I really wanted to write a short blog post on the Captain’s Boil since I was a little confused before going on Wednesday. The confusion lied in wondering what I’d be getting with my order.

I’ve been to several crab boils before, including So Crab So Good in Burnaby, as well as the Crab Pot in Seattle. When I heard Captain’s Boil was now in Vancouver after only having been in Toronto previously, I had to try it.

Much like other crab boils, you order your food and you can eat it with your hands off the table. The bibs provided at Captain’s Boil is so cute!

The decor is also nice. They provide straws with your water so that you won’t have to touch it with your messy hands, and they also give each table a roll of paper towels. All in all, well thought out.

The confusing part for me was figuring out what I’d get with my order. Other crab boil places usually serve the boiled seafood with potatoes, corn, and such in a combo. However, upon reading the menu online, I saw that they only showed seafood sold by the pound.

Turns out that’s it. You get what you ordered, whether it’s a pound of mussels, or what have you, with the sauce of your choice, and lastly the spiciness. You can choose different sauces for each pound of seafood you order. If you wanted potatoes, sausages, corn, or other extras, you’ll have to order them separately.

We ordered 1 pound of mussels ($10.95), 1 pound of shrimp ($12.95), and a pound of snow crab legs ($18.95). We also ordered 2 pieces of corn ($1/piece. Each “piece” is about 1/3 of a corn), and a potato ($1.50/potato sliced into 2 pieces). We got all of this in medium heat and the Captain’s Boil sauce. It was a little jarring because I was so used to these “extras” being free, since they help you get full.

However, I realize that 3 pounds of seafood gets me decently full. The total came to $48.68, meaning my share was about $24.34. Originally, I walked into Captain’s Boil thinking that for the price, it’s ridiculous since it’s only $25.99 at So Crab So Good for their crab combo (in which you get shrimp, clam, mussel, corn, potato, sausage, and crab). But I realize there was more filler at So Crab So Good, whereas at the Captain’s Boil, you’re getting pure seafood. I guess it depends if you want more variety, or more seafood in weight.

I thought Captain’s Boil was pretty good overall, though the sauce was a little too garlicky for me. I’d definitely suggest trying it out since it’s fun to eat with your hands now and then!