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

Restaurant: Fries & Co.
Address: 2603 Connolly Street
Date: July 2, 2010
Fish: Haddock
Cost: $8.49

We have been inundated with requests from our readers to review Fries & Co. in Halifax. It always seems to finish in the top three in the Coast’s reader’s poll for best fish and chips in Halifax. However, if you’ve read our review of Phil’s Seafood on Quinpool you’ll know we don’t consider that poll overly accurate in terms of actual quality (think of it more as a popularity contest).

Amongst the comments we’ve received about Fries & Co., about 60% rave about them, while 40% think they’re highly overrated. A sample includes:

How could you have missed them? Their F & C are outstanding and Clams and Chips are the best we have ever tasted. – Barbara

Fries and Co. is overrated in my opinion. We have been there a couple of times and weren’t impressed at all. – Deb

Fries and Co. on Chebucto Road, very good serving size, fries are
O.K. I don’t care much for fries. – Deloris

…every time I have a fish and chip craving, I head right for Fries and Company. That is the BEST Fish and Chips I ever had. Their home fries are So So Good, and the fish is to Die for!!! – Wendy

Looking forward to reading it (your review). My one visit to Fries & Co. was a disappointment. – @thetriviadiary

Needless to say… we weren’t sure what to expect when going here.

Well… now that we’ve dined at Fries & Co. I have to say, all four reviewers were less than impressed.

It took quite awhile for our food to arrive… close to 20 minutes. When we opened the wrapped up bundles (we ordered take-out and ate on the picnic tables in their patio area), we were all shocked at how small the fish was. Wow… probably the smallest pieces we’ve encountered on our journey so far.

Plus, it was VERY evident the fries had been done long before the fish. The fish was hot and fresh, while the fries were lukewarm and sorta dried out. There is no doubt some of our fries had been sitting around waiting until the fish was ready to be added to the order.

We’re sure some of our readers will be shocked and mad at our findings, while others will feel support for their own tepid opinion of what is considered a fish & chips mecca in the Halifax area. The only thing we can say is… we call ‘em like we see ‘em. And this wasn’t very impressive at all.

Fish and Chips Score: 69

FCP Review Crew

Rachel’s Thoughts

My expectation was high as I looked at the plaques on the wall stating “Best of Fish & Chips in HRM” in 2001-2007.

The portion size was very disappointing, as it was the smallest we’ve had yet (out of 17 locations). Based on what we received, if you want to be full you’ll need to order 3 pieces, at least!

I liked the taste of the batter – but it was quite thick… making the actual fish portion even smaller!

The fries were good, but needed salt, & no salt came in my take-out bag, so I ate them salt free.

Overall the taste was good for me, but the quantity was too small, and the fries were harder to enjoy with no salt. Many people have recommended this spot as the absolute best, but that wasn’t quite my experience on this visit.

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Rachel’s Final Score: 71

Poochie’s Thoughts
What a disappointing experience! It seemed to take forever getting our food, and when I finally finished unwrapping the take-out bundle… the small portion sitting in front of my eyes was almost overwhelming.

The pieces of fish were so very small… and when I took my fork to break off a taste… the batter simply collapsed like an empty puff pastry. I looked up and asked Skippy, “Did you see that??!!??”… which he did.

I mean… come on… the pieces were small enough without the large air pockets in the batter. I felt like I was eating those rip-off chicken balls you get at some Chinese restaurants… you know, where it’s the size of a pregnant golf ball, but when you bite into it the actual size of the meat (is it chicken or pigeon?) inside is smaller than your pinkie nail.

I will give this to Fries & Co. – the taste of their batter and fish was quite good, what little there was.

Now… the fries – full disclosure here. This is not the first time I’ve eaten at Fries & Co. A couple weeks ago my wife and I stopped in on the way back from the Farmer’s market. We weren’t quite full after sharing one of Mary’s famous cinnamon rolls and a serving of Cheeling’s noodles, so we thought we’d try a bag of fries from Fries & Co. (I didn’t dare order the fish before we reviewed the place as a group… that would have felt like cheating on a spouse.)

We got a bag of fries, and they were GREAT! Fresh, hot, tasty. I would sprinkle salt and a bit of ketchup on them and start forking them home. So, when we arrived again to review the place, I was confident of what I would find for fries.

Was I ever wrong!

I picked up a fry and ate it. I’m not exaggerating when I say I had to muster up some extra saliva to help swallow it – it was that dry.

What the??!!??

This was so unlike my previous experience! They were dry, dull, lukewarm, and pathetic, and I had to slather on a bunch of ketchup so they could get down my throat.

I didn’t understand, but then Rachel hit on the answer. She suggested that during the long wait for our food, some of our fries were sitting there waiting and waiting for the fish to be added to the order.

This is totally unacceptable!

I know… I know… some of you readers might howl and state explicitly that you have eaten here dozens (nay, hundreds) of times and that has never happened to you. What can I say? I’m not doubting you… but the day we arrived to review the place, this is exactly what we encountered.

Restaurants have to remember to treat EVERY customer as if this is their first visit, and any future business from them will depend on the quality of that very meal. Consistency is VERY important.

I’m sure had we announced that we were going to review our order and post it on a site read by thousands… Fries & Co. would have made sure everything was fresh and generous. What they neglected to remember is that EVERY customer is a food critic.

Oh, yeah… and the tartar sauce was Kraft and it came with no coleslaw.

Whatever.

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Poochie’s Final Score: 67

Minnie’s Thoughts
What small pieces of fish! Shockingly small. The batter kinda tastes like KFC a little (at least to me), and there was a high batter to fish ratio, making the size of the fish even smaller. :-(

The home cut fries were certainly not fresh, and they needed salt (which, inexplicably did not come with my take-out order).

No coleslaw, and the tartar sauce was little packets of Kraft.

I was really unimpressed. I don’t know what all the hype is about with this place.

For what it’s worth, I found it interesting to see a photo of the former Governor General, Adrienne Clarkson, and her husband John Ralston Saul, on the wall at Fries & Co. They obviously like fish and chips since there is a picture of them on the wall at John’s Lunch as well. I know I will see the John’s Lunch photo many more times in the future, but I can’t say the same for the pic at Fries & Co.

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Minnie’s Final Score: 68

Skippy’s Thoughts

Wow.

And not a great wow.

A busy Friday night at a place we’ve heard quite a bit about (I’d never been here before), and this is what I encountered: Good tasting fish (small portion), with tasteless batter, and (here’s the part that hurts, given the name of the place) tasteless… lukewarm… fries.

Some of you may not agree with me on this one, but I expected so much more, especially where the fries were concerned. Maybe, like Rachel said, the fries were ready long before the fish. Maybe I got the last remnants of a batch of fries. Whatever the case, what’s the first word in their name? You might want to get this right every time.

Maybe some of you will say I should give these guys another chance. But we’ve talked about this before: every customer is a food critic. What if it was your first visit and it wasn’t great – would you go back? Restaurants always need to be on their “A” game, and you never get a second chance to make a good first impression.

And like Poochie says, we’ve got far too many other F&C joints to check out before we start giving out second chances.

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Skippy’s Final Score: 71

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

Restaurant: The Old Triangle
Address: 5136 Prince Street, Halifax
Date: April 18, 2010
Fish: Haddock
Cost: $11.99

On the advice of friends, we made our way downtown to try the fish and chips at The Old Triangle on Prince Street (they also have locations in Moncton and Charlottetown). It was Sunday night, parking was a breeze and the place was slowly filling up… but we had no problem snagging a comfortable spot.

The restaurant was very friendly and cozy, and every staff member we came into contact with was excellent. The Irish music playing (both traditional and modern – e.g. U2 – heard a number of times) was very pleasing to our ears, and at 8:00pm a local artist, David Stone, made his way on stage and began sharing his musical talents with the patrons.

It was enjoyable.

But we came for the fish and chips.

We realize most downtown restaurants are going to be a bit pricier, and the Old Triangle was no different. $12 is a bit above average, but well worth it in our opinion. In fact, the Old Triangle got one of our highest scores to date.

The food was great, the atmosphere comfortable, and the staff were excellent. We will be back.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Fish and Chips Score: 85

FCP Review Crew

Rachel’s Thoughts

I want to go to Ireland if this charming restaurant is any indication of the food and flavor!

The fish was not giant in size, but it was big on taste. The batter had a pleasant taste, but it did retain a bit of grease.

Fries were home cut and good – and bonus points for the very good homemade coleslaw and tartar sauce.

Pack my bag!

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Rachel’s Final Score: 85

Poochie’s Thoughts
First off… as soon as I walked into the restaurant I felt warm and comfortable. U2′s Where the Streets Have No Name was playing in the background and friendly staff got us settled in nicely.

The fish was quite tasty and fresh… cooked perfectly. It was a bit on the smallish side (considering the price) and all the pieces delivered to our table seemed oddly similar in size and shape… almost like those Puff-o-Fruit pastries I used to eat as a kid.

The beer batter was cooked perfectly and had a nice crispness to it. I did find it a bit greasy when pressing my fork down on it, but the grease was very light tasting and didn’t make it’s way into the fish at all.

The fries were real tasty… among the best I’ve eaten so far. Kinda crunchy on the outside and soft inside, with perfect seasoning.

I really liked the homemade coleslaw. It’s not your traditional creamy style but instead it was shredded cabbage, green pepper and red onion in an oil/vinegar mix. The flavour reminded me of a three-bean salad dressing. Some may not like it, but I really did.

The tartar sauce was also homemade and had a subtle flavour to it. While I didn’t find it to be WOW… it was quite good.

This was a great dining experience and we lingered long after our meal, talking and enjoying ourselves. I wouldn’t hesitate to bring friends here because, in addition to their great fish and chips, the Old Triangle has an extensive menu. Some at our table chose to try the Pub Style Curry and Chips… chicken curry (shredded chicken with curry flavored gravy) served over home cut fries and mushy peas (which we requested as a side instead of on top). Think of it as Irish poutine. It was tasty.

All I can say about our dining experience is… long live the Old Triangle and Bono and the boys!

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Poochie’s Final Score: 84

Minnie’s Thoughts
The fish was really good, but I would have like to have seen a bigger portion for the price. The batter seemed a bit greasy on the outside, but didn’t effect the fish inside, nor did it taste or feel greasy in your mouth.

I loved the fries… didn’t even bother putting ketchup on them. The homemade tartar sauce had a bit of garlic in it and was quite nice. The homemade coleslaw was nice and fresh and I really liked it.

I love the restaurant’s atmosphere with the all-Irish music featuring U2 and Van Morrison. I will definitely be going back.

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Minnie’s Final Score: 85

Skippy’s Thoughts
I don’t know if I was extra hungry tonight, but wow, we finally hit a locale with some decent tasting fish and chips.

Near perfect, lovely tasting, flaky fish tucked inside a nice beer batter with a great taste, cooked to perfection.

On the grease front, you always have to remember we’re eating deep fried fish and chips. But that doesn’t mean it has to be greasy. No worries here. Clean and relatively little of it, plus it didn’t seep past the batter and into the fish.

The fries were home cut… and very nice. You know they’re good when you could eat ‘em without any toppings. Alas, one of our scoring criteria is condiments, and since my choice is always ketchup, I had to try a little. The result? Even better. Tough to beat these fries. (Scoring secret: Want a tried and true method of taste testing fries? See how a couple hold up when stone cold. These passed with flying colors.)

Definitely worth a visit / return trip.

Sidenote: Great service, location, music and atmosphere.

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Skippy’s Final Score: 86