Beacon Landing Restaurant and Lounge
Address: 2537 Beacon Ave., Sidney Tel: 250-656-6690 Hours: Open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Major credit cards and Interac accepted. Wheelchair accessible.
Rating 4 1/2
When I arrived to meet a friend for dinner at a Sidney restaurant last summer, we found the doors shut and a hastily scrawled sign advising of a personal emergency. As it was a Sunday evening, we soon found two alternatives were also closed. We were considering a drive to Brentwood Bay when Jessica suggested the Beacon Landing Restaurant Lounge, at the end of Sidney's main drag.
I hadn't crossed the threshold here in a few years, and to be honest, I wasn't in a huge hurry to do so. I had vague memories of bland food that took too long to arrive, barely chilled white wine and indifferent service that perked up only when we were asked if we wanted any change.
Stepping inside, the first thing I noticed was that the slightly dated decor (think craft fair exploding inside a restaurant textiles showroom) hadn't changed. That said, it is spotlessly clean and this evening, we were greeted almost immediately and offered a table with a water view.
Cautious optimism turned to genuine surprise almost as soon as I picked up my menu. Was there someone new in the kitchen? Yes, as it turns out.
Chef Miguel Goncalves trained in Prince George before gaining further experience working in Vancouver, in addition to a couple of years travelling and working in continental Europe. He had been working in Jasper for a few years when he visited Victoria this spring in his other capacity as a restaurant consultant. That's when he heard about an opening in Sidney.
When we had scanned the list of appetizers, there were no surprises - that is until we read the descriptions. Dated decor aside, the Beacon Landing has always had it share of regulars - and regulars, as any restaurant owner will tell you, are resistant to change - so Goncalves has put his stamp on the menu through a combination of updating some dishes and replacing others.
If you want Coquille St. Jacques made with mashed potato and stodgy white sauce, you will have to go somewhere else, because this dish now features panseared pink scallops on cauliflower purée drizzled with chili oil, paired with an arugula salad tossed with bacon vinaigrette. Seasonal changes to this section of the menu feature dishes such as my appetizer that evening - a surprisingly large salad of local organic greens, feta, quinoa and summer berries - and the current menu's baked Brie served with roasted organic garlic, tomato butter and balsamic cream. Jessica savoured the featured mussels, steamed in a bath of garlic, tomatoes, beer and capicollo.
The only problem with main courses was what to choose. Fettuccini tossed with cracked crab, summer peas and parmesan cream served with pan bread or pan-roasted wild salmon on a warm salad of potatoes, roasted corn, bacon and arugula with lemon olive dressing? I couldn't resist a (double) breast of chicken baked with Brie, charred red peppers and fresh spinach, which arrived with an excellent wild rice pilaf and seasonal vegetables, including red and purple carrots, yellow zucchini and gai lan. Jessica was momentarily taken aback by the arrival of her tuna roll, which for some reason did not appear to be sushi on the menu, but that's what it was - and it didn't disappoint. Desserts, including cheesecake topped with macerated loganberries, were tempting, but out of the question after all we had eaten.
Though the lunch menu now features items such as a clubhouse sandwich crafted with salmon, bacon and goat cheese, a dish on the winter dinner menu was too intriguing to pass up. Unfortunately, since it was freezing outside, I started with the soup and salad combination of the featured chicken, sweet corn and chipotle chowder, and organic greens with roasted winter vegetables and a tomato chevril emulsion. I say unfortunately because though it was delicious, I had intended to gnaw my way through a lamb shank, served with minted squash purée, garlic-mashed potatoes, filet beans and herb demi glace, but I simply couldn't face it. After a while, I ordered fettuccini tossed with charred wild salmon, fresh fennel, scallions and roasted grape tomatoes in tarragon cream sauce with lashings of Gran Pandano cheese.
If, like me, you were convinced that the Beacon Landing was still all about calamari and fettuccini Alfredo and were reluctant to visit, give it another shot and I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Service has improved and food arrives quickly. Goncalves has added a brunch buffet on Sundays and plans to change the menu about three times a year. He hasn't committed to a barbecue menu on the massive patio yet, but maybe we can persuade him if we beg.
Dinner, two courses exclusive of beverages, tax and tip, around $40.
RATINGS
Rating 1 Below bad
Rating 2 Below average
Rating 3 Average
Rating 4 Above average
Rating 5 Excellent
