Epic Dinner At Ebo

I checked out Ebo for dinner a few weeks back but was in a bit of a rush, so I vowed to return for a more leisurely visit and I'm sure glad I did! Here is my first post.

One great thing about this place is that kids under 5 eat for free! So we got the grilled cheese with fries and veggies. The serving was a little bit small, but I liked the crustless bread and the gooey cheese, a sign of "non-processed" cheese. 

The chef, Dan Craig, was so nice and treated us to a starter of Wagyu Beef Carpaccio, as well as a beef & enoki roll, topped off with a horseradish foam, soy gel and shaved pears. This dish was really refreshing and I loved the pear with the beef. I know it sounds weird, but the combination serves to bring out the creaminess of the beef and the crispiness of the pear. Also loved how delicately plated this dish was, see the little mushrooms standing up? Great attention to detail.

For our first appetizer, we got the Roast Scallops. Because there were so many of us and we wanted to share, we actually ordered the entree size for an appy. The scallops sit atop a creamy mash of vanilla and cauliflower Puree, and are laced with some Jamon Serrano throughout. The raisins were interesting, added extra sweetness to the dish.

The other appetizer we ordered was the Calamari with Sausage. Deep fried squid paired with their Longanisa Sausage, made in-house. I think the squid could have stayed in the fryer just a tad longer, until it got a bit more colour.

These satays aren't on the menu yet, but wait, they will be! Rubbed with a dry seasoning mix with strong hints of cumin, these skewers are fantastic. Finished on the grill, the chicken developed a really great smokiness. There was a peanut sauce for dipping, but it was almost uneccesary, these were great on their own, with a few bites of pineapple in between.

After so many appetizers, two people in our group decided to share the Roast Lamb Saddle and Shoulder. Accompanying the dish was a bit of tangy pickled cabbage, beets, cauliflower and some fingerling potatoes as well. The saddle is another term for loin, and this is probably the most tender cut of the lamb. The shoulder is great for longer cooking, such as braising. Both were done to a medium rare, which I think it the perfect doneness for lamb. Keep in mind that an actual portion would be twice as much food. The kitchen kindly split this into two when they found out we were sharing.

The one fish entree that caught our eye was the Smoked Sablefish, paired with a Potato Roesti on top. The fish is so buttery and flaked so beautifully. And I think again, a rather large portion.

There are four types of steaks on the menu and we had two of them. Here is teh 8oz AAA Prime Strip Loin. All steaks come with sauteed mushrooms, diced asparagus, roasted potatoes and a pat of Truffle Herb Butter. The striploin had perfect diamond grill marks and seemed bigger than 8oz. And the pat of butter melts all over the meat slowly, making the meat even juicier.

The other steak we got was the 12oz AAA Prime Rib Eye, with amazing marbling that make the meat so good. The roast potatoes were okay, but the star of the plate is clearly the rib eye.


If roast potatoes aren't your thing, you can asked to have it served with mashed potato instead, like I did here. The worked really well, with the mashed soaking up all the juices from the meat and melted butter too. The grainy mustard is available upon request.

 

Every kid's dream - a gigantic milkshake for dessert, complete with whipped cream. Fortunately, this wasn't overly sugary or sweet, so it was less guilty pleasure. 

Because it was a birthday, we brought a cake in for the occasion. There is a charge for this, but instead of just giving you a knife and some plates, the staff in the kitchen really dolled up the cake, with a coulis and some fresh fruit. Much appreciated. 

The restaurant offers chocolate making classes and these are some of the truffles that were made that day. We were insanely full from everything, but couldn't resist just one last bite. I love that this restaurant is in Burnaby, close to home for me. I also have to say that our server was excellent that night, in fact, all the staff were exceptionally refined and well-mannered.