D'arcy McGee's

Where: D'arcy McGee's, 44 Sparks Street, Ottawa
When: Tuesday, July 3rd 2007
What: Two piece fish & chips, $12+tax

For my birthday meal (the 4th of July), Rémi and I went to Darcy McGee's on Sparks Street in Ottawa. This pub was recommended by an old school friend who lives there. Named after the Canadian journalist and father of confederation who was assassinated in 1868, D'arcy McGee's pub features an extensive food and drink menu. From the "Irish Favourites" menu we both ordered Finnegan's Fry, which is described as "two pieces of lightly battered haddock, served with vegetable slaw, Dungloe sauce and fries seasoned with sea salt" (Rémi substituted his fries for poutine, of course).

After our first fish and chips experience in Ottawa, I was worried the second place would be a bust too. I was pleasantly surprised at the fish and chips here though. In fact, we both felt the fish here was excellent. A nice light and crispy batter that was not greasy at all. The fries were very crisp as well, and hand cut. The portions were definitely a good size. I'm not sure if Dungloe sauce is the same as tartar sauce, but it was delicious either way. Also delicious was the vegetable slaw, a nice alternative to coleslaw, which I find usually mushy and bland.

Vintage whiskey advertisements.

Finnegan's Fry.

Chocolate volcano - my birthday dessert.

For dessert we "shared" a chocolate volcano. The waiter brought it to our table and I said "Uh...I didn't order dessert!" but it was my birthday surprise! I turned the big two-eight on July 4th and this was Rémi's gift to me. I managed to have room enough to eat most of this all on my own and it was delicious. Warm chocolate cake with chocolate sauce on the inside, and served with vanilla ice cream. Best birthday dessert ever!

Personally I felt the service was good, but Rémi did remark that we waited a long time between our drink order and food order. The waiter also took a long time to bring the dessert. From where we sat I couldn't tell how busy it was, but considering it was Ottawa a few days after Canada Day, it was probably fairly busy. I didn't think the guy was friendly enough either, but honestly, I was so tired and hungry from a full day, I don't think I cared much!

Overall I thought this was a great place to eat. Their whole menu looked interesting and appetizing, so if fish and chips is not your thing, I'm sure you can find something you'd like! I recommend it to anyone visiting or living in Ottawa. Great fish & chips, lots of beer to chose from, awesome dessert, and an interesting story to learn about D'arcy McGee.

I give D'arcy McGee's 4.5 little fishies out of 5.


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Other news: I had all four wisdom teeth out a week ago, and had my first solid type food today (french fries). I can't stop thinking about fish and chips! Hopefully soon I'll feel well enough to go out and review some more local fish & chips.

The Aulde Dubliner

Where: The Aulde Dubliner, 62 William Street, Ottawa
When: Sunday, July 1st 2007 (Canada Day!)
What: One piece fish & chips, $14+tax

On a recent trip to our nation's capital for Canada day, I visited some local pubs to try out the fish and chips on the mainland. My first stop was The Aulde Dubliner on William Street. My friend Rémi and I got a table for two overlooking the streets below, full of people enjoying the festivities.

The pub had a special Canada Day menu and you could only order off this menu. There were a variety of domestic and imported beers to chose from as well. We each got the fish and chips and a beer (Stella for him, Smithwick's for me, which I forgot I don't like). There was a band playing covers of Canadian tunes, and the service was fairly fast. However, the service was not friendly. Our server was very quick with us and didn't take the time to explain the limited menu first. She also didn't seem to be concerned that Rémi wasn't given any tartar sauce. Rémi was turned off by the limited menu (he likes to substitute poutine for fries when he can). I was turned off by the price for only one piece of fish and wondered if they jacked up the price for Canada Day (their regular menu shows 2 pieces for $13, so looks like I was right).

When the fish and chips arrived they were practically dripping with grease. You can't tell from the photo, since this was taken just after they arrived, but things got mushy and messy fast. The fish, though quite a large piece, was tough in some places, and the fries were cold and not crispy. The tartar sauce didn't taste fresh or homemade. We were at least provided with two kinds of vinegar, both malt and white, along with ketchup, but other than that, there really wasn't anything special about this place.

We both found our server to be not at all pleasant, the food overpriced and greasey. Plus the server charged me the full total of the meal on my credit card, and not half like she was supposed to (my friend payed for half with his debit card, I didn't discover the error until I got back to Halifax). I'm still trying to get the credit card issue resolved, but regardless, I wasn't planning to give this place a good review anyway.

Rémi and I give The Aulde Dubliner 2 little fishies out of 5 ("Only because they had a band" - Rémi).

Henry House Pub & Restaurant

Where: Henry House Pub & Restaurant, 1222 Barrington Street, Halifax
When: Thursday, May 3rd 2007
What: Two piece fish & chips, $10+tax

Henry House Pub & Restaurant is located in downtown Halifax on Barrington Street. Henry House was built in 1834 and has three levels, two of which are available for dining, and the other can be booked for private functions. Since I live in the area, Henry House is becoming one of my favourite places to hang out. The staff are always friendly and fast, the menu is interesting, and they have a lot of great brews on tap (I highly recommend the ale sampler).

I have had the fish and chips at Henry House before, but this was my first official review. Sadly I felt like I was eating something out of a box. The beer battered fish had a weird rectangular shape to it which reminded me of something you might see in a school cafeteria. Not that the shape of the fish should matter, but it was just an odd sight to see. I didn't feel like the fish really stood out either. It was bland and not very crispy. The pieces were a good size though, so I will give them that. The handcut fries were not very crispy either, so that was another disappointment. I know from past experience that the Henry House fish and chips can be better, and I certainly don't need an excuse to go back and try it again.

Normally you get more fries, but I asked to get only a half order because I found last time I couldn't finish them all.

I'm not usually a fan of coleslaw or tartar sauce, as you know from reading this blog, but I did try both anyway. The tartar sauce was quite good. I liked the dill flavour even though I don't like dill a whole lot. You could tell it was fresh and homemade. My friend liked the coleslaw but I didn't care much for it. I found it bland and not very crisp. There wasn't much zing to it. Maybe I should start making my own coleslaw to bring whenever I eat out. Haha.

For dessert I had a piece of blueberry cheesecake, which also was not very memorable. The blueberries were a nice touch, but the cake was bland and not very rich.

Overall I was disappointed with my meal that night. I know I will be back again though, so maybe in a few months I'll do another review and see how they compare. It was a good evening with a friend though, and great beer!

I give Henry House 3 little fishies out of 5.

William's Seafood

Where: William's Seafood Restaurant, Smythe Street, Fredericton, New Brunswick
When: April 7th, 2007 (Good Friday)
What: Medium Fish & Chips, $7.50

On Good Friday I went out for fish & chips with my parents for our 2nd annual visit to William's Seafood. This restaurant is located on the Exhibition Grounds in downtown Fredericton, New Brunswick. It is a staple for fish and chips and the city, and Good Friday is known for being one of the busiest days of the year for the restaurant.

Their menu features a variety of seafood options, mostly fried. If you're not a fan of seafood, you can also get regular fast food items such as poutine, burgers, fries, but most of their menu is made up of fried fish and other seafood. Unlike many seafood restaurants which feature their fish and chips as either one or two pieces, William's has three sizes - small, medium, and large, with varying amounts of fries and fish. The medium came with a generous helping of fries, handcut in the restaurant, and four small pieces of fish.

The fish here is excellent. Light and moist with a nice golden batter. The batter is never doughy and always crispy. The fries could have been cooked a little bit longer according to my mother, but personally I thought they were just fine. You don't really get a lot of extras at this restaurant, not coleslaw or homemade tartar sauce (just the Kraft packaged kind), but I really don't think anyone would complain.

William's Seafood is really a fast food style seafood restaurant. You order at the counter and then find yourself a seat (quickly, they fill up fast). When your order is ready someone will call it out to you, or bring it to your table. The staff is always fast and friendly. Add William's Seafood to your list of places of visit next time you're stopping by Fredericton!

I give William's Seafood 4.5 little fishies out of 5.

Whiskey's Lounge

Where: Whiskey's Lounge, 27 Portland Street, Dartmouth
When: March 17th (that's right, St. Patrick's Day)
What: 1 piece fish and chips, $5.95+tax

I don't have a whole lot to say about this place. I ended up there with some friends on Saint Patrick's Day and decided to get the 1 piece fish & chips. The fries were not hand cut, pretty dry, and just generally tasteless. The fish was greasy and really hot (I burned my mouth pretty badly).

The wait staff were not very friendly, the music was way too loud, and the cover band (two guys really) didn't play any Irish tunes. The only good thing I can say is that it was cheap and not crowded like every other bar in town early on Saint Patrick's day. It wasn't on my list of places to try, and I don't plan on going back.

I give Whiskey's Lounge 2 little fishies out of 5.