Passport Quest at Coast

Coast as part of the Glowbal Passport Quest. As part of the promotion that Glowbal Group ran in February - March 2013, I visited all seven of the restaurants. Here is my post of Coast on Alberni.
I also have posts for:

• Trattoria
• Glowbal Grill
• Italian Kitchen
• Society
• The Fish Shack
• Black and Blue

We decided to try some appetizers as well as their lunch items. Normally, I would get oysters to start, but in an effort to sample more of their menu, we broke new ground instead.

   

From their Ippin Ryori (Japanese Tapas) section, we tried their Salmon Somen. The base of the dish is this Japanese vermicelli, almost as thin as angelhair. The sauce is a mixture of soy and some ponzu sauce, with some thinly chopped green onions, grated daikon and a fragrant shiso leaf. The noodles are very light and almost slithers into your mouth. Top all that with some sliced sockeye salmon and this is a great starter. The fish was slightly cooked by the acidity in the ponzu and was really refreshing. 

 

The angle and lack of reference does not do justice to this bowl of New England Chowder. It was huge! Loaded with bacon, clams, mussels, and tender chunks of celery, carrots and potato. This is a rich soup and jampacked with flavours. You could easily share this with a friend and you'll both have enough for a starter.
They also have a large selection of sushi rolls, and this was a blend of two rolls. It's like a Dynamite Roll, slipped under a Negihama Roll. The Dynamite part comes from the Tempura Prawn, and the slightly spicy chili mayonnaise. The Negihama topped with finely diced hamachi mixed with scallions. So good, a bit of crunch from the prawn, a bit of heat from the mayo and a mouthful of fresh scallions with the fish. There's enough going on here that you really don't need the wasabi.
This Shrimp Wrap Box is my favourite lunch box here, but they also have a sushi one, as well as a fish & chip and oyster po boy version. The New England Chowder is really good and is loaded with bacon, clams, mussels, and tender chunks of celery, carrots and potato. This is a rich soup and jampacked with flavours. Have this first while it's hot! Next, move onto the Tuna Sashimi, served on a bed of microgreens. There is very little dressing so you can really taste the sweetness of the fish. I guess you would say that the Shrimp Wrap is the star of the show, but they all come together really nicely. I asked for easy dressing and comparing mine with my friend's, I can tell they actually listened. The shrimp are diced but you can still see large chunks of them throughout the wrap. This is a lot of food and I ended up taking the wrap home. 

Take Note: 

• All lunch boxes are just $13.95 
• A regular order of the New England Chowder is enough for a meal
• The Fish & Chip cone is great for people who aren't into raw fish