At the end of Discovery Bay and next to Fat Smitty's sits this attractive little place. And a snug harbor it is, as George Vancouver discovered in 1792 when he sailed in here on his ship Discovery.
Snug Harbor is as much a bar as a restaurant. We stopped for a little lunch, and were pleasantly surprised. It is a very basic place, decor not fussy or self absorbed. Wood everywhere, as you come to expect here in the northwest fronting a bay from which logs were shipped at prodigious rates in the last century. Rather small and homey, it is the kind of place you want to be good, one you want to make your own little "discovery", and become a regular. The menu is the basic 4 pages in a plastic cover.
Service- check. I could hardly remember it as soon as we were out the door. But then, that is not the kind of thing that makes you eager to return, it just makes you not want to burn the place or run out the door.
Food- we ordered fish and chips (of course!), clam chowder, and fish tacos. The Cod (one of the few species worth fish n chipping), had a great batter, not perfectly light, but light. It was cooked perfectly, which can't be taken for granted when frying. The chips were battered in the same batter, a nice caring touch, but mushy. Missing the right technique. Tartar sauce- chunky and tangy, not imaginative, but adequate. The fish tacos sounded very appealing- same fried fish, tartar sauce, pico de gallo, cabbage, perfectly ripe avocado, and house made salsa. Should have been outstanding. But we all found them a bit, well, wanting. More spice? Needing cilantro lime mayo instead of tartar? In the end, all they needed, like the fish and chips? Seasoning. A dash of salt fixed them, as much as they could be fixed without cilantro-lime mayo.
So, with all the good fish houses around, is Snug Harbor worth making a regular stop? Nope. Not unless you are passing by and it is time to eat.
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