The Boathouse (Port Moody)

Usually, our standby eats after returning from vacay is either wonton noodles, congee or dim sum.  Sometimes we do all 3 in short order since we often head to places without Vancouver-quality Chinese eats.  However, this time was a reversed as we had just returned from Hong Kong.  On a side note, I believe the Chinese food in Vancouver can give Hong Kong a run for its money.  Now what did we do for our official meal back from the far East?  Brunch at The Boathouse.  Before the chain-restaurant haters come out with their knives, let me say that there is nothing wrong with being boring once-in-awhile (besides, my parents picked the place...).

Prior to our brunch things, we had the Seafood Appie Platter to start.  It consisted of Crab Dip, Crab Cakes, Calamari and Firecracker Shrimp.  I thought the crab dip was pretty solid with a uniform layer of melted cheese on top. There was enough fluffy crab to make an impact.  I wasn't too fond of the calamari though as the batter was dry and crumbly.  The squid itself was good though.  I found the crab cakes to be more like crab fritters with a hard exterior.  Inside, there was more filler than actual crab.  Nicely executed, the firecracker shrimp were buttery with a snap.  They were lightly spicy.

I decided to go for the Crab Cake Benny featuring a perfectly poached runny egg.  The Hollandaise was creamy and had a nice consistency while needing a bit more acidity.  As for the crab cake, it was not very good.  I felt it was fried far too long where it was too crunchy and the visuals weren't pleasing.  Much like the appie, there wasn't enough crab to qualify it as a crab cake.  Viv decided on the Smoked Salmon Hash which was a fairly large portion (albeit mostly hash browns).  With that being said, it was a pleasant dish with a decent amount of smoked salmon and another perfectly poached egg.

My son went for his standby being the Bacon Cheddar Burger with fries and it was one of the better choices.  It sported a thick and relatively moist beef patty with plenty of melted cheddar and crisp bacon on soft brioche.  The side of thick-cut fries were starch-coated, hence they were super crispy.  Also with the same fries, but not remotely as successful, the Chicken Bacon Cheedar Club was a dud.  From the overcooked, thin and rubbery chicken, to the hard-to-chew bread, this was not something that was easy to eat and not something that any of us wanted to eat.

For my daughter, she actually stuck to the kid's menu (shocking since she usually demands the adult menu) and selected the Grilled Salmon with a side of Caesar salad.  As you can clearly see, the fish was overdone and cooked at too high heat due to the proteins leaking out all over the place.  My dad decided on the Crab & Shrimp Omelette topped with a splash of Hollandaise. This was chock full of crab, shrimp and avocado, so it was definitely hearty, however, the egg itself was no longer fluffy since it was cooked at a fairly high heat.  Not bad, but not memorable either.

On another visit, I decided to give the Pacific Cod & Chips a go.  I though the fish itself was cooked nicely being flaky and moist.  However, the batter was not uniformly crispy and was rather greasy.  I wasn't a fan of the dill tartar (which I had to ask for) as it wasn't tangy enough.  Viv tired the Mussel Steamer Pot in Thai green curry.  Generally, when a non-Asian restaurant offers any "Thai" flavour, it is flavourless and not spicy enough.  However, the one here was surprisingly tasty with a nice kick.  The mussels were buttery and plump too.  Overall, the brunch items at The Boathouse are serviceable, but on the expensive side.  Naturally, the decor and view are major factors for this.  Based on previous visits, I've had better luck with the dinner service.

The Good:
- Nice view
- Beautiful high-ceiling building
- Attentive service

The Bad:
- Hit and miss food
- On the pricier side, but not unreasonable considering the intangibles