(Dollarton) Crab Shop
121 – 2455 Dollarton Highway
North Vancouver, BC

Earlier this summer, I drove through Dollarton Highway to go to Cates Park to try the burgers from Wally’s Burger (which was blogged here). Wally’s Burger was a disappointment but, on my way there, I noticed one place that caught my attention: Dollarton Crab Shop – or simply Crab Shop. I recall reference to this place because it was closed years ago due to a fire and lots of people were awaiting/wondering if they would ever re-open. It is a long drive (not THAT long but) and I partially forgot about it. Until, that is, my visit to Pajo’s (again, blogged here). So, on a weekend, I decided to drive to North Vancouver for fish and chips. Hey, if I would drive all the way to Steveston, why won’t I drive to North Van, specially considering that most of the trip will be on “highways”!

I will admit I almost drove by and missed the place. What happens is that a lot of places/guides don’t have the correct address. If it wasn’t because of the sign outside, I would have almost driven by to what seems to be their old burnt down location – Or at least I think it is that location, as there was an old burnt location with the same crab logo outside… However, the oddity of its new place is that it is part of a modern complex which is perplexing in its own ways. But, hey, I was only there for the food!

First and foremost, this is a seafood shop with food as a “side” business (fish and chips, of course, and other goodies like tuna melt, calamari, chowders, et al). So don’t be surprised people just come to grab some seafood to cook at home. As for the eating area itself, it would be two tables and some stools. Yes, not the place for a date or something on those lines. After queueing in the line, I made my order and it was waiting time…

I ended up ordering two pieces of cod with fries ($9; had it been salmon, it would have been $10; $13 for halibut) and a coleslaw ($3). The slaw was interesting and odd at the same time. It is not the creamy version but it wasn’t too vinegar-y either. However, what was “noticeable” was the fact it had a hint of blue cheese. If it wasn’t because I have had that before, I would have thought the dressing had gone bad. Regardless, I will give them some credits for this “twist”.

Now the fish. If somebody tells me the batter looks “heavy”, I will partially agree with them. However, the one from Pajo’s wasn’t “light” either (or Davo’s for that matter). But, then again, if I wanted fried fish my way, I would have to go all the way to Panama… Or visit local Latin American spots for their version of fried fish. Still, I will admit they did something that other fish and chips shops do not do: season the batter/fish. In this case, I think both were seasoned, with the batter a bit more than the fish. Do you see some black specks on the fried batter? Not sure what that was (pepper? herbs?) but, regardless, it was not bland and did not needed too much help from the tartar sauce. Best of all, it cooked through, i.e., it did not have spots with “raw” batter. As for the fish itself, it was also cooked without being overdone and retained its flakiness. Things would have been better had it be served with a lemon wedge (for acidity purposes to create a contrast. Yes, there was vinegar but it isn’t the same acidity). Finally, the fries… Well, they were just regular fries so I won’t say much about it.

Overall, I must say this trip was really worth it. Reasonable price, decent portion size and locals seem to like it. As for me, other than that drive, I see no reason why I would not want to come back here. But, again, when I compare this drive to that to Steveston or White Rock (yes, visit pending!)…

Yesterday it was another hot summer weekend but, along with it, another summer festival! In this case, after a short hop via the Seabus to Lonsdale Quay then a short walk to Waterfront Park, the Caribbean Days Festival! (Courtesy of Trinidad and Tobago Cultural Society). So, without further ado.

I will admit I am not sure how many people of Caribbean descent are in Metro Vancouver; however, the fact we have different Jamaican restaurants (mostly, haven’t found evidence of other Caribbean) ought to mean something. Hey, as they say, if there is food… So, enjoy this photo essay of the festival (which, by the way, closes today, Sunday, July 26th).

If there is a festival, there ought to vendors, right? No close shot of their wares, though…

In the main stand, different bands and, in this case, dance. Work hard, party harder?

Now, to those who haven’t been to this area, Waterfront Park is “divided” into two by a ditch (where rails are set) – the actual park with a small gazebo overlooking Downtown Vancouver and the other area which, well, looks like an empty lot. Since the park is not that big, the food section is set up in this empty lot.

There were only a handful of vendors (plus the alcohol section). However, that creates a couple of problems. For example, orders would end up being large like seen in the picture above. The other problem is that there isn’t that much variety – almost all of the stands were selling the same dishes: roti, jerk chicken, goat curry, patty, et al. And the worst offender? Long queues!!!! As for what I ended up getting…

Bake and Saltfish – a sandwich made with salted fish (cod fish?) and a salad side. It was a bit saltier that what I was expected…

Beef patty. Empanada (as in Empanada Hut) anybody?

I will admit I ended up ordering “misses” for the sake of variety. Had I ordered a jerk or curry, that would have been more food and wouldn’t have ordered the patty instead. In a funny way, that ended up being a bad idea anyway, as there wasn’t anything else that caught my attention (despite there was a soft-serve ice-cream shop). I ended up going to the festivities area and…

Yes, corn cob. I must be nuts to be eating this while basking under the sun!

Finally, to quench my thirst, I got something unusual: mauby. The best way to describe its flavours would be root beer-y, anise-y and that of a bad medicine. Read: an acquired taste.

The festival was interesting but one thing dampened it: it was way too hot for my liking. In the end, I went to a nearby McD’s for a large soft-drink (special at $1) as I was starting to feel dehydrated (I know, not the best drink but I had to have something!). Not to blame them of course, it just happened. So, one more festival down, at least two other more to come!

Wally’s Burgers
Concession stand in Cates Park
North Vancouver, BC

Last year, Wally’s Burger, an iconic restaurant in Kingsway closed its doors. In the same vein as Save-on-Meats burger shop, it had some neon signs and, while I did not go until a couple of days before it closed, it had its share of faithful customers. After all, it was cheap, it was tasty, it was a place where you could gather with other people. As per this article, the rights to the name and trademark were purchased and, its location in Cates Park in North Vancouver, most likely be the first among many future Wally’s. While any future locations might (or might not) open, the question was rather, does it live to expectations? Only one way to find out… Go and have a burger!

If memory serves me right, the core menu has not changed, rather it seems they added some items (like the sweet potato fries) – you can check their full menu here. While I do remember some of the name of the burgers (as it had the word “wagon” in it), I did not remember the description of each one. That proved to be a challenge and had to spend some time asking about each one of the burgers. Oh, well… In the end, I made my order and started to look around and snap some pictures.

Your typical concession stand in the parks…

Cates Park overlooking Burrard Inlet.

I couldn’t help myself snap this picture.

After I received my order, sat down and started to snap my pictures, I noticed a small group at the other end – one of them carrying a Canon dSLR with a wide-angle lens. While I have met some of the local food bloggers in a recent gathering, for some odd reason, I had an idea of whom he was. It was confirmed when he gave his name to the cashier (as they would be calling you for your order). That blogger was Kevin from 604 Foodtography! And, as per his post on this visit, he recognized me the same way! ^_^;;;

I had the combo burger which is a beef patty and a hot dog. “To be safe”, I added mushroom for an additional loonie. For the side, I had the sweet potato fries, which comes with a roasted pepper dip. One thing you will notice is that it does not have the “usual” lettuce and tomato. No, it is not because I did not order them, rather, these do NOT come by default! Good thing or bad? Anyway, the burger itself was… lacking. I don’t think I tasted anything; in fact, it felt quite generic. Usually, sauteed mushrooms would salvage almost any burger but it did not seem to work in this case. Probably because there isn’t really much of it to begin with? While it was slightly charred, that did not bothered me. What “saved” the experience a bit was the fries. While they were even fried to the point of being crunchy, it kept some of its sweet taste. And the dip really complemented the fries. Hey, the combo was so good I didn’t even need the mustard!

Overall, I must say that I am not impress in any way, specially given there are so many good burger shops around, at the same price, if not cheaper. While I do understand they ought to charge a bit more due to them being a concession (if memory serves me right, the ones from the original Wally’s location were cheaper), I would at least expect something worth the cash I forked. In this case, it did not deliver. Let me put it bluntly: despite I went to the original location only once, the one I had was at least slightly memorable (probably because they were closing?). Here, it was an experience I could easily overlook. So, while some people like me would try it once for nostalgia or other similar reason(s), it will fall into the category of “fool me once…”.

Anyway, after that burger, I went down the beach to try to take some interesting pictures. Hope you enjoy them!

The blank “spots” are not spots but rather droplets of water from the splashing waves.

Can you see the two small crabs?

This is not from the beach, rather near the parking lot. It was there, alone, looking at me, almost saying “take a picture of me!!!”. ^_^;;;