The Admiral Pub & Grill isn't the sort of place I'd normally have considered going as I like to look for interesting eats. However I was lured there on Thursday night by a friend of mine who's clever at sniffing out cheap eats in town.And the Admiral Pub & Grill has cheap eats -- just consult their daily features!
Regular prices are steep for what you get. Eating what you want at the correct time and day is the key. This is a sports pub with occasional live music, so what you're really there to do is drinking. Great food is probably an afterthought here, as it is with many such places.
As sports pubs go, this is a pretty decent place: Spacious, and a good view of at least one TV no matter which way you turn. Spacing between seats is generous, and table space is also quite generous. Don't sit too close to the front when they've got a band or you're liable to walk out with a ringing in your ears for a very long time.
My friend had gone several times, apparently, and for 50%-off pasta night, he recommended the West Coast Seafood while he got the Homemade Lasagne. For unclear reasons other than "more flavour" he basically poured parmesan cheese and chili flakes onto his dish. I didn't ask to try it. Also, Lasagne in a bowl is sort of odd, but there you go.
West Coast Seafood ($16 normally, $8 on Thursdays) tiger prawns, wild BC smoked salmon, mussels and baby scallops in a creamy white wine and dill sauce; your choice of pasta
- Instead of a lot of sauce, my pasta came tossed/coated in a thick paste. There was sauce flavour in every bite, but if you are looking for a wetter pasta swimming in thick, creamy, soupy sauce, you'll have to ask for that.
- Pasta is a cost-efficient way for restaurants to give you a filling meal, but that doesn't work without enough sauce. So, are they skimping on sauce to save on cost? Not necessarily since sauce is often wasted once the pasta runs out and maybe people don't want to load up on carbs so much anymore.
- The pasta portion is basically fine for $8 and a medium to light meal.
- Four mussels, maybe about the same number of prawns of OK size.
- I think there were two matchbook sized pieces of smoked salmon -- read the menu carefully as it says smoked salmon, which means if it feels kind of tough and dry, you can't complain that your salmon was overcooked.
- To be honest I didn't think using smoked salmon was such a great choice precisely because it felt like overcooked salmon. I'd rather they skip it entirely instead of forcing it into the menu if they can't get fresh salmon.
- Sauce was okay, but there's wine and dill here? Use of smoked salmon didn't help the overall aroma.
- Portion and taste is OK for $8, maybe $10 but $16 would feel steep.
- Served with one rather nice piece of garlic toast. 1" thick slice of french bread, buttered and lightly garliced very evenly all the way to the edge.
- Save about half of this for last to mop up the leftover sauce on your plate.
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