I have some family visiting for the holidays and decided to take them down to White Rock to walk the pier and see the Christmas lights. Even on a cold damp December day the promenade is lovely although the Christmas lights or lack of them was disappointing so we decided to go somewhere for a bite to eat. We chose Slainte, by the pier which is an Irish restaurant with a supreme view of the bay. Slainte is an irish word meaning Cheers and seemingly they are used to people mispronouncing it. There were a few other diners in the restaurant, all who seemed to be on a first name basis with the owner and soon we were all involved in one big conversation. My relatives are from New Brunswick and even they were surprised with how friendly and convivial this little place was.
We all ordered hot toddys which were delightful, Irish whiskey, honey, cloves, lemon and hot water and a secret ingredient or two that Jack was not sharing. The menu selection is awesome and we decided to all order something different so that we could sample as much as possible. To start we shared two boxty appetizers, Irish potato cakes covered in brie and bacon and the other with Guinness cheddar and carmelized onions. They were awesome, and we fought over the last crumbs. For mains we had both of their fish and chips, fresh cod with hand cut potato fries, and breaded sockeye with hand cut yam fries, the chicken pot pie and bangers and mash. It was all delicious. Piping hot and very tasty. We were all quite full at this stage but one of the other customers advised us to try some of the desserts so we did and we were certainly not disappointed.
We ordered a bailey's cheesecake and a bread pudding. The cheesecake was light and creamy and the bread pudding which was drizzled with whiskey liqueur and caramel sauce was awesome.
I am so impressed with our experience at Slainte, by the pier I felt compelled to send my first ever restaurant review. I could not recommend this place any higher. I'll be back very soon, maybe even tomorrow.