Boathouse (Port Moody, BC)

Can I get a little sentimental in this post? We went to Boathouse as part of a surprise birthday dinner for Izzos' boyfriend. I love him! And Izzo loves me! And the boyfriend loves everyone! haha!

I'm a little sentimental as I have grown up with Iz (she's my cousin, in case you hadn't figured that out :) and I know R (the bf) is very important to her. When I see him and the big fat Portuguese family rounded up, I think how lucky we both are to have such large, supportive, loving families. Yes - every family has its minor tiffs and the oddball or two (or crazy aunts or wierd cousins), but in the end everyone gets along, and whats more, is everyone gets along beautifully.

So, I'm sentimental for the fact that I know Iz is a lucky girl (and R is lucky too!) and that the R family is a wonderful fit. I'm happy for the both of them!

Ahem...on to Boathouse!

The last Boathouse experience I had was in the summer at their White Rock location. There are three levels to the restaurant, with a lower patio area, as well as the rooftop patio on the third floor. We were seated and waited at the rooftop patio for about fifteen minutes with no service, so we went down to the sidewalk patio and waited some more. After about half an hour had expired on our metered parking, we decided to dine elsewhere. The service was a complete fail!

Prior to that, was at the New West location for another birthday. The food was *just* okay. I ordered a sampler of three fish - arctic char, black cod, and tuna, I believe. The black cod was great, the tuna was mediocre, and the char was not great.



So when I heard that R's birthday dinner was going to be at the Boathouse, my expectations were pretty low. Fortunately, however, service was fantastic from the get go; the hostesses promptly seated everyone as they came in. The waitress was friendly and informative.

And the food? We enjoyed it! M and I started with a chilled seafood platter that came with mussels, four oysters, plump cocktail prawns, and my favourite - smoked albacore tuna. It was the yumz. The waitress advised us that this was a smaller sampler than the chilled seafood tower - but it was plenty for us for an appetizer! We'd order this again.

As an aside, the Boathouse also has "Appy hour" seven days a week, from 3-6pm in their bar and heated patio area; oysters are a buck a shuck, and there are also drink and appetizer specials. They also televise all the pay-per-view hockey games. I made a mental note for M to drop by for oysters. :p

For dinner, we had the prime rib. Yes, I know - we had prime rib at the Boathouse. But you know what? We enjoyed it! The prime rib we had at the Boathouse was better than the prime rib we've endured at The Keg. So get that - go to Boathouse for their prime rib instead of The Keg!

We also enjoyed a flight of Tyee white and World Red. The Boathouse offers a trio of wines when you cannot decide what to drink. While I thought the whites were all too "safe" and sweet, they all went beautifully with the chilled seafood and with the complimentary bread. The reds (the shiraz in particular!) went great with the prime rib.

I didn't take too many photos, as it was dark in the restaurant and again, spent more time talking and eating. I did, however, snap a photo of a certain piggy who had too much prime rib...






This would definitely be a Boathouse that I'd visit again - it is scenic and there is little to no outdoor polution when you're on the patio outside. The parking lot CAN be a little tricky to find in the dark, however - you have to go on an overpass to get to it.

Happy Birthday Mr RR! It was a pleasure meeting more of your family.




Boathouse (Port Moody)

2770 Esplanade Ave
Port Moody BC
P: 604-931-5300