I’m always a little nervous when I take a professional chef out for dinner. Chefs are a tough crowd as far as restaurant critics go. Not only that but I myself am a waiter. Brentwood Bay Pub certainly had their work cut out for them. I hadn’t been out to Brentwood Bay Lodge and Spa since it was a pile of rocks and bare timber so I was looking forward to seeing the building and its surroundings, and especially the view of the bay. Unfortunately, it was dark by the time we arrived, but even still, looking out the large windows of the pub we were impressed. The beauty of Brentwood Bay Pub is that the interior is built with almost all natural materials. The bare wood beams are left in their natural colour. The fireplace is built floor to very high ceiling with stone and the floor is beautifully pebbled. The feeling is light and airy and we felt very relaxed as we sat down to peruse the menu.
Brentwood Bay Pub offers the $25 Dine Around menu with three choices offered for each course. I chose the Panko Crusted Rock Crab Cake and my chef guest opted for the Heritage Squash Soup over the Organic Gathered Greens, pointing out that a soup is harder to do well than a salad. She was taking this quite seriously. Our first course arrived and we tucked in. My guest was impressed with her perfectly seasoned soup, noting that sometimes chefs are overly gratuitous with nutmeg but this one hit the right note. My crab cake was very good with a generous accompaniment of salad. My guest had a taste and nodded knowingly to herself about the hint of spiciness in the cake that enhanced rather than overwhelmed the delicate crab.
Next came the Stone Oven Baby Back Ribs and the “Fish and Chips” in quotation marks. I always like dishes that have quotation marks because it’s the chef’s own personal take on an old favourite. The ribs were so tender and with just the right amount of fat for flavour and more than enough meat to eat with a knife and fork. The chipotle chili BBQ sauce was soft and sweet and the accompanying vegetables were crisp. I also appreciated the smooth potato puree that was smooth because someone took the time squeezing the potatoes through a ricer. The “Fish and Chips” is snapper with a generous pile of yam fries and chili and lime aioli. The sweetness of the fries was perfect with the spicy snapper, and I liberally dipped each into the aioli.
For dessert we decided on Bitter Sweet Chocolate and Hazelnut Tartlet and also chose the Mango and White Chocolate Parfait. Both were excellent—a thin layer of cookie on the bottom balanced the richness of the tartlet. The parfait was cool and creamy and a perfect finish to our meal.
My guest and I were both impressed with our experience. Sitting in this beautiful room and eating delicious food it’s easy to forget that you’re in a pub. The service was lovely and friendly, attentive but not intrusive. When you break it down Brentwood Bay Pub certainly is a pub; it just does it really well.
—The Secret Diner
849 Verdier Ave., Brentwood Bay, BC
(250) 544-5102 
