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.