Sherman's Food Adventures: Burnaby Mountain Clubhouse

Burnaby Mountain Clubhouse

Ever since my first visit to the Burnaby Mountain Clubhouse during Dine-Out Vancouver a year ago, I was interested in a return visit.  Was it because the food blew me away?  Well, not exactly, yet at the same time, it was far better than expected.  To top it all off, we got plenty of food (with decent ingredients) for the small price.  Well, we didn't wait until Dine-Out Vancouver to go back as we took advantage of their 3-course meal deal during November.

For my starter, I chose the Crispy Prawn Caesar that featured a house-made dressing.  Therefore, it was not too saucy nor too salty.  It was quite mild-tasting with only a hint of Parmesan and anchovy.  I would've liked to see more acidity and saltiness.  As for the prawns, they were indeed crunchy and buttery inside.  The light drizzle of spicy aioli was a nice touch.  Viv had the Beet Salad which was bright and fresh-tasting due to the sweet and acidic vinaigrette.  Veggies were fresh and texturally on point while the addition of creamy goat cheese added a smoothness.

My mom gave up her Cream of Vegetable Soup to my daughter as she was complaining she had no appetizer.  The blended soup was indeed thick in a starchy manner, but not actually creamy.  No matter because it was still smooth and appealing.  There was a certain Earthiness combined with the natural sweetness of the veggies.  I found the salt content to be on point as it nicely balanced the flavours.

Onto the mains, my mom had the 8 oz. New York Steak prepared medium-rare.  It came out more medium, but at the same time, it didn't detract from her eating enjoyment.  This was because the meat was tender and still fairly juicy being properly rested.  There was a smoky and flavourful char on the outside while the steak itself was well-seasoned.  The accompanying veggies were grilled just right being still crunchy.  For my dad, he had the Seafood Cioppino featuring clams, mussels, fish and snow crab legs.  The broth itself was delicious as it had a nice lobster essence as well as being sweet and slightly briny from the shellfish.  All the seafood was on point, but the clams and mussels were pretty scrawny.

For myself, I had the Full Rack of Ribs with fries, roasted bacon corn and slaw.  I found the ribs to be somewhat smoky and well-charred with a caramelized bark.  However, the meat itself was rather dried out and some parts were chewy.  The best part was actually the corn as it was intensely sweet with a nice caramelized aroma.  Viv decided on the Cajun Spiced Salmon and it was not really all that flavourful.  Also, the fish was overdone being quite dry.  The broken rice (not sure if that was intentional) was pretty good though as it was seasoned nicely and had a fluffy chew.

On the flip side, my daughter's mini-Salmon Caesar was done way better than Viv's salmon.  The fish was still a bit overdone, but it was still flaky and still retained some moisture.  It was mildly seasoned though while sporting a light char.  The salad was exactly like mine where it was lightly dressed and hence light-tasting.  The romaine was very fresh though as it was crunchy.  My son went for the Beef Dip with fried onion and cheese.  This was a winner where it was loaded with thinly-sliced and tender roast beef.  It was a touch dry, but the dip helped alleviate that problem.  The fries were pretty good being crispy while still potatoey inside.

For dessert, my parents shared the Espresso Creme Brulee which was smooth and almost airy.  The espresso was apparent, but the custard itself was fairly sweet.  The sugar topping was a bit thin, yet at the same time, it was torched properly.  The kiddies hijacked the Oreo Chocolate Mousse and I could see why.  It featured dark chocolate mousse which was creamy and light (while not too sweet either) layered with crunchy Oreo cookies and whipped cream.  As a whole, the dessert still ate sweet due to the generous amount of crushed oreos.

Viv and I shared the Belgian Waffle topped with vanilla ice cream and sauced with strawberries.  The waffle was chewy and sugar while being a touch dry.  It was sweet, but not incredibly so.  Luckily the kids stole our second dessert because it would've been unlikely we could finish.  Once again, the Burnaby Mountain Clubhouse offered up decent eats at a reasonable price.  Definitely a great alternative to visiting a chain restaurant.

The Good:
- Inexpensive 3 course meals
- Decent eats
- Spacious dining room

The Bad:
- Decent eats, but further refinement is needed
- Regular menu is a bit pricer  

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