On the way back from Nanaimo, some folks were still hungry so we stopped into Horseshoe Bay and ducked in to Troll's for some fish and chips. I've been here before and have been more or less satisfied. This visit confirmed that the wait times for food can be painfully long, even though I wasn't particularly hungry.
It was freakin' hot all day, we'd waited for the ferry for a solid two hours (maybe 3, I have no idea) under the blazing sun, and all I'd eaten was some rancid nachos passed off as Mexican food, and a stale pizza from the terminal. What I really wanted to do was go home, but I stuck with the group and tried to tough out the throbbing headache I had.
I ordered the salmon and chips, and subbed in the chips for a salad. It really helped. I think if I tried to down some fries, I would have died. The salmon wasn't as good as the last time I was here. It was slightly dry, but still edible.
Tony ordered a fish pie, something I'd never seen before. Maybe next time. Anyway, the food here still tasted decent, but I was feeling so out of it, by the time I made it home, I was blowing chunks. I think I need to go back when I'm not feeling so bad to do a proper review on the salmon and chips, and that fish pie.
I first heard of this place from Janice, over at Good Eat, and at first I thought I'd never been to this place, but then soon realized, I'd been here when it was under another name. I think it was once known as Dave's on the Pier or something like that. As I recall, my experience during that time was absolutely pathetic. The place was dead, and we were literally the only customers in there. We ordered the fish and chips, and ended up getting two measily slabs of Captain Highliner or possibly even Kirkland's (Costco's generic brand) frozen fish. They were fish bits re-assembled into a mold and I swear they looked exactly like these:
Either they ran out of regular fish, or the company was planning on closing and never bothered to restock their inventory. Either way, it sucked @$$ and they charged more than Dave's Fish and Chips on Moncton. I swore I'd never return, but it seems that they must have changed owners because any number of times, I'd walk by this restaurant and I never saw what I ate that one time. The fish always looked, well, real. Never again, did I see the instant fish sticks that I had the day I went. Besides that, this place was packed. I guess it might have had something do with a pier that was packed full of tourists.
There were a lot of people standing around the entrance, and by the take out window, the patio was packed and the inside of the restaurant looked busy as well. I was expecting a long wait time, but we got seated in less than 10 minutes. The person at reception was proibably a highschool student or something, working a part-time job because she clearly hated her job and anyone approached her. It didn't give me a good impression of the place, and when I walked in, I certainly didn't get the impression of a place of fine-dining. The decor was very 1993 and definitely had not changed since the last time I went here, even though it was under different ownership at the time.
I almost want to say the view of the harbour was spectacular, especially on a hot sunny day, but I grew up in Richmond, and I've seen this view about a million times,
I think they're trying for the fine-dining, but it just doesn't make it. The bound menu and the linen are a nice touch, but when you open your eyes to the rest of the restaurant, it's not quite there.
When our meals came, the first thing that popped into my mind was tacky plates, and the fish is a little smallish isn't it? The prices at Sockey City Grill certainly aren't competitive, and I was a little disappointed with the portions. It looked like they even skimped on the fries. I ordered the Oysters and Chips and the oysters were tasty, but tiny. We're not talkin the large oysters you can get at T & T for less about $1 something each, these were more the smaller $0.79 ones. The fries were okay....I wonder if they were made in house (I doubt it) and the coleslaw had raisins in it. The tartar sauce was good (had garlic in it), but the presentation was cheap...just a very small plastic cup. $17 for 4 smallish oysters and a pile of unseasoned fries. Good dip though.
The two peice cod and chips will set you back $14, and size-wise, they weren't very far off the mark from Captain Highliner's Fish Sticks. These guys were definitely overbattered to make up for their shortcomings in the meat department. We definitely got the bottom of the barrel here.
I tried to make the fish and oysters look massive in the pictures, but I don't think I was able too. Anyway, complaints about the food, decor and some of the service aside, Sockeye City Grill did have one saving grace. Our server James, who happened to be the manager, provided phenominal service. He was friendly, attentive, and made sure were were comfortable and okay at all times. I'm pretty sure he had no idea I was there to blog about the place, but regardless, he was really good. Someone like him could definely do better as a professional server, because Sockeye City Grill might be too far gone to save. They count on tourist $$, and when the pier is packed and there's nowhere else to go, they will definitely get customers, but the place could be so much better. James, if you're reading this, excellent service, my kudos to you. A few suggestions: Telll the owner to figure out if they want to go high-end or family restaurant.....make up their minds! If they wanna go high end, the place desperately needs a reno. The prices are high-end, but the food ain't. Either slash prices, or more fish for the $$. Oh yeah, get rid of the receptionist pictured above, she's a waste of space.
o's If there's no line up, this place is awesome. On a hot sunny day during the weekend, this place is a nightmare. Expect the wait time to order to be around 15 to 20 minutes, then about another 10 minutes or so to pick up your order. I suppose that's on par with a lot of dine in places, but if you're starving because of that incredbly yummy deep-fried aroma wafting all over the park, and it's 25 + degrees outside and you're in the sun, it REALLY sucks. But on the same token, after waiting and suffering all that time, the food tastes incredibly awesome and you think to yourself it was worth the wait.
It should go without saying that you're in for a greasy meal, and if you thought anything otherwise, then it must be the first time you've had fish and chips. Pajo's is no different than any other place, the batter isn't particularly heavy or thin - it's pretty average, the tartar sauce is a little on the boring side( basically mayonaise with a few bits of relish or chopped pickles). As with most places, the fish and chips are made to order, and you can be guaranteed of this because of the massive line-ups that ensure a high turnover rate of food.
Nothing like a pack of golden fries and freshly fried battered fish when you're walking around the park hungry!
Pajo's has somehow developed a reputation of epic proportions, such to the point that you may have to stand in a line for about 20 minutes before you can order your food. It's not always the case, but I've seen some horrendous line ups at this place. The fish and chips is pretty good here, but I won't line up for it ever again. If there's a line up here, I'll try Dave's Fish and Chips on Moncton, or maybe Pajo's other location at Garry Point.
The batter coating is not too thick, the portion of fish is within reasonable standards, and the fries are crisp and fried to a golden finish. Once you order your food, it comes pretty quick, but again, if you get here during peak periods, be prepared to wait in line....or do what I do...don't. Prices are average for a fish and chip shop on the pier of any seaside attraction and the service is generally too rushed to be overly friendly. Pretty good overall, worth a visit if there's no line.
I've heard a lot about Troll's, mostly good things, but there seems to be a lot of bad reviews of this place so I had to actually sit down and try it out for myself. Sometime last year, I had some of the fish and chips here from their take-out window and it wasn't too bad....really greasy as with any other fish and chips place, but not bad. Yeah, everything was soggy by the time I got to the park bench where we were going to eat, but that also wasn't a surprise. Fish and Chips are best had, fresh out that bubbling vat of oil.
It was Sunday evening when I came back from Nanaimo with my iaido sensei (just attended a gasshuku in Parksville). Troll's didn't appear as busy as the last time I saw it, but still, the hostess warned us that it would be about 1/2 wait time from the time we ordered our food to the time it would be served. Nice of them to give us the heads up if they were understaffed, but in all honesty, the restaurant wasn't that packed as I had seen before.
The salmon with house salad....now, when I go to fish and chips, I generally order Cod...I have no idea why halibut is more expensive because it doesn't necesarily taste better than cod. In fact, I find that most of the time, the halibut is dry and overcooked...cod is always moist. Salmon, most places have no idea how to cook salmon....my favourite method of preparing salmon is sashimi....overcook salmon and it's heinous. In any case, my sensei ordered salmon and the house salad as he tried it before and said it was really good. I tried a bite and to my surprise, Troll's managed to make the salmon come out perfectly.
Salmon with Caesar salad.
Cod and chips, with an extra order of deep fried oysters. I ordered this, but after sampling the salmon, I might just give it a try the next time I'm at Troll's. The fries were pretty much your run-of-the-mill fries, nothing special, the cod was tender and moist as I expected and the oysters were fantastic.
The wait time didn't seem as long as they warned us about, but I could see this place easily being understaffed during peak periods. The staff were pretty friendly and it was nice of them to warn us, even though the actual wait time wasn't that bad. The food was pretty good and the portions were enough to fill me up. The prices however were a bit inflated if you dine in - $13.00 for two peices of cod and chips, and if you want to sub in a salad, it'll be about $2.00 extra. I guess they figure their reputation is enough to charge such prices, but if you ever find yourself out in Whiterock, check out Moby Dick's. For $13, you get two huge peices of fish, a large bucket of their house tartar sauce, and here's the kicker - an extra peice of fish. Whatever you order, they always give you an extra peice, and it's not just a tiny little half-size thing, it's a whole peice...the portions at Moby Dick's are huge as it is, but the extra piece is always welcome. So, you could order a single piece for $9.40, and get two pieces, which are still bigger and tastier than Troll's.
Yes, it's obvious I prefer fish and chips from Moby Dick's, but if I were in Horsehoebay again, and the was no line up, I'd probably visit Troll's again and have their salmon and chips.
I never would have thought there was decent fish and chips in Maple Ridge, but I was wrong. Some of my coworkers and I stopped in this strip mall on the side of the highway and found this place called Austin Fish & Chips.
We became pretty skeptical when we saw an all-you-can-eat menu.
Pricing is average, I went with the 2 pc cod and chips for $10.95
For some reason, my meal came with a dinner bun. Nothing spectacular, but I never say no to free food.
My friend ordered the popcorn shrimp and said it was a bit bland. The poutine was ordered by one of my co-workers from Montreal.....it doesn't compare, but apparently it wasn't a total disaster. I was pleasantly surprised with my order. Big golden fries, which were nice and crispy, probably made from real potatoes. The cole slaw was a little on the sweet side, which was okay for me. I've never had it that sweet, and it tasted pretty good. The portions of fish were good, crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. I was pretty full by the end of the meal. I have no idea how people go for all you can eat for $1 more. And, an added bonus, tartar sauce in a squeeze bottle - no need for extra tartar sauce when it's right there on the table! I'd probably go again, if I ever find myself out in Maple Ridge.
It's not bad, it ain't Moby Dick's, but it ain't bad. I've always found that everyone on Granville Island is a little over-priced sometimes. For example, I will never, EVER, eat at the Chinese take-out there. For a three item combo, I pay nearly $3.00 more for some sub-par Chinese food....why bother when I can get some awesome food-court Chinese food at Yaohan Centre?
Anyway, I usually make it a point to never have Fish & Chips outside of Moby Dick's, but sometimes when I'm on Granville Island, I get a craving for something greasy, and the only thing fulfilling enough is the Taco Salad from the Mexican take-out, or the Sampler Platter from Celine's Fish & Chips. The Sampler Platter - $13.81 gets you one hunk of cod, ONE Oyster (as opposed to their advertised oyster(s), 1 small breaded prawn, some calamari, onion rings and French Fries. It's filling enough, and you feel quite guilty for eating it after, but you're really not concerned with how incredibly greasy this meal is while you're shoveling it down your throat. It's not too bad I guess, and even though I always say I shouldn't eat this stuff and I'm never going back, I always do.
There's fish and chips, then there's Moby Dick's fish and chips. Everything here is big. The fish don't come in fillets, they come in slabs, served on a mountain of fries with a side of fresh coleslaw and a tub of their homemade tartar sauce. I think dill might be their magic ingredient in the tartar sauce. One other thing about Moby Dick's is they always give you one more piece of fish than you order.....and this information is not on the menu. Actually, since this photo was taken back in 2003. The plates have gotten bigger, and the extra real estate is filled with golden fries and huge chunks of deep fried fish.
