Milton Fish & Chips

Where: Milton Fish & Chips
When: July 27th, 2012
What: Lunch special - haddock and chips

My dad and I took my brother out for lunch at Milton Fish & Chips. (My little brother is doing a summer co-op at a local computer store.)

We all got the lunch special ($6.85) which was haddock with chips. It's not a big place like Heritage Fish & Chips but I would say that their fish and chips are better. The vibe of this place is "hole in the wall".

It seems to be a popular lunch place 'cause when we got there (around 1 o'clock), nearly all the tables were occupied and the chef was frying away.

Melissa says that the piece of fish could be a country. I agree.

The fish was really nice. It tasted really fresh and the batter was crisp and not too thick (pictured below). I like it when the batter isn't too thick. I used to "unbatter" my fish half way 'cause I have a grease "threshold". The chips were standard chips. They were more done than those at Heritage. I was happy that they had the PC Condiments tartar sauce.

I would like to go back and have their halibut and chips in the near future. There's one more fish & chips shop in Milton that I haven't gone to. If I were to choose between this place and Heritage Fish & Chips for lunch, I would pick this place.

I give the lunch special at Milton Fish & Chips 4 wee fishies out of 5.

Heritage Fish & Chips

Where: Heritage Fish & Chips, 840 Main St E, Milton, ON

When: First week of January, 2012

What: Haddock and chips lunch special and fried clams (forgot the price)

After moving to Lees Summit, Missouri, my parents moved back to Canada and settled in Milton, Ontario which is sort of next to Mississauga, where I grew up. I once talked about Heritage Fish & Chips with my friend Denise who said, "I hear they have tea cozies on their teapots."

I have eaten at Heritage Fish & Chips before. It's true that they have tea cozies on their teapots when you order tea. I didn't order tea this time though.

Fredrik and I each had the haddock and chips lunch special and shared an order of fried clams.

The fried clams were pretty good. I don't think I've had enough fried clams to really pass a proper judgement on what is good fried clams. I just know that they're like batter covered elastic bands when they're bad.

It's been a while since I had haddock and chips. It was a pretty good portion for a lunch special. I actually didn't end up finishing it. I've learned that haddock is a bit fishier than halibut. That'll teach me to stray from the usual.

The fish is beer battered but with not too much batter, which I like. The chips are crispy.

The only "downside" is the tartar sauce.

I don't know about you but I have a tartar sauce preference. In fact, I have had conversations about the best tartar sauce. My friends and I find ourselves going back to the ketchup packet packaged tartar sauce (pictured on the right). It doesn't taste like "real" mayo. It's got the right amount of sweetness and tartness. It's just much better than any "homemade" tartar sauce. Heritage Fish & Chips does not have PC Condiments tartar sauce. Most fish and chips places I've eaten at has PC Condiments tartar sauce.

Useless info:

After some research, I found out that my favourite tartar sauce is made by a company that started out making Chinese noodles. The company that makes it is the same company that makes Wing's fortune cookies.

I give the lunch special at Heritage Fish & Chips 3 wee fishies out of 5.

Queen's Fish & Chips

Where: Queen's Fish & Chips, 131 Queen St S, Mississauga (Streetsville), ON
When: Wednesday, December 28, 2011
What: Halibut and chips, $12 +tax

When I was in high school, I would go for fish & chips once a week with 2 of my friends. Queen's Fish & Chips was the local fish and chips place and they had a $5 special, choice of haddock or cod. My first fish and chips were eaten at Queen's Fish and Chips. After we finished our lunch, I often doodled with the ketchup 'cause they came in squeeze bottles.

Since my high school days, more than 10 years ago, Queen's Fish & chips have changed owners on more than one occasion. At one point, Caz's Great Fish took over and changed the name but now it's back to Queen's Fish & Chips.

On our recent Canadian visit, I met up with my 2 previous partners-in-crime for fish and chips. The interior is the same as I remember it. In fact, the chairs are the same chairs from when we were in high school. They still write their specials and deals on brightly coloured bristol board.
Fredrik and I each got halibut and chips with a pop. They still have lunch specials but I forgot how much those are. They weren't so far off from the old $5 price tag.

The fish was beer battered and crispy as always. The chips were a bit lacking but I usually focus on the fish. The ketchup was still in squeeze bottles. I didn't doodle with them as I once did.

It wasn't the best fish and chips experience but it certainly wasn't the worst either. Perhaps it's the nostalgia but I'm going to give Queen's Fish & Chips 4 wee fishies out of 5.

Andrew's Fish & Chips

Where: Andrew's Fish & Chips, in front of Spring Garden Road Library, Halifax, NS
When: Sunday, May 8, 2011
What: One piece fish and chips, $6.

I was wandering around downtown Halifax on Sunday and decided to get some fish and chips after my trip to the library. During the warmer months there is usually a chip truck in front of the Spring Garden Road Library. The highly coveted spot in front of the library is very popular among chip truck owners. I hadn't had truck fries in years and decided to treat myself.

Andrew's Fish & Chips sells more than just fries. They sell 1 and 2 piece fish and chips, poutines, and hotdogs, as well as cold drinks. There was no line up on this day, but since it was an overcast Sunday in May, that was not surprising. The truck was staffed by 2 people and my order came quickly. In front of the order window is a shelf with lots of condiments for your fries or hotdogs, including ketchup, mustard, relish, white vinegar and red wine vinegar, tartar sauce, salt and pepper, and sauerkraut. 

I took my plate of fish and chips and sat on a bench in front of the library. There were a lot of pigeons around which was kind of gross, but that is not the chip truck's fault. People need to stop feeding the pigeons! *ahem*

You maybe can't tell from the above photo, but there were a lot of fries. Way too many. I would rather have had 2 pieces of fish and less fries. Well except for the fact that the fish wasn't that great either. The batter was crispy but didn't have much taste to it, and it was really wet on the inside. The fish was also very mushy. I wonder if they pre-cooked the fish or just fried it too long. Hard to know for sure really. The fries were a bit tough, also like they were fried for too long. I wasn't overly impressed, but it was a chip truck after all, and only $6.

Maybe I should make it my goal to try all the chip trucks I can find in the city?

I give Andrew's Fish & Chips 2 little fishies out of 5.

Willman's Seafood on Good Friday

Where: William's Seafood Restaurant, Smythe Street, Fredericton, NB
When: Friday, April 22nd, 2011 (Good Friday)
What: Small Fish & Chips and small poutine

I had my annual fish and chips on Good Friday at William's Seafood in Fredericton, New Brunswick. This year I wanted to get a fish and chips with poutine so that's what I ordered. William's does not have a fish, chips and poutine special on the menu, so you have to order two separate items. I got a small fish and a small poutine. 

As you can see from the photo above, the gravy on the poutine does not look very appetizing. The fries were good as per usual, and so were the curds. It's good that they actually do use real curds and not shredded mozzarella like some places. The gravy was a gelatinous glob with very little flavour. It was almost pudding like, which is not a desirable quality in a gravy. I will definitely pass on the poutine next time I am at William's. 

I don't really want to mark this meal too low as the fish was great as usual, but the poutine was disappointing. 

This time, I give William's Seafood 3 little fishies out of 5.