Blue Canoe Waterfront Restaurant
Shamu and I went around Steveston looking for some afternoon bites and we came across Blue Canoe on the waterfront. The patio is huge and stretches out into the ocean. The view is great, but the restaurant itself is very casual like a neighbourhood pub. We were there at around 3:30 pm and were surprised that the patio was relatively packed. I suppose this is a popular spot for locals and tourists alike.
We browsed through the menu and found the small blue canoe chilled seafood platter ($35) quite appealing as we were both craving seafood. The food arrived on a large ice-filled tub. There were 4 oysters, salmon in a jar with caper biscuits, ginger albacore tuna and a handful of chilled crab claws and prawns. The oysters were small but still juicy enough. The prawns were rather bland and I had to dip them in creamy aioli and pepper. The aioli was great and complemented the seafood well. We were given utensils to crack the crab shells. Upon closer inspection though, we noticed there were already cuts in the shells which was a rather thoughtful detail. The tuna slices were served on a bed of cucumber salad which was very refreshing, but I couldn't really taste the ginger. The caper biscuits looked like biscotti, but they were not crispy at all. In fact, they were somewhat soggy. They weren't that great, but they tasted ok with the salmon.
The salmon in a jar was interesting because the jar was "sealed" with a waxy white layer. Shamu said it was probably solid fish oil, but I wondered if it could be wax. Apparently Shamu has a scientific side to her and immediately tasted it, "It's not wax... It melts in my mouth!" It was super creamy and actually tasted like cheese. I found the taste a bit weird though and I didn't appreciate the waxy texture. The salmon pate in the jar was not bad, but tasted a bit plain since there was just a light marinade of mayo.
I wasn't planning on a drink, but the waitress highly recommended the cocktails. In particular she mentioned the st~germaine sangria and the perfect sunset ($6.50), and I opted for the latter. The drink was very fruity with frozen berries inside and had just a touch of effervescence. It was a nice drink and certainly looked appealing with light pink raspberry liquor. The other ingredients were citron vodka and lemonade.
I had a great time here, mostly due to good company. Of course the view was great and I enjoyed the sea breeze while sitting on the patio. I even enjoyed peeling the crab claw and prawn shells with my frozen fingers until my hands hurt from the coldness. However the food was not outstanding and I found the menu overpriced. The seafood didn't strike me as particularly fresh or good quality, and the portion was not as big as it seemed because of the large tub of ice the food was served on. The drink was nice but not overwhelmingly impressive. I would go back for drinks just to enjoy the patio and the view, but I would think twice about ordering from the food menu.
We browsed through the menu and found the small blue canoe chilled seafood platter ($35) quite appealing as we were both craving seafood. The food arrived on a large ice-filled tub. There were 4 oysters, salmon in a jar with caper biscuits, ginger albacore tuna and a handful of chilled crab claws and prawns. The oysters were small but still juicy enough. The prawns were rather bland and I had to dip them in creamy aioli and pepper. The aioli was great and complemented the seafood well. We were given utensils to crack the crab shells. Upon closer inspection though, we noticed there were already cuts in the shells which was a rather thoughtful detail. The tuna slices were served on a bed of cucumber salad which was very refreshing, but I couldn't really taste the ginger. The caper biscuits looked like biscotti, but they were not crispy at all. In fact, they were somewhat soggy. They weren't that great, but they tasted ok with the salmon.
The salmon in a jar was interesting because the jar was "sealed" with a waxy white layer. Shamu said it was probably solid fish oil, but I wondered if it could be wax. Apparently Shamu has a scientific side to her and immediately tasted it, "It's not wax... It melts in my mouth!" It was super creamy and actually tasted like cheese. I found the taste a bit weird though and I didn't appreciate the waxy texture. The salmon pate in the jar was not bad, but tasted a bit plain since there was just a light marinade of mayo.
I wasn't planning on a drink, but the waitress highly recommended the cocktails. In particular she mentioned the st~germaine sangria and the perfect sunset ($6.50), and I opted for the latter. The drink was very fruity with frozen berries inside and had just a touch of effervescence. It was a nice drink and certainly looked appealing with light pink raspberry liquor. The other ingredients were citron vodka and lemonade.
I had a great time here, mostly due to good company. Of course the view was great and I enjoyed the sea breeze while sitting on the patio. I even enjoyed peeling the crab claw and prawn shells with my frozen fingers until my hands hurt from the coldness. However the food was not outstanding and I found the menu overpriced. The seafood didn't strike me as particularly fresh or good quality, and the portion was not as big as it seemed because of the large tub of ice the food was served on. The drink was nice but not overwhelmingly impressive. I would go back for drinks just to enjoy the patio and the view, but I would think twice about ordering from the food menu.
No comments: