Looks can be decieving as I learned with these week's Taste Tour stop at the Shrimp Boat in Brandon.

The Shrimp Boat; just the name conjures up images of some run-down seafood joint next to the water that only old, bearded locals would dare to visit.  The actual Shrimp Boat, though, resides in a shopping plaza off Lumsden Road in Brandon.  It's hardly run down, but rather unassuming and middle of the road when it comes to local eateries in Brandon.

Worn wooden booths, airbrushed seascape wall art, cheesy 80's music pumping through the sound system at politfully, evelvator-esque levels; it's easy to pre-judge what an uninspired dining experience here will be like.

When it comes to food, Shrimp Boat exceeds expectation, though.  A strip mall seafood joint with a different four course tasting menu every Saturday night?  Not only that but one with creations like The Fat Duck with bacon egg ice cream, tomato-pepper compote, portabella frite, and maple?  It exists and definitely defies convention when it comes to this type of restaurant.

Lunch at the Shrimp Boat provides a naturally shrimp-heavy variety of seafood, burgers, salads, soups, sandwiches, pastas, and more.

To start the meal, a cup of Shrimp Boat's crab corn chowder is ideal in these cold winter months.  Topped with steamed shrimp and sparingly filled with small chunks of crab, corn, and potato, the chowder was rich and thick with just a tad of tangy-ness to give it a distinct, but familiar, flavor.

Coconut shrimp comes fresh and hand-breaded in a panko coconut breading, an appreciated move in the casual seafood landscape of pre-frozen, breaded, then deep fried shrimp.  The pieces are huge and well portioned for the $8.99 price tag.  The accompanying pina colada dipping sauce was ridiculously sweet, but provided an interesting juxtaposition with the crunchy savoriness of the shrimp when dabbed in moderation.

Go for the potato pancake if you get a side with your meal.  Basically, it's a greasy, carbed-out glob of loaded baked potato that's panko breaded and deep fried into a golden hockey puck of deliciousness that could slay the best of diets.

Overall, the Shrimp Boat is more than meets the eye.  Stop in and see if you agree.  After you're done, be sure to give them a rating and review on the Shrimp Boat 813area.com business listing.