I eat a lot of good meals.
And I sometimes get to take my friends out for a good meal.
That’s what happened a couple of Sundays ago when photographer Larry Wright and I had a divine Sunday brunch at the EBO Restaurant at the Delta Hotel in Burnaby.
General manager Eda Koot and executive chef Dan Craig were great hosts and pretty good interviews to boot. I don’t usually post all the pictures, but Larry got so many good ones that I couldn’t resist.
All the cutlines are at the bottom of the story. You’ll read a shorter version of this in the March 21 Burnaby NOW.
By Alfie Lau
There are very few people who can turn down bacon, but when confronted with home-smoked pork, prime rib, sushi and steelhead salmon, I became that person.
It was Sunday brunch at the EBO Restaurant and Lounge at the Delta Burnaby Hotel and Conference Centre and executive chef Dan Craig had really outdone himself.
“We’re always trying to push forward, do new things and offer some great choices,” said Craig, who’s been at the upscale restaurant for the last three-and-a-half years. “We want to be the best in Burnaby.”
It was pretty hard to argue that contention as I sat down with photographer Larry Wright, Eda Koot, hotel general manager and Craig during a recent Sunday brunch.
“We’re lucky to have Dan and his creative staff. Everything’s made on site,” said Koot. “It’s great to literally see the room come alive as people come in for Sunday brunch.”
Each Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., EBO puts on their brunch for $30.95 per person, with six-to-12-year-olds getting in for half price.
We started with the EBO signature mimosa and then did an opening tour of what was available.
The traditional breakfast favourites of eggs, bacon, omelets, eggs benedict, sausage and bacon were the first thing that greeted us in the hot food section, but as a seasoned buffet veteran, I know not to load up too early.
“I love French toast,” said Wright as he started on his plate.
I do too, but I love me some meat even more and Craig was waiting at the end of the line with steelhead salmon, home-smoked pork and prime rib.
“We have our own smoker for the pork, we’re Ocean Wise for our seafood and you’ll love the red wine sauce with the prime rib,” said Craig as I completed my buffet hat trick.
As an homage to my Chinese heritage, I also added some shrimp dumplings, part of the dim sum selection, to my plate, along with a chicken skewer.
That was plate number 1 and before heading back to my table, I took a quick look at the platters table, which featured smoked and cured meats, sushi and some of the plumpest poached prawns I’d seen in quite some time.
There was also a salad table, which I normally avoid, but there was a noodle and prawn salad-type dish that intrigued me, but that would have to wait for a future plate.
I also took a quick look at the breakfast cereal table, all but deserted except for the people looking at the kids’ desserts, which included Nanaimo bars, and the full dessert table, which featured cheesecake, pie, mousse, cake, fruit and custard.
“We want to have the best quality ingredients because that helps us create the best dishes,” said Craig, who recently returned from a Toronto cooking competition with a second-place medal.
Craig is too modest to mention his accomplishments, but Koot and her staff sent along a short list of his notable achievements, including: gold medal in the 2006 La Chaine des Rotisseurs Chef Competition in Australia; first place in the 2011 Best of the West competition; first place in the 2012 B.C. Chef’s Association competition and second place in the 2012 Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association competition.
Even when asked about his awards, Craig is more than happy to share the credit.
“I love competing, but what I love more is working with our young team,” he said. “We’re all in our late-20s or early-30s and I’m always encouraging them to try new things. It keeps my competitive juices flowing and it keeps me on my toes. Competitions put us all through the ringer, but when you come out of it, you’re a lot better for it.”
As Craig goes off to oversee the kitchen, Wright and I dig into our initial plates. I don’t feel a shred of guilt eating prime rib and pork for lunch, but my favourite is the steelhead salmon, which is silky smooth. In fact, it is so good that it whets my appetite for an all-seafood second plate.
Wright is enjoying his traditional breakfast, but he’s also added salmon to his French toast and eggs benny.
I’d made the quick realization that I wasn’t going to be able to try everything and as much as I love omelets, bacon, sausage and eggs, they would have to wait for another Sunday brunch.
The second time around, all I have is seafood, with the sushi, smoked salmon and shrimp dumplings filling my plate.
In the old days, I would’ve gone for another couple of plates, but the high quality of the EBO brunch meant I was just full enough for a final dessert plate.
Pastry chef Romeo Maghirang is a genius at providing a wide variety of tempting desserts.
A mango éclair, cappuccino cheesecake, mango cheesecake and Nanaimo bar later and I was done.
“I always take the stairs because I have to work off what I eat here,” joked Koot.
Both Koot and Craig have big plans for the future, including a winemaker’s pairing dinner in April.
“I’d love to do a wine bar at the front,” said Craig. “I’m always challenged to try to do more here.”
“We’ve got more than 12,000 square feet of banquet space and we are lucky to have Dan Craig leading us. … It allows us to be as creative as we can be. He’s leading a great team that is engaged and wants to keep on getting better.”
EBO, which stands for East of Boundary, is a refreshingly West Coast restaurant that has partnered up with Open Table, Ocean Wise and the Canadian Celiac Association. It seats 140 guests and is highlighted by an open kitchen concept, plush banquette seating and semi-private tables enclosed with silk curtains.
The EBO Restaurant and Lounge is located on the second floor at the Delta Burnaby Hotel and Conference Centre, right beside the Grand Villa Casino at
4331 Dominion St. For more info, go to http://www.eborestaurant.com or to make a reservation, call 604-453-0788.
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Cutlines: 001 – There’s plenty of elegant seating during brunch at the EBO Restaurant and Lounge at the Delta Hotel in Burnaby.
Larry Wright/BURNABY NOW
002 – There’s plenty of elegant seating, including this private dining room for 14, during brunch at the EBO Restaurant and Lounge at the Delta Hotel in Burnaby.
Larry Wright/BURNABY NOW
003 – There’s plenty of elegant seating, including this private dining room for 14, during brunch at the EBO Restaurant and Lounge at the Delta Hotel in Burnaby.
Larry Wright/BURNABY NOW
004 – The dessert station during Sunday brunch at the EBO Restaurant and Lounge at the Delta Hotel in Burnaby.
Larry Wright/BURNABY NOW
005 – The noodles and prawn salad, one of many choices available during Sunday brunch at the EBO Restaurant and Lounge at the Delta Hotel in Burnaby.
Larry Wright/BURNABY NOW
006 – The cereal and kids’ dessert station, one of many choices available during Sunday brunch at the EBO Restaurant and Lounge at the Delta Hotel in Burnaby.
Larry Wright/BURNABY NOW
008 – John Chang, second cook and roti maker, works his magic during Sunday brunch at the EBO Restaurant and Lounge at the Delta Burnaby Hotel.
Larry Wright/BURNABY NOW
010 – Executive chef Dan Craig cuts some of the home smoked pork that is available during Sunday brunch at the EBO Restaurant and Lounge at the Delta Hotel in Burnaby.
Larry Wright/BURNABY NOW
012 – The choices during Sunday brunch at EBO can run the gamut from eggs benedict to steelhead salmon to chicken skewers to roti to French toast.
Larry Wright/BURNABY NOW
013 – The choices during Sunday brunch at EBO can run the gamut from prime rib to steelhead salmon to chicken skewers to roti to dim sum.
Larry Wright/BURNABY NOW
014 – The seafood choices during Sunday brunch at EBO can run the gamut from dim sum to sushi to smoked salmon to poached prawns.
Larry Wright/BURNABY NOW
