My second DOV is at Burnaby Riverway Clubhouse. I’ve been there for a weekend brunch once but I never got to write about it. The last experience was pretty good, so based on its DOV menu, I decided to take Mama & Papa Lam there.
Food
Let me just start by saying this menu is of great value! How so? Read on.
For appetizer, the parents ordered the Vanilla Poached Canadian Lobster Tail. Yes, a whole lobster tail. Now it may not be a gigantic lobster tail but it’s still lobster. Sometimes lobsters may have their strange, unpleasant fishy taste that may not be appealing to some; poaching the lobster tail in vanilla helps tuck away that taste and makes it very enjoyable. I thought they did a good job in combining different sauces (fennel sauce, orange foam with a drop of lobster oil) and making them work together.
As for me the recently recovered sickie, I opted for the Trio Onion & Potato Soup. It’s thick yet creamy, but I found it to be slightly salty. By mixing in the creme fraiche and maple glazed pork belly bits (the flavour reminded me of the BBQ sauce that you glaze Chinese BBQ pork with), the saltiness was balanced out and it became extra creamy.
When I ordered the entree, I didn’t realize the Queen Charlotte Islands Halibut was done in two ways – wasabi pea crusted and pakora style — and I thought it’s quite innovative. The pakora style one was halibut cheeks wrapped with yam strings and flavoured with garam masala. It’s crispy on the outside and the fish remained moist inside. It was quite fun to eat. On the other hand, I thought the wasabi pea crusted fillet had a nice crunch on top, fish was flaky, but a bit too dry for my liking. That’s just the constant challenge with cooking halibut because it’s such a meaty fish.
Papa Lam was very impressed with the Roasted Angus Prime Rib. It was of big portion, cooked to a perfect medium rare, juicy and flavourful. Papa Lam actually said it’s better than what they had at The Keg Coquitlam just a few months ago. Now that’s a huge compliment because The Keg is famous for its prime rib. Instead of coming with fries, this dish came with chickpea panisse (i.e. fries made with chickpea flour, not potato). They couldn’t be picked up like a fry (they actually crumbled up), but it’s crispy and the house-made tomato ketchup paired well with them.
Now, as if the decent size of appetizer and entree didn’t fill you up, you still have a chance at the chocolate buffet. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not suggesting that you should exploit this. I’m just making a point about how much value you get out of this $28 menu. You do have an option of ordering a Tiramisu, which Mama Lam did, and it was quite good. It’s creamy and the lady fingers soaked up all the flavours from the Kahlua liqueur. They packed a lot in the little cocktail glass, too!
There was a good variety of desserts in the Chocolate Buffet, including brownies, Nanaimo bars, cakes, chocolate mousse and cupcakes. There wasn’t a chocolate fountain; in its place was fresh fruit with warm matcha white chocolate sauce for dipping and it’s an interesting combination that I rarely see. There was also an apple pie with chocolate shavings on top. It’s just so many options that I’m sure you would find something you like out of this chocolate heaven.
Service & Ambiance
I thought it’s an interesting move to offer the tiramisu in addition to the chocolate buffet. Even as a customer, I thought the variety of desserts in the buffet is far more than the 3 options other restaurants are offering for Dine Out. From the operation standpoint, I almost think it’s just easier to manage if the dessert buffet were the only option; that way you didn’t have to make enough servings of the tiramisu in anticipation of people ordering it. That being said, tiramisu is easy to store away so they could make a big batch ahead of time.
In terms of service, it was great; friendly staff, and again, not rushing us to pay the bill.
I should mention that the restaurant has the view of the golf course and it’s pretty nice during the day. In the summer you can also sit in the patio.
Final Thoughts
For $28, I thought the combination of lobster tail, prime rib and chocolate buffet was a steal! Other dishes were also pretty well done and of decent portion. This clubhouse restaurant is tucked away in South Burnaby and I do wish that more people are aware of this hidden gem. By the way, they will be launching other value menus in February and March and I thought it’s worth a try, including Valentine’s Day menu, Sunday brunch buffet and a prime rib dinner special.
Riverway Clubhouse
9001 Bill Fox Way, Burnaby
604-297-4888
www.burnaby.ca/RiverwayClubhouse
