryer.  My son, being obsessed with short ribs, had the... wait for it...  3 Hour Braised Beef Short Ribs with herbed goat cheese potato cake & roasted beets and zucchini with a star-anise red wine reduction.  Fork-tender and fatty, the short ribs were on point.  The thick sauce had a tamarind-quality to it despite the lack of that ingredient.  We weren't fans of the potato cake as it was a bit lifeless and undercooked.

For myself, I had the Prime Rib Beef Dip with havarti cheese & roasted red pepper aioli.  Sinfully fatty and super moist, the prime rib literally melted in my mouth.  The aggressively toasted bread held everything together while the jus was rather natural-tasting without the usual saltiness associated with beef dip.  I upgraded to a side of yam fries and they were decently crispy and cooked-thoroughly.  Looking rather sparsely plated, Viv's Seafood Linguine was decent.  The pasta (not much of it) was fairly al dente while bathed in a roasted red pepper and creamy tomato sauce.  The flavours were quite impactful with a certain zestiness and tang.  The wild salmon was overdone while the prawns were well-executed.  For the items we tried, Beatniks did the job and a little bit more so.  Prices were not exactly cheap, but definitely in line or less than some chain restaurants.

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Friendly service
- Quaint

The Bad:
- Not cheap (but chain restaurants would cost even more)
- Modest portion sizes