Take your lunch on the wild side
Cliff House at North Vancouver park boasts great seafood
Summer has arrived and with it, an incoming tide of visiting friends and couch-surfers. Time to be a tourist in your own city.
If you find yourself at the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park in North Vancouver, here’s something to note. A new restaurant, Cliff House Restaurant and Bar, opened last February, in a nature-surrounded setting near the edge of Capilano Canyon and above the Cliffwalk, part of which hovers 213 metres above the canyon. The company website tells us the cantilevered platform can support the weight of 35 adult killer whales — just in case, I suppose.
The Cliff House has a bigboned, high-ceilinged, lightfilled, timber dining room with a stone fireplace, a remodelling and addition to former offices. It sits a few feet from the site of a four-bedroom cabin built by George Grant Mackay, who in 1888 bought 6,000 acres of forest bracketing the Capilano River.
A beer on the Cliff House patio sounds perfectly inviting after a magical walk in the forest, traversing a suspension bridge and doing the Treetop Walk. If it’s left you weak with hunger, the menu is also inviting. It’s family-friendly, simple and done right. Chef Mark Holland has a hammerlock on sustainable, quality ingredients. Proteins are Ocean Wise, ethically raised, hormone free — and 95 per cent of produce are locally sourced.
The biggest seller is fish and chips. I’m picky about my fish and chips but these, I liked. Just enough batter, crisp and not oily. The fish was fresh and the chips had a crisp exterior and tender interior and stayed that way for the meal. The trick is to add Bridge Brewing Blood Orange Ale (made in North Van) to the batter.
The West Coast chowder is another winner. The seafood’s fresh (supplied by Seven Seas) and the salmon is housesmoked, providing another layer of flavour.
The Cliffwalk Salad, nice and fresh, had kale, seasonal berries, a sprinkle of coconut and mango dressing.
A 15-hour smoked pulled pork sandwich was elevated by the dark and sturdy pretzel bun, absorbent enough to slurp up the pork sauce. It comes with fries and a lightly battered, deep-fried dill pickle, which surprisingly, I liked.
Desserts are simple but well-made. I tried a peach cobbler and a key lime pie, both delicious. Drinks include local craft beers and Okanagan wines.
Restaurant chef Mark Holland was once the chef at Bridge House on the grounds (now closed) but worked at other Canadian resorts including Delta Hotel at Sun Peaks in Kamloops before returning to open Cliff House.
To dine, you pay admission to the park but that entitles B.C. residents admission for a year (just show proof of residency and pick up the pass at guest services before leaving). Admission is $46.95 for adults, with discounts for seniors and youth. Children under six get in free. The park is open all year except on Christmas Day and summer hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (In winter, the Canyon Lights program is a big attraction.)
A beer on the Cliff House patio sounds perfectly inviting after a magical walk in the forest, traversing a suspension bridge and doing the Treetop Walk.”
Mia Stainsby