Newlands Sunday Brunch Buffet at Mr. A’s Patio Restaurant
The best and busiest brunch in the Fraser Valley takes place every Sunday from 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM at Newlands Golf Course in Langley (Mr. A’s Patio Restaurant to be specific). The Eats BBC (Boys Brunch Club) got the crew together for a lazy late morning adventure.
Sitting a whopping 250 persons, the dining areas (there’s one on either side of the buffet proper) were the size of a 747 hangar and packed to the teats with peeps ready to put on a pound or two.
While Newlands buffet was busy it was well managed and arranged so we didn’t have to throw any ‘bows to fill our plates. The omelette and waffle station on the left was staffed with friendly, helpful folks and the wait was only about five minutes per short order. It’s hard to get good photos of the buffet items when they’re ensconced in the lidded chafers, so we’ll focus on the plates themselves.
I started by ordering an omelette with ham & shrimp, chives and cheddar. I waited a few minutes too long and came back to a slightly charred bottom, but it was still delicious and I could see that my tablemate’s were all light and fluffy. The eggs benny was typical brunch fare, meaning that the English muffins don’t normally fare too well in the warmers, coming out slightly soggy in the process. The hollandaise was pretty bland compared to our fave over at Dude’s Coffee House, which also has a pretty bang-up brunch.
The bacon was just the right amount of crispy and I remember finding it quite mouth-watering. Same for the sausages, but the roasted potatoes were way over-salted, to the point where I left them on the plate after a couple bites. Overall though this was a satisfying breaky, rounded off with a couple slices of fresh fruit from the kid’s section (yes, the kiddies get their own table of selections, which I poached from several times over the course of our meal. What can I say? They’re easier to elbow out of the way!).
The rest of the crew also enjoyed their plates for the most part, such as the new trend of waffles with fruit, cream, and… shellfish. Hey, if chicken waffles with syrup is a thing, why not? Hmm…I can think of several reasons. But brunch buffets make for some unlikely plating.
Such as my own version of surf and turf featuring smoked mackarel paired with ribs and roast beef with a side of curly fries. The smoked mackerel was a treat, and the curly fries were done right. The roast beef however was overly tough and the ribs almost as salty as the potatoes, so I took a pass again although Craig and the others appreciated the ribs. I’ll admit I’m a bit more finicky about salt than most, so YMMV.
The horseradish for the roast beef was quite pungent and strong so tread lightly when loading your plate. They also offered au jus at the station which may help temper the toughness next time.
My favourite part of the Newlands brunch buffet was the dessert, with every item being a hit as opposed to the spottier main courses. The selection was incredible as well, you will definitely feel like the proverbial kid in a candy store here. I would seriously go back and pay the dough-re-mi for this alone.
The soothingly warm bread putting at two o’clock, drenched in decadent caramel sauce, was a definite highlight, with Kimiko somehow putting down a full plate of it. No small feat given its rich filling nature and overall eggy-ness. Just a big ol’ warm doughy blanket for your tum-tum.
The icy cool cream-puff pie was the perfect counterpoint. Protip: the kids get layered Jello at their table…
The desserts were also more photogenic since they weren’t tucked away behind stainless steel, so here’s a very small selection of the vast array of options:
All told at $22.95 per person (kids eat for $12.95) the BBC gives Newlands Sunday brunch buffet one-and-a-half thumbs up overall for value and quality. We’re looking forward to a return trip in the summer for the patio experience. In the meantime feel free to give us your tips on any delish dishes we may have missed out on this round in the comments below.
