The Boathouse - Vancouver, BC

It's Mrs. Goose's birthday and we're going out for brunch!  It's been a busy year and we haven't had the time to see Mr. Piglet's family too much and when we were invited to his aunt's birthday with the whole family, we had to say yes.  We're meeting up somewhere that's close to Grandma Badger's place so Mr. Piglet and I end up at The Boathouse in Kitsilano, which in my opinion is the best location of all the locations.  It's right on the beach, there's great lighting and has beautiful views of the water.  What a way to start a slow Sunday!

I know this is a chain restaurant and I tend to stay away from reviewing these types of places but since I'm here, might as well review it right?  The food may be more or less the same at each location but I find that the service at the Kitsilano branch to be the best.  Ok, enough about the service, what about the food?

Prime Rib Hash - $14.99

It just looks like a bowl of brown and black but there's actually different components in there.  I really love the thin potatoes since it has the awesome flavour from the prime rib and they're also a bit crunchy which adds some great texture to the dish.  The eggs are poached perfectly and the flavours are just wonderfully savoury and rich with beef flavours.  Unfortunately, the downside of the dish was the prime rib itself - the pieces tasted great but were bone dry and chewy and this was not a saucy dish.  If it hadn't been for the eggs to add some moisture, I probably wouldn't have finished the dish.  The olive bread was tasty but I wish it were warm.  Overall, it was ok.

Crab Cake Benny - $15.99

We LOVE the crab cakes!  They're crunchy on the outside with wonderful crab flavours and although there's cilantro and other herbs, they don't overpower the main ingredient of crab.  The eggs are poached nicely and match really well with the cakes.  The only gripe is that this is a child-size portion - Mr. Piglet likened them to two chicken nuggets with eggs on top.  Not only are the crab cakes small but the accompanying home fries are tasty but there's only a few squares, barely half a potato in total!  Ok, we know it's brunch but come on!  Fill us with something!  If not crabs (ha!), then at least give us a little more potatoes!  

Since it was Mrs. Goose's birthday, they surprised her with a slice of cookies and cream ice cream cake.  It's those nice touches (and that absolutely awesome view) that makes this location stand out from the others.  Overall, everyone was satisfied with their meal but I don't think anyone was blown away either.  At these prices, blow us away!  The seafood here is tasty but prepare to either take a hit on your wallet and make a small run to a local burger joint afterwards.  You're paying for the view and beautiful interior here folks so take it as you like!

Oinks:

• Very friendly service
• Great ambiance
• Wonderful views of the water (especially in the summer)

Doinks:

• Higher price point
• Smaller portion sizes
• Food was just ok