Celtic Corner: Saint Patrick's Day Edition

Where: Celtic Corner, 69 Alderney Drive, Dartmouth
When: Monday, March 17, 2008.
What: Two piece fish and chips, $8.95+tax

This Saint Patrick's Day edition of Tasty Fish & Chips is brought to you by Celtic Corner in Dartmouth, an annual favourite spot for anyone who wants to be Irish just for one day.

I arrived shortly after 5pm, and the place was already packed. A voluntary donation to the Autism Society of Nova Scotia was the only cover. I met my friends who hadn't found a table yet, but we hovered and took in the atmosphere for a while (maybe an hour). It was entertaining seeing all the different people there; the young and old alike were partying it up on this day. Eventually we found a small square table in a corner in a room separated from the main area. We piled out coats and bags on the floor under the table, and made friends with another couple who just wanted a place a place to stand and and put their drinks down. Unfortunately this table was in front of a bathroom, and we had to move frequently to let people in to empty their bladders.

We flagged down a waiter who took our orders, which were brought promptly. The set up was a bit confusing, as their was a waitress serving this room who told us she was supposed to be working the bar, and apparently we weren't supposed to even have food in that room. Thankfully they made an exception for us and the others in that room, and were very apologetic about it.

My friends Ann and Derrick ordered vegetarian nachos ($8.95) and fries with curry sauce ($4.95). I've never even seen curry and fries before, but I did try some of the sauce and it was a tasty, yellow, and spicy concoction.

I was very happy to be eating and got my friend to take a picture of me holding my fish and chips. Starving at this point, I didn't care that I had to stand up, or if the food wasn't perfect, I was just glad to be eating something.


The platter was advertised as being a two piece fish and chips, but mine came with three pieces the size of large chicken fingers. I was glad for this because I didn't feel like using cutlery at this point (does that make me a pig? oh well!)

Three pieces of delicious fish and chips.

The batter had a nice golden colour to it, and the fish was moist and tasty. It wasn't very hot though and was a little mushy on the underside. The fries were not very crispy at all and had possibly been sitting a while. The coleslaw was ok, a bit watery, and I found the tartar sauce a bit too something, tangy maybe? Also, I was not offered ketchup or vinegar. All in all it wasn't bad. I know food should be good all the time, not matter what celebration is going on, but I would like to go back on a normal day and try it again.

The crowd.

Overall we had a really good time, but it will be a long while before I go out to a crowded bar on a celebratory day to eat and have some drinks.

I give Celtic Corner 3.5 little fishies out of 5.