Restaurant: Fredie’s Fantastic Fishhouse
Address: 8 Oland Court, Halifax
Date: June 25, 2010
Fish: Haddock
Cost: $7.49 special (regularly $8.65)

There are so many great places in our city where you can order fish and chips… it’s pretty well impossible to be aware of them all. However, quite a number of our readers have made it clear about one restaurant we needed to review… Fredie’s Fantastic Fishhouse in Bayers Lake, located just behind Jungle Jim’s (they also have a location in Tantallon).

None of us reviewers had heard of Fredie’s before beginning this odyssey, but after receiving glowing comments from everyone, we made a point of checking the place out.

And are we ever glad we did.

To make this visit just a wee bit extra special, we were followed by Jill Matthews of the local news team, CTV Atlantic, for a Live at Five piece (check out more pictures at the end of this review). The pressure was on… we are now official TV food critics!!! (As in, we’re going to be featured in a short news spot on television… not that we’re now going to critique tasteless frozen TV dinners which we thought were so cool as a child but would now shudder to eat as a semi-discerning adult.)

Fredie’s is not a very big place; no tables or booths – you either order take out, plop your carcass down at the counter on one of about 10 retro bar stools, or, if the weather is nice, you can sit at one of five tiny tables outside.

Since the weather was gorgeous today, we snagged two tables side by side and ate outside… which was a good thing, because the place was hopping with people coming for their noon fix of fish and chips. This place may not be on one of the main drags in the park, but the locals certainly know all about it.

They had a special price for a two piece fish and chips today. Normally it’s $8.65, but today it was on for $7.49! That’s a great price… one of the lowest we’ve encountered so far. Plus they boast (rightfully so) that their food is prepared in trans-fat free oil.

Great tasting… friendly staff… convenient location… in our minds this is the best place for classic F&C we’ve reviewed so far (as compared to a restaurant experience with non-traditional presentations).

We just discovered a great new place to indulge in our favorite meal!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Fish and Chips Score: 85.5

FCP Review Crew

Rachel’s Thoughts

On a sunny Friday afternoon we rolled up to Fredie’s Fantastic Fishhouse for a taste of their fare, as it has been recommended by numerous people.

It did not disappoint.

Although it is a tiny spot – only stools at a counter and a few small tables outside, I didn’t let that affect my taste test.

The fish was very fresh and flaky – it was so fresh it just fell apart on your fork when eating. The batter was thin, but had a very nice, mild flavour. The portion was more than fair for the price whether it be the regular $8.65 or the special price of $7.49.

The fries had a very good taste – home-cut and seasoned nicely… and they don’t use salt!

If coleslaw and homemade tartar sauce came with the meal, Fredie’s could have gotten my top score. As it is, I would definitely recommend this spot for fish & chips.

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Rachel’s Final Score: 85

Poochie’s Thoughts
I can’t imagine how many times I’ve driven past Fredie’s and never realized a deep fried goldmine was sitting just back off the road. I shudder with horror when I think of how often my wife and I ducked into Wendy’s, Burger King, or… alas… the Golden Arches… and missed out on Fredie’s awesome fish and chips.

You can’t change the past, but you can plan for the future, baby!

The fish was real nice, obviously fresh, and very tasty.  There was a slight seasoning to the fish – I wouldn’t call it salty, but it was a hint of something. It tasted great. This seemed like about the freshest fish we’ve eaten so far. The batter was thin, crunchy and tasty – there was a nice seasoning to it.

I would say there was slightly less grease than average, and it was very clean and light tasting. It didn’t sit like a sodden lump of unpleasantness in my gut, which has happened to me at other places. In fact, Fredie’s prides themselves on being trans-fat free – my doctor (and my arteries) will appreciate that!

The fries were home-cut and really good. I had to toss some salt on them because there didn’t appear to be any added to them. They were a perfect size, and perfectly cooked.

No coleslaw came with the meal, but you can get it for an additional $0.75. I got some and it was decent. Certainly not homemade… once again it tasted suspiciously like what you’d get at the SuperStore deli. I personally wouldn’t get the coleslaw, choosing rather to save up those three quarters to get a free meal on my 12th trip. The tartar sauce was little packets of Kraft.

The ladies waiting on us were very friendly. I am so glad to have learned about this place. Yes Fredie… your fish is FANTASTIC!

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Poochie’s Final Score: 86

Minnie’s Thoughts
I heard really good things about this place, and it did not disappoint. The food was excellent, and the staff were very friendly.

I liked the fish… it had a very good taste, but one of my pieces was a bit larger and the batter was a touch doughy on the inside. It was about average for greasiness.

I really liked the home-cut fries, but I felt they needed a bit more seasoning. They promote the fact that their food is cooked in trans-fat free oil, which is a really good thing.

The tartar sauce was Kraft, and Poochie got some coleslaw for an extra 75 cents, but it didn’t overly impress me. I personally think they get it from the SuperStore.

For me, this is the best place we’ve eaten for traditional fish and chips so far.

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Minnie’s Final Score: 84

Skippy’s Thoughts

Couldn’t tell if it was the batter or the fish each on their own, but when you put the two together and bit into it, this was some fine (dare I say… fantastic?) tasting fish. The fish was literally falling apart when my fork touched it – a good sign of fresh fish. And there was just something about it all that made me want to ram it home as fast as I could (because it tasted like more), but it was definitely worth eating slowly, to savor that flavor.

It’s tough to be near-grease free when you you’re dunking the whole meal in it for a short time, but Fredie’s did a great job, with a slightly above average score on the grease factor.

Very good portion / value for my tastes, and where I’m a ketchup-only-for-condiments guy, my scores were pretty high there.

The fries were also very nice. With just a little extra seasoning before they hit the plate, you could call this place Fredie’s Fantastic Fish & Fries House.

It’s easy to see why many of our readers insisted we review Fredie’s Fantastic Fishhouse. I’m already craving another order.

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Skippy’s Final Score: 87

CTV Cameraman Carl Pomeroy.

Rachel getting interviewed by CTV’s Jill Matthews

Rachel… once again hogging all the limelight. :-)

Jill Matthews (L), Carl Pomeroy (R), and the Fish and Chips Please review crew (in between).

Jill enjoying a plateful of Fredie’s fish and chips.

Carl enjoying Fredie’s fish and chips AND their half seafood sampler plate!

Restaurant: Redwood Grill
Address: 30 Fairfax Drive, Halifax
Date: April 25, 2010
Fish: Haddock
Cost: $9.99

Two of our reviewers never knew there was a restaurant located in the Bayer’s Lake Future Inn until friends suggested to dine there. The other two (obviously much more well traveled food aficionados) had dined there before.

One thing about eating at a little known restaurant… you never have to wait for a table, and you don’t feel crowded.

When we got our menus we couldn’t find fish and chips on it. Could that be? Did we waste a trip out here? Oddly however, fish and chips was finally located… in the Sandwich section. The Sandwich section!!??!!

Our review experience at the Redwood Grill was unlike any we’ve had so far, not because of the meal, but because of an unusual difference of opinion between the reviewers.

We have a fairly rigid process when reviewing fish and chips at a restaurant. First off, we take turns selecting the next place to dine at. Rachel chose the Redwood Grill because of previous positive dining experiences she’s had there.

So as not to sway opinions, as we eat we do not talk to each other about the meal… we simply examine, taste, and hopefully enjoy. While eating, we typically write our thoughts down, and once the meal is done we score each category and add up the total. Only then do we compare scores and notes.

With the Redwood Grill it was immediately obvious a problem was brewing. Three of the reviewers had the exact same score (which has never happened before), while the fourth was 17 points lower!

A minor fracas broke out at our booth as that lone reviewer doggedly held to their opinion, much to the bewilderment and disgust of the other three. It was only later that evening when the reviewer couldn’t taste a deliciously rich hot chocolate did they acknowledge that perhaps their judgment had been impaired and should be disregarded.

Once that was cleared up it became quite obvious… the Redwood Grill is an excellent place to go eat fish and chips!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Fish and Chips Score: 81

FCP Review Crew

Rachel’s Thoughts

I’ve eaten at this restaurant before and enjoyed the food. However, tonight I couldn’t taste much of anything. Not sure if it’s because I have a cold or because I burnt my tongue on a nice cup of tea this morning (I like it hot).

The rest of my team seemed to quite enjoy the food, and felt it had a lot of flavor, so as a result I feel I have to withdraw my score from this location. I really couldn’t taste much of anything. Maybe I’ll make my way back here at some point and try the fish and chips again.

Rachel’s Final Score: VOID

Poochie’s Thoughts
I had no two clues there was a restaurant in the Future Inn… but I am glad I know now. Convenient location with lots of parking, this comfortable and clean restaurant shouldn’t be overlooked.

I did think the portion was a touch small, both in terms of the size of the fish and the amount of fries. But everything was tasty, really tasty.

The fish tasted nice and not greasy at all. It had a real nice subtle flavor to it. The batter (which is advertised as having a hint of cajun) is great. I wasn’t totally getting the “cajun” promise, but there was no doubt the subtle seasoning added to it made this a winner. It was quite crispy on the outside, but nice and moist (without being greasy) on the inside.

The fries arrived piping hot and were nicely seasoned. I’m not sure if they were homecut or not, but whatever they were I really liked them. It should be noted that you can replace the fries with sweet potato fries, roast potato, roasted garlic mashed, rice, caesar or garden salad for no extra charge. That’s pretty good.

The tartar sauce was Kraft and, disappointingly, it didn’t come with coleslaw.

This was one great tasting meal, and had they tossed in a small bit of coleslaw and were a bit more generous with the fish and chips… the Redwood Grill would be my top pick so far.

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Poochie’s Final Score: 81

Minnie’s Thoughts
The fish was very nice and I really liked the flavor of the cajun batter, but I found it a tiny bit doughy on the inside. I really did like the spice combination they used though… great flavor!

The fries were really good. I don’t know if they were homecut or not, but tasty nonetheless. And, hey! You can get sweet potato fries at no extra cost!

Unfortunately there was no coleslaw with the meal.

Finally, our server was very good! This was a great experience.

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Minnie’s Final Score: 81

Skippy’s Thoughts
This fish was delish! Tender, flaky, moist – but not wet or soggy; lovely flavor.

Nice batter; cooked perfectly. Which kept the grease (acceptable) out of the fish. My only disappointment: The menu stated the batter would have “a hint of cajun spice,” where I wanted more than a hint. (Okay, even a real hint would have been nice.) But in all fairness, I’m guessing spicy cajun fish batter might not be everyone’s thing, and they did specify a “hint,” so I can’t penalize them for that.

And the fries. Mmm, potato-y, and cooked… al dente. But wait – these were fries, not pasta. (Can you imagine? I’d like an order of deep fried fish and pasta, please.) Tasty with or without ketchup, and yummy even when cold.

Overall, a very nice meal, surroundings, and server (she went over and above to assist us, plus she had to put up with Poochie). And if you’re into sweet potato fries, bonus! No charge to swap ‘em with the regular des frites. Highly recommended.

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Skippy’s Final Score: 81