River’s Edge Restaurant is a hidden gem within Sandpiper Golf Resort, beautifully situated on the shores of the Harrison River. The lovely, county cottage style restaurant, adjacent to Rowena’s Inn on the River, is a great spot for a bite after a round of golf, a drink and snack on the patios or a romantic meal. The wood panelled room is lined with French Doors which open onto the large patios, great for summer time views over the greens to the River beyond. On a cool winter evening, like my visit, the room is warmed by the fire place and comfortable seating arrangements.
The food was flavourful, plentiful and nicely presented local fare. In addition it was quite reasonably priced, 2 courses plus cocktails for under $70*. This month River’s Edge is featuring their Harrison Mills Salmon Run menu during the day, being early for dinner I was able to get a taste of this menu. With a major salmon spawning river right out the door, getting the fish ‘right’ was going to be a good test.
The chef receives good grades! Starting off my friend and I shared the Salmon & Crab Cakes, 3 large (3″) cakes which were almost totally void of filler, just salmon, crab and a small hint of green onion, red peppers and light herbs. Served with a very nice house-made tartar sauce and a fresh side salad of greens, herbs, cheese and local hazelnuts it was large enough to be an entree for a single person. My friend’s starter French onion soup was equally filling and substantial, a hearty
broth with lots of onion, croutons and cheese.
After the size of starters, we shouldn’t have been surprised to see the large entrees come before us. Again, I sampled the Salmon Run menu, having the Seared Salmon Burger, a thick fillet perfectly cooked, meaty but flaky and seasoned just lightly. Served on a toasted bun with lettuce, tomato, pickle and Japanese-style pickled ginger, tartar sauce and lemon as condiments the
flavour and texture of the fish was fresh and light. Accompanied by a thick tomato and squash soup, it was a filling and warming meal for a cold night.
My companion’s Sandpiper Double Beef Burger was massive and mouthwatering. Two large handmade patties of Lepp Farm Market hormone-free beef were topped with cheese and bacon on a toasted bun. The burger was so large that my friend had to use a fork and knife to eat it. Served with nicely crisped french
fries, it would be a challenge for even the heartiest of eaters. Overall our meals were very satisfying, tasty, fresh and local.
One criticism might be that the food could have been slightly hotter, but it was a very cold night, the kitchen is in the adjacent manor house and must be delivered along a breezeway connecting the two so probably got slightly cooled by the temperature outside.
Unfortunately, one downfall of having such a filling and satisfying meal was we didn’t have room for dessert, which I’d heard were quite good.
If you’re on an adventure out in the Fraser Valley, golfing for a day or heading to/from Hemlock Ski Resort (just a few miles up the road) River’s Edge Restaurant is a good stop to relax, refill and review the beautiful scenery that is easily missed zipping along the highway.
*while we were being hosted by the River’s Edge, with part of our bill covered, no expectations of this review were made or requested.