Sunflower Lodge

Last summer, I met with some friends at the Blackberry Kitchen in Mission.  This beautiful wood lodge situated at a top of a hill (with a view) offered up homey vibes with lunch and dinner service.  Well, fast forward to the present and now it is The Sunflower Lodge, which is affiliated with the Sunflower Cafe in Maple Ridge.  Hence, it dishes up the same fresh produce from the farm and focuses on BC ingredients.  We decided to go for the a la carte menu, however, they do have a tasting menu available too.

We were started off with a Amuse Bouche of White and Red Gooseberries in a sorrel purée.  This certainly perked up our appetites with bursts of sour tanginess with just a touch of sweetness.   If the pops of flavour from the gooseberries wasn't enough, the tartness and "greenness" of the sorrel compounded the appetizing effect.  There was also some bread with the same delicious cultivated butter from the cafe.  It was so creamy with strong "butter" flavours.  The addition of flaked salt really elevated the impact.

Our first dish was the Charred Asparagus with smoked mushrooms and Hollandaise.  Each sprig was tender while completely smoky from the char.  It was well-salted where it amplified the sweet flavour of the asparagus.  We found the fried mushrooms to be extra crispy, offering up a textural contrast while also giving off an appealing smokiness.  Creamy and mildly seasoned, the Hollandaise nicely complimented the veggies.

Bringing it down a few notches, the Turnips & Snap Peas was a somewhat subtle dish which acted like a palate cleanser of sorts.  Featuring fresh cubes of bright and earthy turnip and sweet pops from the snap peas, this was simple, yet so delicious.  On top, we found a goat cheese mousse which was also rather understated.  Normally, anything goat cheese can be rather strong and gamy.  However, this wasn't the case, especially combined with the tartness of the flowering currant vinegar.

One of the most unassuming dishes was the Smoked Sablefish Salad.  It consisted of flakes of smoked sablefish with pickled seaweed, celery, fennel with a rice vinegar, apple & celery dressing.  With each bite, we got the butteriness of the flaky sablefish and a pretty strong smokiness.  However, this was balanced off by the tang and sweetness of the dressing.  Crunch from the supremely fresh celery and fennel added texture and the small drops of dill oil afforded herbaceousness.  There was some background spice to it too.

When the Roasted Carrot Salad arrived, we noticed the plating with plenty of negative space.  Yet, the plate in general was nothing but positive.  It featured little underdeveloped carrots that would normally be discarded.  These cute little things were sweet and quite earthy with a touch of spice.  To compliment there was some dukkah for added earthiness and nuttiness.  Going for no wastage, we found a carrot top pesto which was herbaceous and also earthy.  We got another hit of creamy nuttiness from the cashew cream.

Moving onto the larger plates, we thoroughly enjoyed the Housemade Pasta.  These large agnolottis were stuffed with creamy boursin cheese.  That in itself was pretty tasty while encapsulated in an al dente pasta.  However, these were sauced with a sweet onion soubise which was creamy, sweet and buttery.  With the addition of porcini mushrooms and heidi cheese, we got some big hits of earthy nuttiness.  Really good pasta dish.

Arriving as a pretty big portion, the Poached Halibut was perfectly cooked, not to mention, super fresh.  It was flaky, barely cooked through and moist.  This was also an indication that the fish was never frozen.  It was fairly mild in terms of seasoning, but no matter as the creamy sauce Veronique provided a floral and herbaceous flavour to the dish.  Underneath, there was a spring vegetable succotash that exhibited a precise brunoise.  It was cooked beautifully where the fresh texture remained.  Some acidity was provided by the gooseberries and to top it off, there was some sea asparagus. 

Just like at Sunflower Cafe, we also had the Fraser Valley Roasted Duck Breast.  If I had to compare, this was prepared even better than the Cafe, but both were good.  The duck was super tender and juicy while the fat was fairly rendered with a crisp skin.  That Haksap berry jus was balanced with equal parts sweet and tangy.  It was definitely there but allowed the duck flavour to come through.  On the side, there was a turnip salad that was, of course, super fresh, bright and turnipy.

Saving the heaviest dish for last, we had the 16oz Ribeye with gnocchi fries, braised leeks and allium salad.  As you can see, the steak was prepared medium-rare and well rested.  It was also evenly charred with a caramelized smokiness.  To further enhance the steak, there was also a demi-glace on top.  Super crunchy and a nice concept, the gnocchi fries were pretty tasty, if not on the saltier side.  But this was alleviated by the onion and chive salad as well as the seared leeks.

Before we got to dessert, we had a pre-dessert in the Strawberry with elderflower and magnolia topped with mint.  Suffice to say, this was pretty complex with floral, fall flavours and fruity notes.  Nice palate-cleanser before we got to the Ricotta Donuts with housemade lemon curd and blueberry jam.  These were so airy and fluffy, it didn't feel like we were consuming any calories.  Wishful thinking I know!  The combination of tangy lemon curd and sweet jam meant there was a good mix of flavours.

We had one more dessert in the Goat's Milk Tres Leche with fresh strawberries and chantilly.  Once again, the gaminess of goat's milk was very subtle.  The sweetness of the caramelized condensed milk was the most impactful component other than the sweet and tangy strawberries.  This was a well-composed and balanced creation.  Very delicious.  In fact, the food at Sunflower Lodge is excellent and an improvement over Blackberry Kitchen.  Dishes are more refined and elevated.  What a real find in Mission!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Surprisingly level of refinement out in Mission
- Beautiful location
- Reasonable pricing given the quality and quantity of food

The Bad:
- For those not close by, it is quite the trek