Dinner at Burnaby’s Riverway Clubhouse
byBattling rush hour traffic, crawling past new developments and condos under construction, beyond industrial parks and warehouses, we turned down Bill Fox Way and were instantly transported to a lush country club, on the edge of rolling greens and fairways as far as the eye could see. We booked a date night at Burnaby’s Riverway Clubhouse to try out their $25 three course menu, and it was the perfect mid-week pick-me-up.
Riverway Clubhouse
Located on the Riverway golf course, the clubhouse offers beautiful wood beam architecture paired with floor-to-ceiling window views of the picturesque landscape. Colourful floral displays inside and out show off the best of the season, while I took out my camera to photograph the scene, a majestic sandhill crane grazed on the lawn. It would be there for the entirety of our stay.
John began with a glass of Red Rooster cabernet merlot, selected from the list of BC wine options. The rest of the dining menu was clear, concise, and offered a-la-carte starters and entrees, along with the tasting menu.
To start, my choice was the Coconut Prawn Salad (romaine lettuce, edamame, sweet corn, red onion, red pepper, lemongrass & peanut sauce, Thai sweet chili vinaigrette) and John went with the Roasted Grape and Mandarin Orange Salad (with mesclun greens, carrot, radish, feta, candied pecan lemon dijon vinaigrette).
The third option was a Boston Seafood Chowder. These were three of the seven starters from the main menu. It was a nice, refreshing start to the meal and my salad would have been better paired with one of the seafood entree options but I was craving that 8oz New York Steak I spotted in the entree column – and I wasn’t disappointed.
We went pretty meat-heavy for our entrees, but we did spend some time considering the Wild Sockeye Salmon, Seafood Cioppino, the Seafood Linguine, and the Portobello & Crimini Mushroom Ravioli. My steak was a perfect medium rare, with grill marks that made me long for barbecue season. John went with the generously plated Rosemary & Thyme Braised Lamb Shank (mixed bean stew, onion, garlic, edamame, carrot) and he must have enjoyed it because the next time I looked up from my plate, he had scooped up the very last bean.
On the menu it stated that dessert would be the chef’s daily handcrafted creation which turned out to be a waffle a-la-mode with strawberries and whipped cream. The taste of the strawberries and cream paired with the fluffy waffle reminded me of my grandmother’s strawberry shortcake, which made me very happy.
The $25 tasting menu had generous, hearty portions that provided good value. We watched the sun dip past the horizon, as golfers packed up during twilight and other restaurant guests came inside after taking group photos on the patio. It is such a lovely location, that really lives up to the term ‘hidden gem’.
The clubhouse also hosts a bistro, meeting spaces, and banquet hall. The Riverway Clubhouse restaurant is open Monday 11:30am to 3:00pm and Tuesday to Friday 11:30am to 8:00pm. On the weekends, stop into Mulligans Express (burgers, nachos, paninis, hot dogs, wings, and more) 8:00am to 6:00pm.
Make your Riverway reservation today and follow Food Burnaby on Facebook, Twitter, and Riverway on Instagram for info and updates.
