Sabà Cafe and Bistro

It isn't often I venture into Fort Langley, even though it is closer than some of my Abbotsford adventures as of late.  However, Ophilia urged me to head out there to try one of her favs in Sabà Cafe and Bistro adjacent to the actual Fort Langley site.  The place is a bakery/cafe in the daytime and then sectioned off at night to become a bistro.  To further increase capacity, they occupy the courtyard for outdoor seating.  We ended up sitting inside, but when the weather is nice, the courtyard sure seems inviting.

We began the meal with the Jumbo Tiger Shrimp pan-seared in lemon garlic butter with a side of fresh herb aioli.  These shrimp were indeed large (this is an oxymoron right?).  They were perfectly prepared being meaty with a buttery sweet snap.  They were completely seasoned and the acidity came through.  I was expecting the aioli to be heavy, but it ate more like a tzatziki being light and almost bright.

Trying to order one item from each section of the menu, we got the Grilled Caesar Salad featuring a whole romaine heart with house-Caesar dressing, fried capers, parm, crispy germolata and charred lemon.  On the surface, this didn't appear to be anything out-of-the-ordinary, but it was ultimately very good.  Despite the char, the romaine was still crisp.  The creamy dressing was balanced with saltiness and garlickiness. More acidity was provided by the lemon (in addition to the gremolata and capers).

For our pasta course, we chose the Wild Mushroom Gnocchi in a rich and creamy sauce.  First and foremost, the fresh gnocchi were delicate while retaining a chew.  That meant that beyond the almost pillowy softness, it wasn't mushy nor devoid of texture.  As for the sauce, it was a bit heavy, yet still very tasty due to the plethora of wild mushrooms added the classic umaminess.  Seasoning was on point where there was enough without going overboard.

Onto the mains, we had land and sea with the latter being the Halibut with coconut jasmine rice, asparagus, broccolini, lemon caper butter and charred lemon.  Although the plating was quite basic, the overall execution was on point.  I found the halibut to be seared nicely while still being flaky and moist inside.  It was properly seasoned while accented well by the salty acidity of the butter.  Asparagus and broccolini was charred and cooked just enough.

For the land portion, we had the 10oz Prime Striploin with garlic mash and asparagus.  Again, the plating was very rustic in appearance, yet the execution was good.  The steak was medium-rare and tender.  Good char on the outside and properly seasoned as well.  Mash was creamy and garlicky and the once again, the asparagus and broccolini were crisp and bright.  Overall, the meal was good with the proteins properly executed.  A bit of a surprise given that it was way out in Fort Langley.  But it just proves that delicious eats are limited to Vancouver.

The Good:
- Properly executed proteins
- Seasoning on point
- Quaint

The Bad:
- Basic plating