Restaurant: The Battered Fish
Address: 766 Bedford Highway, Bedford
Date: July 2, 2010
Fish: Haddock
Cost: $8.49

Fish and Chips wagons are found all over this great city of ours… and one which we’ve received a lot of comments about is The Battered Fish, located on the Bedford Highway (by the Esquire restaurant). They also have a booth on the Halifax waterfront next to Beavertails.

In the world of chip wagons, The Battered Fish is a cut above in terms of setup. A very clean, professional, eye-catching spot which you could almost consider a restaurant with no seating. But as we’ve learned already on this venture, looks can be deceiving… we’d rather a place look old and worn out (see: John’s Lunch) but serve great food than the other way around.

And while the F&C we had at The Battered Fish was decent, it certainly wasn’t above average like their setup. In fact, other than Minnie (who we question might have been on some extra medication when scoring this meal), we all agree this place sits squarely in the middle of all our present reviews.

Fish and Chips Score: 76

FCP Review Crew

Rachel’s Thoughts

There were lots of cars in the parking lot, which was a good sign. This is an upscale fish & chip wagon, as it looked fresh and clean.

The portion was a healthy size, and because the batter was thin, there was lots of fish for the price. It tasted quite fresh, but I found the batter and fries very greasy.

The fries were skinny and tasty, but, as mentioned above, very greasy from the pieces of fish which were sitting on top.

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Rachel’s Final Score: 73

Poochie’s Thoughts

The fish was nice, white, fresh and tasty. The batter was thin, but I found it a bit over-cooked, which resulted in a bit of a burnt aftertaste.

The fries were thin, home-cut, and if you threw some salt on them, quite excellent.

The entire meal was VERY greasy… more so than average.

The tartar sauce seemed like it was homemade, but it was mayonnaise based with sweet relish in it… #FAIL! Sweet hot dog relish in your tartar sauce just screams low-grade.

They also offered a little container of sweet chili sauce which, while it tasted very nice, just doesn’t jive with fish and chips. I felt the flavour of it overpowered the fish.

Overall this place is not bad, but with so many better fish and chips places in the area, I personally would drive on by.

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Poochie’s Final Score: 74

Minnie’s Thoughts
There were lots of people crowded around this place, waiting to order or waiting for their order.

I really liked the batter… a bit crunchy, but nice and moist on the inside. I loved the fries; thin, home-cut, and perfectly cooked = Yum!

The meal was quite greasy, but I didn’t seem to mind it.

I think the tartar sauce was homemade, but it was just ok to me.

Even though the others disagreed with me, I really liked this place and would HIGHLY RECOMMEND it!

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Minnie’s Final Score: 81

Skippy’s Thoughts

Slightly more grease than I’d like to see on my plate after I’m done eating, but some folks say it ain’t true F&C without the grease, so this may appeal to you.

Tasty fish, tasty batter, and a decent size serving for a 2-piece order. Fries somewhat disappointing for my first visit here. This is essentially what you’d expect at a decent fish and chip truck (food-wise), with a bit of class to boot. I’d say somebody put some care and planning into things, because the unit where it all gets produced has great curb appeal, what with those bright red and yellow colors. Very clean and classy looking, for takeout food. Kudos to you, Battered Fish.

And the extra touch of special sauces, like sweet chili sauce? I’m lovin’ it. My teammates may have wimpy taste buds, but that sauce on this fish was yummy. Just make sure you load that stuff on your fish after you’ve first tasted it sans condiments, so you can realistically compare The Battered Fish with the F&C from other locations.

Although my final score (and our overall average) wasn’t 80+, based on the creative planning going on here, and the fact that the fish was very good, I’d have to agree with Minnie and say I highly recommend it.

Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments

Skippy’s Final Score: 75