SUMMER COOL
Huge outdoor patio is the place to find some summer cool in Fort Langley
Beatniks Bistro in historic Fort Langley serves up fresh, contemporary food and cocktails on its relaxing, shady patio.
When was the last time you escaped the hot concrete jungle? It might be consistently a few degrees warmer than Vancouver in Fort Langley this year, but the historic Fraser Valley settlement still oozes summer cool.
Strolling down the leafy streets recently an Ontario visitor commented on its likeness to the picturesque town of Niagara-onthe-Lake “without the pretence, and crowds.”
And there is no place cooler to hang out in Fort Langley than Beatniks Bistro. Sitting on the enormous five-star patio (with almost blanket umbrella coverage to save you from the sun), with a pitcher of sangria will make you feel like you are on vacation, even when you’re not.
Beatniks is co-managed by Angela Hazelton and her father (the owner), Matt Choquette. It has been a Glover Road fixture for seven years now so it is less of a hidden gem and more of a well-polished one.
In patio season, the restaurant is hopping.
“We have 104 seats during patio season and 50 during the winter,” Hazelton said. “In the summer months we definitely see many tourists from all over the world, and year-round it seems to be a destination for people from all over the greater Vancouver area.”
Beatniks has its share of loyal local fans, too, especially on Thursday nights, when the patio features live music from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The restaurant features a mostly seasonal contemporary menu created for the last two years by chef Daniel Dawe, and is strong on local produce and fresh flavours. You will find some less summery Beatniks classics like the braised beef short rib that remain year-round by popular request, says Hazelton.
Hazelton is excited about the summer offerings.
“Tuna poke is a summer menu item back by demand. Think of it as a thick tuna salsa with fresh mango, pickled onions, and a touch of wasabi. The crab cakes are also a big hit, and my personal favourite is our seasonal fish dish, which is currently sockeye, and served over a chilled faro salad.” Beatniks buys local, too. “We use lots of local suppliers. JD Farms is someone we buy from all year long. This summer we’ve got a great relationship with Glorious Organics, Close to Home Organics, and Golden Ears Cheesecrafters. Fresh local berries are a must right now, too. We’re serving them with our lemon cheesecake.”
The food ranges from bistro staples to affordable fine dining. There are plenty of shareable snacks, like a sweet pile of crunchy coconut prawns, sticky wings (sweet chili, hot, barbecue, or honey mustard), and yam fries with a chipotle ancho sauce. Beer and wine choices are varied and there is a fresh cocktail menu, including seasonal additions, and several different flavours of sangria (the purple haze, made with local blueberry wine, was sweet and sippable).
Roasted Cajun vegetable soup (soup du jour, $6) was a delicious, light, summery surprise — its broth full of flavour and texture — and crab cakes ($12) were crunchy and fist-sized, with red pepper flavouring the Pacific rock crab and served with a smooth, roasted red pepper aioli. Billed as a “shareable” on the menu, it proved to be up to the task and was a perfect sized starter for two.
The artisan salad ($13, and gluten free) made my jaw drop — and after 30 minutes of happy munching I had barely made a visible dent in the enormous pile of fresh greens and beets, decorated with sweet little morsels of black mission figs, dried cranberries, candied pecans and creamy goat cheese.
“It was a little larger than usual,” said our diplomatic server, after I felt the need to explain I did eat quite a lot of it, it just didn’t look that way.
The seafood linguine ($17) was accompanied by a buttery garlic baguette. Its sautéed prawns and salmon were cooked perfectly, and the roasted red pepper and tomato cream sauce was a good background for the fresh marine flavours. It needed a little salt (available at the table.) Salt is such a personal condiment, so I was not unhappy to add it myself.
A prime rib beef dip ($16) sandwich also needed a sprinkle of salt but my dining companion then devoured his man-sized sandwich, which had havarti cheese stacked with shaved beef and hot au jus. The baguette was up to the task of dipping without collapse, too.
The pan-seared scallops ($22) with white wine butter were caramelized but tender and served with a moreish, smoky bacon and lentil ragout. Dawe cures the bacon in-house, and it is superb.
If you can drag yourself out of bed early enough then weekend brunch (10 to noon only) offers a great chorizo wrap, eggs benny and classic breakfast options or house-cured steelhead lox on a bagel. And mimosas, of course.
And consider becoming a regular — there are benefits, as Hazelton explains:
“Last year, we invited our regular customers for a private tasting of the winter menu, complete with comment cards for each dish. We took all their feedback and made adjustments to the dishes before we officially launched the winter menu. It was a fun way to include our guests in the process.”