Burnaby Mountain Clubhouse Lunch

For those who know, the Burnaby Mountain Clubhouse is one of the hidden gems nestled within North Burnaby.  Is it because they serve the best food in the city?  Well, I wouldn't go that far, but let's just say they dish up good food at very reasonable prices.  In fact, their 3-course meals have been legendary offering up striploin and lobster for around $35.00.  It is even cheaper during Dine-Out.  We've been here countless times including brunch/lunch.  I've never blogged about lunch, so I decided to take same pics this time around.

For myself, I went big with the 8 oz. Grilled Steak Frites featuring parmesan-truffle scented fries and au jus.  I found the steak to be bigger than the advertised size and prepared perfectly medium-rare.  However, the au jus was curiously thick like a hybrid between gravy and demi-glace.  Fries were pretty generic, but they were crispy and tasted good.  Nothing particularly wrong with the dish, but for a similar price, I'd go for the Cactus Club version instead.  My son didn't explore the menu very much and went straight for the Applewood Smoked Bacon Cheeseburger with fries.  Although it wasn't anymore interesting to look at than any other burger, the components were solid.  Patty was well-seared and not dry.  Bacon was crispy, veggies were fresh and the brioche bun was soft and nicely toasted.

One of the more interesting options was the Lobster Panini for only $19.00.  If you look at the sandwich, there was plenty of lobster combined with Swiss arugula, tomato and lemon aioli.  This ate really well as each bite featured big chunks of lobster (rather than shredded bits).  Therefore, we could really taste the salty sweetness of the bouncy meat.  The arugula added a bitter bite while the aioli was creamy and lightly tangy.  My daughter decided on the Truffle-Scented Mushroom Grilled Cheese featuring portobello and cremini mushrooms.  Again, the sammie was stuffed with ingredients.  Unfortunately, as you can clearly see, the middle was also full of unmelted Swiss and parmesan.  It didn't kill the dish, but it wasn't particularly great with mouth feel.  That also meant the bread should've been toasted longer too.

Two of the more standard items were the California Chicken Club and the Wild Salmon Burger.  With the same ingredients as the burger, the chicken club also sported guacamole.  Nothing special, but okay nonetheless.  The chicken breast could've been a touch juicier though.  As for the salmon burger, the salmon was fairly flaky and was accompanied by coleslaw and tartar sauce.  It was a generous piece of fish as it went beyond the borders of the bun.  Overall, we thought the food was decent, but not any better than the various chain restaurants within the same price point.  They do have location on their side as the dining space is large and the greenery outside is nice especially on a sunny day.  For the best deal, you can't go wrong with the 3-course dinner menu.

The Good:
- Nice setting
- Competitive pricing
- 3-course dinner menu is a steal

The Bad:
- Lunch menu is okay, but not any better than anyone else