Dinner Time: I'm with the pilots at the Flying Beaver

The trip to the Flying Beaver had me remembering the cheesy 1980's sitcom Wings in which a few people work at a small airline hangar and various plots ensue. The show was created to take over the audience as Cheers was winding down, I'm sure had they known about the Beaver hey might have had a longer run on the small screen given perfect balance of airline hangar and neighbourhood pub that defines this place.

When you arrive at the Beaver you will note the industrial surroundings with the BCIT Aerospace Campus just to the north. Busses are few here so good luck walking that distance - I certainly wouldn't want to do it. Convince a friend to drag their oil wagon out of the driveway, or ride you bike already, and head down to the south side of Sea Island and you will be well on your way.

The terminal for regional carrier Harbour Air is here and the Flying Beaver acts as the lounge. It is a mix between a rustic small town pub on the outskirts of town and a patio in West Vancouver overlooking the ocean. We're not on the North Shore though, we're on Sea Island in Richmond near the Vancouver airport.

The prime seats are on the patio which features an open air design that provides a great view of the float planes that call the nearby dock home. Occasionally if the wind is in the right direction you will notice the faint smell of kerosene wafting through the air. Apparently these planes run on the stuff.

The food was pretty good pub fare. I munched on some yam fries after debating the poutine (I figured, since we had to drive a car, that I should get oil-based foods for this adventure). Our server noted that the yam fries were the way to go. As far as appys go it was a decent dish, well prepared, and a perfect match for my pint of local beer.

My traveling companions were keen to get a meal so they opted for a salmon burger and a wrap. The verdict from them was more of the same, pretty decent.

To complete our afternoon of oil exuberance we ordered a deep fried brownie which arrived at our table looking like a spring roll blessed by the gods with sweet chocolaty goodness. It was good, so good that we actually scaled back our other plans to cherish it's delight even though there was truly no room left in our stomachs to handle it. Too delicious.

Should you have a weekend afternoon to kill and a bit of gluttony on the mind, I would highly recommend the Flying Beaver.

Flying Beaver Bar & Grill
4760 Inglis Drive, Richmond
604-273-0278

Photo by Brilliant Girl