Restaurant: Armview Diner
Address: 7156 Chebucto Road
Date: August 22, 2010
Fish: Haddock
Cost: $11.00

As you may or may not know, we take turns choosing where we’ll review next. It has developed into a bit of a competition between the four of us, and recently it was noted that Minnie is clearly leading the way in the higher scoring locations, while Poochie is solidly in last place. Since it was his turn to choose, Poochie was hoping the famous Armview might bring up his woeful average.

For around 50 years or more, we kept referring to it as the Armview Diner… but their website and location clearly indicate the proper name is the Armview Restaurant & Lounge. Perhaps the extensive renovations in 2006 (and if you haven’t been in the Armview in recent years, it has certainly been updated!) led to the name change… or maybe it’s our deep-fryer oil soaked brains, and the restaurant has never been called the Armview Diner… Regardless, we’re here to check out their fish and chips.

In the end the Armview has a decent offering of fish and chips… but not above average. The fries were clearly the best part of the meal for three of the reviewers, but ultimately the price ($11) would be better spent on other f&c options.

Fish and Chips Score: 76

FCP Review Crew

Rachel’s Thoughts

I was not overly impressed, as the price was high. The fish and batter were good, but not great. The fries, however, were very good.

This is a neat spot, but it seemed a bit expensive for the quality of the food.

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Rachel’s Final Score: 74

Poochie’s Thoughts

When I first bit into the fish, the batter reminded me of the homemade donuts my Godmother use to make… which I liked. It was thin and slightly crunchy, but still soft and velvety inside, and with a nice flavour.

The fish was fresh, flaky, and I thought cooked perfectly, with a nice taste to it.

The home-cut fries were also cooked perfectly… slightly crunchy, but still soft inside… and they had a GREAT flavour!

The accompanying coleslaw was watery and blah, and the juice seeped into the rest of the meal, WHICH I HATE! Yuk! Their idea of  homemade tartar sauce was Thousand Island Dressing with chopped up dill pickles in it. In fact, I found a chunk of dill pickle as big as the end of my thumb!

I did feel the portion was a bit small for the price.

I know I am in the minority on this, but I felt the flavour of the fish and chips makes this place HIGHLY RECOMMENDED… but my three com-padres clearly disagree. Perhaps I’m subconsciously giving them a higher grade to help bring up the average score of the places I pick.

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Poochie’s Final Score: 80

Minnie’s Thoughts

The fish was really good tasting with a crispy, crunchy batter. I did think it was a bit greasier than average, but I liked it.

The home-cut fries arrived less than hot, which can normally be a score killer for me, but these were so darn tasty even lukewarm. Most definitely the highlight of the meal for me.

The coleslaw was watery and had no taste whatsoever, while the homemade tartar sauce was Thousand Island Dressing with chopped up dill pickles… which I thought tasted quite nice. I think I’ll give that a try at home.

All in all I thought it was a good meal, but $11 is a bit much for the portion we received.

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Minnie’s Final Score: 77

Skippy’s Thoughts

Slightly too much grease for me, but yummy batter and oh, so good fish. (Near perfect.)

Fries… somewhat disappointing. I wasn’t sure where my batch came from when I heard my cohorts raving about theirs, but I have to say my fries were slightly less than average. (A little on the tasteless side.)

A great spot (unique location), but a little overpriced for what you get.

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Skippy’s Final Score: 74