Although having visited Bowen Island a few times, I actually never sat down for a proper meal on the island.
The opportunity came when I decided to go for an easy hike on Bowen Island with Jess and Phil (@domoiscraving), and my roommate Tristan. We missed the early ferry that we wanted and ended up arriving around noon. A note to everyone here. If you want to find a paid parking spot in Horseshoe Bay where you take the ferry to Bowen Island, you’d better take a very early ferry in the morning, especially on the weekends. Anyway, we were starving and ready for lunch!
The “Downtown” of Bowen Island, is a collection of restaurants and little shops, very close to the ferry and the waterfront. We skimmed through all the eateries and picked Doc Morgan Restaurant and Pub because it’s closest to the waterfront. A small jazz concert was going on the lawn by the water at the moment, making the pub even more of the prime location for enjoying such a beautiful day on the island.
The pub is located in a large handsome house built with wood and many other West Coast characters. We were hoping to be seated on the patio but there was a long wait for those popular seats. Seated in the main dining room, which seemed quite bright and spacious, I could see the nature through those big windows with details of a heritage house.
We shared the Southern BBQ Shrimp ($15.95). The shrimps were valium without a prescription perfectly cooked – very juicy and succulent. And the American South inspired spices were pronounced in the buttery sauce, a very comforting complement to the sweet shrimps.
We saw the sign of “Fish and Chips” at the entrance, so we assumed it was their best specialty.
Indeed it is!
We had 2 orders of the Doc Morgan’s Fish & Chips ($15.95), both with 2 pieces of Pacific cod. It was a lot of food even shared by 4 of us. The black ale batter on the fish was fantastic, with a golden brown colour and a fluffy texture. The fish was fresh, flaky and flavourful. And the fries, cole slaw and tartare sauce were all fantastic too.
I seriously didn’t remember the last time when I had such good fish & chips!
Guess what would go perfectly with the fried fish with a black ale batter? A dark beer such as Guinness. Another great decision I made for this meal.
The visit to Doc Morgan was a great surprise, mainly from the fish & chips here, which is definitely one of the best that I have ever tasted. I totally respect these restaurants where they don’t just use their prime location as the only selling point. The proximity to the water front is another bonus to eat here, especially in the summer when they have different concerts on the lawn on the weekend. One more suggestion – get a Guinness to go with the fish & chips!
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